Keep an eye on your food!

[deej696]

This story was so funny I just had to share it with everyone.

My brother and I were at WDW for our annual summer golf match (I won by the way). About halfway through our round at Magnolia we each bought a hotdog and soda. The hot dogs come wrapped in an aluminum foil pouch and my brother had put it away in a compartment in the golf cart. As we are standing on the green we see this crow flying overhead with my brother's hot dog in tow! The bird landed on the ground about 10 yards away so my brother took off running to try to salvage his uneaten and unopened hotdog. With that the crow pulled the hot dog out of the wrapper and took off never to be seen again!

Needless to say, I would have paid more than the $5 for the hot dog just to see this happen again because it was hilarious.

BTW we stayed off property for the first time in years, but luckily I have an OKW stay upcoming to look forward to!

 

[BCV23]

Great story.

Sounds like the crow had practice!

 

[3DisneyKids]

Holy crow! What a funny story!

 

[disneynutz]

Looks like Magnolia is going to the birds.

 

[goofy4tink]

Similar story....last Dec, there was a group of us eating at the Electric Unbrella in Epcot. We were sitting outside. There was a young man a few tables over from us..no one in between us. Well, the young man got up and left the table. A bird promptly flew down and started pecking away at the leavings. Some people walked by, the bird flew away. My friends and I commented on how rude it was for someone to just leave their stuff there for someone else to clean up...well, about 20 secs after the bird flew away, the young man came back out, with some condiments, and sat back down again and finished eating. I guess we should have said something to him but we couldn't get to him before he started eating, so just left well enough alone.
But, those birds are incredible. I've seen them dive bomb people in Frontierland, making them jump, and spill food all over the place. Then the birds just swoop down and eat!! Sure do wish people would stop feeding the darn things..it's just not cute.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

Another similar story...

about 3 years ago, DH and I are at Pecos Bill's in MK. A bird flies overhead and conveniently drops a poopy present on my shirt. DH being the gentleman, runs inside to get napkins.

While gone, 5 birds notice the 5 french fries DH has left. FULLY SYNCHRONIZED, as if to music, each bird lands/perches on fry box, bends down to steal the fry, flys away. Land, steal, fly. Land, steal, fly, etc. DH returns about 20 seconds later. H is fries are all gone and I am still in shock with eyes open and jaw dropped.

It was pretty funny.

 

[dianeschlicht]

LOL, too bad you didn't get that on video!

I had a gull swipe my fries at the American pavilion once in Epcot. I was walking with my try and as soon as I came out the door, he swooped down, snatched the cup of fries and took off! LOL, the CM came up with a new cup of fries and said "I saw that"!

 

[wdwstar]

That same Dang Crow got my bag of cashews out of our golf cart !
and a raccoon came out from no where and almost attacked my BIL's leg while he was just sitting in the golf cart.

 

[wdwstar]

i also forgot to mention, while we were at the SAB this past easter, a lady just brought a tray of food from the counter service to the pool to get her kids out of the pool and 3 white birds dive bombed her tray and knocked what was left of the food into the pool. It was like a scene in the movie the Birds

 

[n2mm]

I agree, the birds at WDW are getting worse (if that's possible). I can't tell you how many I saw on strollers our last trip (last month). Folks seem to have popcorn and goldfish and other snacks in the basket of their strollers and we would walk by and the birds were there just eating away. I would suggest anyone not leave open food in the back (or front) of their strollers because you don't know what has been in it while you're away.

On another note, in Feb we watched seagulls swoop down and attack a lady at EPCOT/WSC to get her food. They kept flying in front of her face and hit her in the head until she dropped her funnel cake (right outside the stand). It was sad and upsetting to see this. Seems the birds know this works, so continue to do this behavior whenever they want something. I agree with other posters....stop feeding the birds and don't let your kids do it. Disney promotes "do not feed the birds" on its napkins.

 

[pilferk]

Back in Jan of '06, we were at AK. I had been waiting a good part of the late am and early pm for the turkey legs to come out...but they just kept running out. Finally, I got one (YIPEE!!!) and we made our way over to the nearby benches so I could eat it.

