bird-blinding vbl n, pres pple S Atl, Gulf States
= bird-thrashing vbl n.
1937 in Lib. of Congress Amer. Memory: Born in Slavery (Internet) cwAL, He eased up on ’em wid a white sheet ’round him and a big bresh in he hand, and somehow or ’nother, dey didn’t see him tell he spoke. Den he holler ‘By God, I’m bird-blinding,’ and he say dem niggers tore down dem dirt chimleys and run t’rough dat house. . . What he mean ’bout bird-blindin’? When you goes in de canebrake it so thick, you takes a light to shine de bird’s eyes and blind ’em, den you kin ketch ’em. 1937 in 1972 Amer. Slave 14.199 cNC, I also piled brush in de winter time. Birds went in de brush ter roost. Den we went bird blindin’. We had torches made o’ lightwood splinters, and brushes in our han’s, we hit de piles o’ brush after we got ’round ’em. When de birds come out we would kill ’em. Dere were lots o’ birds den. 1969 NC Folkl. 17.87, Bird blinding or bird striking is without doubt the most unusual way that birds are killed. In newgrounds . . the cut brush is piled in the middle of the area, to be burned when it has dried. This pile of dead vegetation frequently becomes a popular roosting place for many kinds of birds. Armed with flaming lightwood torches and with saplings, usually leafless dogwoods, the hunters approach the brush heap at night. Stationed around the pile, they begin shouting and rattling the dry brush. Roosting birds fly up in fright and are blinded by the torchlight. As they flutter about in confusion, the hunters strike with the many-limbed saplings, wreaking havoc among the fear-stricken birds. 1997 Sitton–Utley From Can See 129 ceTX (as of 1920s), Blacks along the Washington County Bluffs used the Southeastern Indian technique of “bird blinding” to take robins at night. . . Bird blinding went on in deep winter, “just according to the year and how cold it was. You get a bunch of them birds and pick em and cook em.”