Avondale Park ducks, geese disappear before The World Games

Birmingham’s transformation for The World Games has been the buzz of the city over the last couple weeks.

Everyone is talking about our last-minute preparations. Time to tidy up. We got company coming over, y’all, so that means vacuum the rugs and fluff the pillows.

And clean up the expressway cut through Red Mountain. And build transit stops for the new bus routes. And now, apparently, hide the birds at Avondale Park.

Yep, they’re gone. Where did they go? It’s a mystery. One employee for Birmingham Public Works theorized that they all flew to East Lake Park.

We can only hope.

The World Games is July 7-17, and so the last-minute preparations have been going nonstop. The archery competitions of The World Games are at Avondale Park. Public Works began fencing off the park on Thursday, and on Saturday there were crews lining the fences with black screens.

Other workers scraped muck and the gunk off of the concrete with heavy machines and what smelled like bleach. The venerable old park looks good, or at least better than it did. It’s a work in progress. Avondale Park is one of Birmingham’s oldest public spaces on account of the natural spring that flows out of the hillside and down into the pond.

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The pond has been a problem for weeks and weeks, but specialists were brought in last month to deal with the algae blooms. I walked through Avondale Park on Saturday morning to check out the progress, and the clean up is underway. I grew up playing baseball at the Irondale and Avondale ballparks, so I’ve enjoyed the pond at Avondale Park over the years. For the first time in my life, the water is clear.

It’s so clear, in fact, that the bottom of the pond can be seen in a few places. It’s almost like an aquarium. Huge fish swim through the inviting blue waters. With a little more work to clean up trash and algae, the place should look beautiful for The World Games.

There’s just one curious thing about Avondale Park these days. All the ugly ducks and the ornery geese are nowhere to be seen. There used to be dozens and dozens. The park has always been filled with birds. Everyone knows about the ducks and geese at Avondale Park. Welp, they’ve disappeared. It’s a ghost town. What the feather is going on?

Can’t have goose poop everywhere for The World Games, I suppose. The archers might slip. A goose might catch a stray arrow. The world is coming to Avondale Park, but the geese and the ugly ducks won’t be there to greet everyone.

I say ugly ducks, but in truth they’re called Muscovy ducks. You know, the blotchy, mottled ducks with the lumpy red faces. Everything is beautiful with the right eyes. That’s what they say. Muscovy ducks, God bless’m, might only be beautiful to other Muscovy ducks.

But where did they go? And what about the geese? And the other ducks? Even the swans are MIA.

These days, the ducks sometimes have been known to walk across the street to Munchies for frozen margaritas and daiquiris. Naturally, I walked over to Munchies to see if the ducks were enjoying some loaded fries or maybe a morning beverage. Nope.

Chris Hollaman, co-owner of Munchies, was wondering what happened to the ducks, too. Located on the corner of 41st Street and 5th Avenue across from Avondale Park, Munchies is a famous landmark for longtime residents of Birmingham. It used to be a gas station and convenience store. These days it’s a restaurant and bar. Avondale began its transformation into an entertainment district about a decade ago. This year, Munchies decided to make the switch.

“We’re just going with the flow,” Hollaman said. “We wanted to bring some flavor over here. So far, so good. We are covered up on the weekends.”

Munchies on 5th is the official name of the new-look Munchies. I’m a big fan. The daiquiri machine is a hit, and the Munch Punch is the signature drink. The ducks like the new astro turf out front. They keep it clean.

Or at least they did.

“Haven’t seen any ducks,” Hollaman said. “They’re gone.”

Hollaman asked me how many people would be coming to Avondale for The World Games. He heard 2,000 people a day. We’ll see. That’s a lot of daiquiris, but Munchies is getting ready. Hollaman says Munchies will be open in the mornings to feed all the people. There’s going to be an all-you-can-eat brunch for $20.

“And free mimosas while they last,” he said. “We wanted to give the people a little something.”

While the ducks, geese and swans have vanished, Avondale Park isn’t without birds. There were a couple mallards in the water on Saturday morning, and two cranes of various sizes and colors were on the island in the middle of the pond. Never seen those at Avondale Park before. Maybe they’re happy the geese are gone. Who’s to say?

Even Birmingham’s wildlife is changing for The World Games. Gone are the ugly ducks and geese. In their places are more exotic things. I’m not talking about the cranes either. Munchies, Hollaman says, will have its famous mechanical bull cleaned up and ready for the people.

The world is going to need something to ride.

Joseph Goodman is a columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of “We Want Bama: A season of hope and the making of Nick Saban’s ‘ultimate team’”. You can find him on Twitter @JoeGoodmanJr.