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One who chooses to venture outdoors for any reason is always putting himself or herself at risk of becoming a victim to an often overlooked danger that lurks over the heads of all humans.

Birds have entered the chat.

The winged creatures who soar through the skies are unlike mankind in most ways, especially when it comes to proper etiquette regarding ridding waste from their bodies. Birds choose not to respect any idea of etiquette and, rather, opt to use the entire earth below them as their own personal toilet of sorts. Not only does this pose the potential of a person receiving an unexpected dropping from the sky, but it also pollutes a certain area of White Rock Lake, which has not-so-endearingly become known as bird s%*# cove (BSC) by many local runners.

BSC consists of a short portion of the lake plagued with bird droppings and a stench that is indistinguishable. For some runners, it is a dreaded area to run through, but for White Rock Running Co-op admin Julie Lanaux, it is simply a part of her run that she has come to expect.

“The smell isn’t much of a deterrent for me,” she said. “Thankfully, the birds are only here in winter when it’s cold, so the poop doesn’t bake in the summer sun and end up smelling 10 times worse. It’s a minor unpleasant 0.2 miles, so it’s easy to just keep going."

Not everyone is as positive and as fortunate as Lanaux, though, to have evaded personal victimization from these local birds. WRRC member Aaron Byrkit recently experienced a traumatic moment on a Wednesday night group run when a bird made the conscious decision to defecate in mid-air upon the unsuspecting runner and one of his other running buddies.

“At first, there was splattering in front of me, and it gave the sense of a painter spilling paint from a scaffolding,” he said. “Then, I realized it was splattering on me. Noting the surroundings—bird s%*# cove—my mind started to formulate what was actually happening. Within milliseconds, the foul odor of BSC overwhelmed my nostrils in concentrate. A bird—or, perhaps, birds—were emptying their bowels on and around me. Part of me didn’t know what to do. I resolved to make it to the end of the boardwalk and to try to use the grass to wipe as much as possible off of me.”

WRRC member and local bird expert Ryan Herington is familiar with the bird species that dwells at White Rock but is not certain exactly what the birds’ collective mission is by spending so much time in this specific area of the lake.

“A cormorant is a water bird,” he said. “[They are] very good swimmers, but their wings are not waterproof, which is why they have to air them out. Although I haven’t climbed up to investigate, they are likely building nests for mating season in the cove.”

And Herington doesn’t believe that the birds are doing anything wrong. Instead, he thinks that it’s the humans who need to be more cognizant of their surroundings and what they are—sometimes quite literally—stepping into.

“I suppose it’s important to be aware of what’s above you and recognize that the lake is a nature preserve,” he said. “There are plenty of other places to run if you don’t appreciate nature. I’ve never avoided the bridge on purpose, but I am aware when the seasonal population increases, and I step lively."

Not everyone has such a keen eye and mind for the birds, and the Wednesday night runners are living proof that no one is safe. Lanaux mentioned that it is considered lucky in some cultures when a bird poops on an individual, but Byrkit is not so sure that he buys into that belief. Rather, he sees it as more of a form of entertainment for the avian creatures.

“I think there is a bird travel agency that sends all of the birds there during migration season,” he said. “The accommodations include trees with lots of branches to perch on, a cove with fish to eat, and even the occasional comedy show of runners being showered in bird droppings.”

Kellogg’s first tested Pop-Tarts in Cleveland in 1963, and the success resulted in the company boosting the first national production shipments from 10,000 cases to 45,000 cases.

Dallas is currently in the top 10 of biggest cities in the U.S. in terms of population, and it is continuing to experience growth as more individuals and families choose to relocate to the metro area.

Whether one is new or an established long-term resident, he or she has likely noticed the increase in prices it takes to live here. According to Dallas-area resident Josh Odegard, CEO of a new IT services company and a self-proclaimed housing market expert, there were significant changes over the last year, mostly as a result of the Fed raising rates steadily since last March.

“The rate hikes were aimed to stop and reduce consumer price inflation, but it’s having a big effect on housing prices and sales,” he said. “As the Fed funds rate increases, so do mortgage rates. A 30-year fixed mortgage rate is now more than 7% percent, about double what it was a year ago. On a $350,000 house, that adds more than $600 per month to your monthly payment.”

Dallas resident and real estate agent Natalie Magness also drew attention to the changes that have taken place in the housing market recently, but she has a positive outlook for those seeking to make their permanent homes in the Dallas area.

“It’s certainly been unpredictable,” she said. “About a year ago, DFW shifted very suddenly from a seller’s market to a buyer’s market, and we’ve been sitting here for a little bit. However, despite all of the national news, I’m always optimistic about living in DFW and buying property here. People from all over the country continue to move here because of the low cost of living and no state income tax. And let’s be real—Dallas is the best.”

And she is not the only one who believes that the metroplex is an ideal place to call home.

“The DFW area has seen some housing price decreases but not nearly as much as most other markets in the U.S.,” Odegard said. “This is mostly due to the constant influx of new residents. Suburbs to the north of Dallas have seen 10–50 percent new residents over the last 10 years, and Frisco alone has seen a 70-percent population increase.”

Not everyone is seeking to purchase a home, though. Many residents throughout the Dallas area prefer to rent, an option that Magness said is often more reasonable for some individuals.

“It really depends on what you’re looking for and where you want to be,” she said. “There is a lot of inventory right now, so there is a lot of opportunity for price negotiations and seller concessions before you close—something we haven’t seen in several years. Renting, however, may be a better option for you if you have less cash on hand.”

If you are looking to buy, though, Odegard predicts that interest rates may begin to decrease by the end of the year if the Fed recognizes that existing rate hikes have helped enough already, with the knowledge that inflation will continue to subside.

“In the end, higher interest rates are not great for buyers or sellers, but we’ve gotten used to ridiculously low interest rates for too long, so there will be some normalization happening in the next year or so,” he said.

That doesn’t mean that the overall cost of a home will decrease along with interest rates, but Magness doesn’t believe that’s a reason not to buy.

“I personally do not think that prices will decrease in the DFW area since more and more people continue to move to the area, but that doesn’t mean that it won’t get cheaper to buy,” she said. “I do predict that interest rates will drop in the next few months, making it cheaper to obtain a loan and get yourself into your dream home. The great thing about living in a rapidly appreciating area like DFW is that once you claim your stake, your home value will gain value over time.”

WEEKLY PHOTO OP

Some dear readers of NatNews enjoyed the Taylor Swift concert over the weekend

Monday, April 3: NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship
Tuesday, April 4: Neil deGrasse Tyson at Winspear Opera House
Thursday, April 6: Adult Easter Egg Hunt at Old City Park
Saturday, April 8: WRRC Saturday run at Taco Joint
Saturday, April 8: Billy Joel + Stevie Nicks at AT&T Stadium