The old saying birds of a feather flock together has more than one cultural meaning in the tiny North Carolina town of Scotland Neck in Halifax County. For those living in the small, peaceful town in the late 1960s, they’ll likely never forget the several million birds that descended on the town wreaking havoc for at least three months straight with no reprieve. It was a dark time for the small town – in more ways than one.
Scotland Neck is most known for its wide main street, with a single lane of parking spots right in the middle of the road. Convenient, some would say, especially in 1969 when heading into town meant carrying an umbrella at all times to avoid the spoils of well, millions of blackbirds overhead.
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To this day, no one knows why anywhere from three to 11 million blackbirds decided to make Scotland Neck their home starting around March of 1969. But when the birds were in flight, even on the sunniest of days the skies would darken from the merle of blackbirds overhead.
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It’s hard to imagine how much waste and destruction would result from as many as 11 million blackbirds (and why would we even want to?) but the residents of Scotland Neck in the spring and early summer of 1969 likely remember it well.
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Even public health officials had to be called in due to the super flock (usually called a cloud, merle, or cluster) of blackbirds that overtook the tiny town.
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Although no real reason was ever given for why Scotland Neck was invaded, there are many theories as to why birds of a feather flock together during winter.
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Some believe it’s for self-preservation and that, somehow, birds instinctively know it confuses predators when they collect in large numbers. Other schools of thought believe it’s for feeding purposes and that blackbirds have a special way of communicating where sources of food are found. Still others think it has to do with driving predators away by sheer intimidation by the overwhelming size of the flock.
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Whatever the reason, we can all agree if our own locale never sees an invasion of millions of destructive birds, then that will be just fine with us.
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Do you remember the 1969 invasion of blackbirds in Halifax County? We’d love to hear your firsthand account so feel free to join the discussion!
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Know of another bird invasion in North Carolina? Tell us all about it at this link!
If you love birds and want to see them in much smaller numbers, then Scotland Neck is the home of a fantastic bird aviary that you can visit. Keep reading to learn all about Sylvan Heights Bird Park!
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Address: Scotland Neck, NC 27874, USA
