I can’t remember the last time I went to a store—say a Target, Walmart, or a big chain grocery store—and didn’t encounter roving gangs of birds in the parking lot. Sometimes it’s only a few pigeons picking at crumbs and discarded sandwiches, and sometimes it’s hundreds of seagulls fanning out like you might sometimes see them on the beach. Sometimes it’s even geese, who are notoriously the meanest of the bunch. I’ve always been curious about why birds love parking lots so much, but never gave it a lot of thought.
Then I realized this is a phenomenon that has been happening all over the country for years. Not just gatherings of birds, but in some cases literal takeovers! Stories out of Texas and Louisiana show crows and grackles invading large parking lots by the thousands, making for amazing viral social media moments.
What in the Alfred Hitchcock is going on here? I wish I could ask the birds what’s so appealing about asphalt parking lots? Well, I can’t; but I can consult with bird experts.