I sat down...and promptly this big, huge, crane looking bird swoops down nearby and starts "pestering" me...obviously grubbing for food. I "shoo"ed him away about 3 or 4 times. Finally, my wife catches on to what's going on and starts laughing. I'm pretty annoyed (by the bird, not her) at this point, and ask her what's so funny. She says to me "You do realize what that bird is actually grubbing for, right?". Then it hit me...this big huge crane looking bird is actually grubbing for TURKEY!

So remember: There ARE cannibals in Africa at AK!

 

[jimmacmn]

Last Dec a friend and I were playing the Palm course. We had just made the turn and had stocked up on some food. We got about half way down the 10th fairway and we picked up a masked food bandit that followed us for the rest of the 10th and all of the 11th hole. The bandit of course was a racoon. One of the rangers told us later that that racoons had acutally unzipped golf bags to get cracker packages out of them and they had taken one woman's purse from a cart and taken it into the swamp never to be seen again. At least this little fella knew when the golfers load up on eats!

 

[JodyTG]

When you're trying to enjoy an expensive meal at the Rose and Crown in Epcot there's nothing worse than fighting to get birds off your table. The British couple at the table next to us was letting their kids feed the birds, even though I asked them to please not do that. I even asked our waiter to talk to them but he didn't want to ruin their vacation...well, what about MY VACATION?!?!?! Also, because they didn't have their entrees yet, the birds invited themselves to our table.

This happened when I was pregnant a few years back and we all know how emotional pregnant women are. I burst out crying and couldn't stop until I got away from those stupid birds...not to mention the stupid people at the table next to us.

So, because of stupid people feeding the stupid birds I missed a great meal and a great view of Illuminations.

 

[Mtnman44]

so if people didn't give a few crumbs to the birds, then the birds would have no idea there was food around and the problem would go away?

 

[JodyTG]

so if people didn't give a few crumbs to the birds, then the birds would have no idea there was food around and the problem would go away?

It wouldn't be INVITING birds over to an area where they weren't already.

 

[pilferk]

so if people didn't give a few crumbs to the birds, then the birds would have no idea there was food around and the problem would go away?

Keep in mind, we're hypothesizing about something that'll never happen, but...yes.

The birds wouldn't be as overtly pestering if they weren't "conditioned" that the pestering tends to work, and gets them grub.

So says Pavlov.

They would, instead, "stalk" scraps, garbage cans, etc. because that's where their food source would be. If everyone (impossible, I know) shooed the birds away, and didn't offer up any num nums, they'd continue their natural behavior of staying away from man. An easy way to prove this: Head to your nearest national park, set up a picnic blanket, and break out the treats. Notice you are likely not immediately trampled by every living thing in the forest....

Because "begging" is a conditioned behavior in animals, usually, not an inherent one.

 

[Pinmaniac]

We have sat at EPCOT between the McDonalds stand and Canada Pavillion under the umbrellas and watched the birds acost people with their french fries. Very funny to watch, and we didn't feel the least bit guilty because we had just run the gambit ourselves. After which several ducks came up and tried to take food from my daughter and several other children sitting on the various benches.

 

[pbharris4]

I had bought 3 hot dogs and drinks at a cart across from the area of Pecos Bill's area. DH was sitting on the porch w/ DD (5 at the time). I had the drinks tucked under my arm and had the hot dogs in front of me. I took literally 4 steps away from the cart when a big white bird came and took the hot dogs. I thought it was attacking me and screamed to look down and realized the critter took my hot dogs..he obviously was on the Atkins Diet because he left the buns!

 

[DisneyMomJen]

Last August we were in Typhoon Lagoon and had lunch. As soon as we sit down DD8 gets pooped on by a bird right on her head. I ask DH to take her to get washed off. They come back, I give her order to her and she starts complaining right away. I was thinking 'Now what is the problem?' She shows me that the birds pooped on her food as soon as she sat down. I said the birds were up in the trees laughing saying 'We got her again!!!' Luckily the CM's were very understanding and gave DD a new lunch fter we explained what happened!

 

[spiceycat]

this is so funny.

I know some of you are so upset. and I am sorry.

but hey it is still funny.