Crazy old Greek Neighbors

This morning, while drinking my coffee on my porch, I look down into my neighbors yard to see a string hanging down from another string (it's in the garden, used to grow peas and vine plants) with something moving at the bottom. I look closer and see that there is a bird, tied at the feet, hanging upside down trying to stand on one of the horizontal strings. Occationally it got tired and just hung there, upside down. I yell for my roommate to come see this, to make sure I'm not crazy. Yep, she sees it too.

I go back inside and get all my stuff for work together, grab my lunch, brush my teeth, and head out the back door. I walk across the lawn to the fence. I see the old Greek neighbor (I've had encounters with the lady before, but never the man). He is sitting in a chair, staring at the bird. I ask him what he's doing to the bird. He replies that the birds eat the flowers off his cucumber plants. He catches them and hangs them upside down for a half hour, then lets them go.

First off, what in the hell is this man talking about? Torturing a bird keeps it away from your garden? Secondly, if this bird actually does stay away for a time, what's to keep all the other birds away? You have a huge garden that attracts birds. It's an endless battle.

Okay. So I tell him that I don't think that it's humane and he should probably untie the bird. He said that the bird was fine. I become a little more assertive and tell him that he's basically torturing the bird and it's disgusting and if I see him hanging birds upside down on strings anymore I may have to call someone about it. (um, who will I call? This may be an empty threat.) He gets up and unties the bird. I leave with a kurt 'have a good morning'. and walk to my bus.

This whole experience was just bizarre.