After-Action Report: 11 November 2009

The other day I noted, when a loud noise was made in my front yard, at least 6 pigeons flew out of the tree over my driveway. I looked at the driveway, and sure 'nuff: huge patches of concrete covered in bird poo.

Time to go killin'.

I rolled out with my trusty poquito sometime after 21:00 and found the first bird without too much difficulty. After what I was sure had been a good shot, he flew off! Damnit. Okay, let's keep looking. . .

. . . and then, from two houses down, I hear as noise in the neighbors' trees: 'flapflapflapcrashflapflapflapcrashthunk'

I walked over and there was my boy, dead as a doornail. I collected him and went back to my yard and started looking again, and my next door neighbors pulled in to their driveway. The squeaking of their brakes spooked one bird out of the tree. The slamming of their car doors spooked another five or six. I exchanged pleasantries with the neighbors, and then spotted another bird the wife heard in their tree. I set my torch on the ground so they could see the bird lit up from underneath. The husband told me "shoot it" and they went inside. I took one shot, but it was offhand and the tree was being windblown (miss). As I was reloading, TWO cars passed each other going opposite directions in front of our house, and ANOTHER half-dozen birds flushed out of the trees, including my current quarry. Disgusted, I went inside after tossing the one dead guy into the storm drain for the cats.

Time to spend some quality time outside. I also need to do some surgery on the front sight on my pellet gun. The protective ring around the sight blade gives back a huge glare that mars the picture through the telescope sight when the flashlight hits it.