Originally Posted by
darthbimmer
I get a chuckle every time I see this thread because I've taken at least a dozen trips specifically to see birds, particularly birds of prey-- the kind that literally can injure people badly if they decide they want to. OP wouldn't want to go to half the places I find interesting.
My backyard has a red shouldered hawk nest and they're seriously protective of their young. After being dive bombed by worried bird parents, with a talon injury to the scalp, my neighbor wears a deflection hat on her walks. Sort of a big cardboard box thing. We joke that it's her birth control hat. The birds won't bother her, and neither will anyone else.
They've never been close to me, but those birds are scary. I don't go down there in early summer. And I like them and want them to stay.
I really feel for the OP's wife. A phobia of birds must be difficult to cope with. I hope, for her sake, that this is not a defining personality trait, rather just a preference of choices in vacationing destinations that will be more relaxing. The supermarket parking lot, the beach, the park, school yards, many or most people's front or back yards, much of the outside world-- all have birds. Maybe you live in an urban setting that is less hospitable to wildlife. Still, there are a lot of birds in this world. Does it matter if they are big or little? Sparrows vs. swans? For instance, there are a lot less eagles, and usually they are far away, than seagulls, who will snatch a burger right out of your hand, or pigeons, which tend to have large flocks in urban settings that are looking for a handout. What destinations have you chosen for your travels?