Hyperfixed, "Cry Fowl" (Jan 29, 2026) – Episode Summary

Episode Overview

In this episode of Hyperfixed, host Alex Goldman investigates the mysterious disappearance of ducks, geese, and other waterfowl from Avondale Park in Birmingham, Alabama, just before the 2022 World Games. What begins as a quirky local question unravels into an 11-month investigation involving rumors, city bureaucracy, environmental disturbance, and a government coverup. Alongside producer Sari Soffer Sukanek, Alex traces what happened to the birds—and exposes the city's efforts to hide the truth.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Disappearance at Avondale Park: A Local Mystery (03:15–09:39)

• The Listener's Query: John, a longtime Birmingham resident, recalls how the park, famed for its ducks, suddenly lost all its waterfowl in summer 2022.
• Rumors Begin: Speculation abounds—were they killed, moved, or did they simply migrate? Theories, from humane relocation to “duck assassination” for the World Games, dominate local gossip and Reddit.
• The Stakes: For locals, the ducks were more than scenery—they were a cherished part of Birmingham's social life and childhood memories.

"I don't know anything about ducks. So I'm like, did they migrate? And they're like, no. The city removed them for the World Games."
— John, 04:57

2. World Games and Rising Suspicions (05:10–09:39)

• Events Collide: The 2022 World Games took place at Avondale Park. Clean-ups and city “beautification” efforts for international visitors included the park pond—coinciding with the birds' disappearance.
• Community Reaction: As city preparations ramped up, so did rumors, and skepticism toward the city’s explanations.

"If my mom has heard this [rumor], then clearly everybody in town thinks this."
— John, 07:49

• Alex Sets Out: Alex commits to uncovering the truth, recognizing the city’s reluctance to discuss the matter openly.

3. Expert Opinions & City Stonewalling (10:28–18:30)

• Reporter Joe Goodman’s Take:
  Joe Goodman, AL.com columnist, recalls hearing from city officials that the ducks were "relocated," but he doubted the euphemism.

"They relocated them across the Rainbow Bridge, like, I don't know."
— Joe Goodman, 11:48

• Parks Department Response:
  Sari gets ambiguous explanations: the ducks "relocated on their own," supposedly due to pond cleaning.
  Further investigation reveals the pond was dredged and drained pre-Games.

"I'm sorry, that does not pass the snail test for me."
— Alex, 14:40

• Wildlife Center Expertise:
  Chris Sykes (Alabama Wildlife Center) explains numerous ducks would have been unable to leave—too tame, too fat, or physically impaired due to repeated human feeding ("angel wing").

"They're city geese and duck... they've kind of lost that ability to, you know, migrate on and jump around from pond to pond just because they're just... city geese."
— Chris Sykes, 16:52

Chris surmises culling as the only plausible explanation, citing similar past incidents.

4. City Documents: Obfuscation & Denials (18:30–23:19)

• Public Records Requests:
  Hyperfixed files a comprehensive request with the City of Birmingham for any records about the ducks’ fate or pond alterations (permits, emails, receipts, etc.).
• City Response:
  The city denies possessing any such records, despite evidence to the contrary about the pond drainage.

"That was the moment we realized that they had definitely done something to the ducks. We just couldn't prove it, and we didn't know if we would ever be able to."
— Alex, 21:46

5. Breakthrough: Help from the Community (24:35–27:58)

• Creative "Revenge Plot":
  In frustration, the team considers buying a memorial bench but is rebuffed. Instead, they are allowed to post on Friends of Avondale Park's Facebook group.
• New Lead:
  Community member Skip Brock remembers a past Facebook post stating the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed the birds—introducing new agencies to contact for information.

"The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service came, and they removed them."
— Skip Brock, 26:34

6. Crucial Evidence: FOIA Yields the Truth (27:58–32:54)

• Federal Paper Trail:
  FOIA requests to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) yield a nearly 70-page trove of documents confirming the ducks' fate.
• The Findings:
  • On June 14, 2022, APHIS conducted an overnight roundup and euthanization of geese and ducks from Avondale Park (and three other city locations), with bodies disposed at a wildlife management area.
  • It was done explicitly for the World Games (“Our goal is to have this project completed in advance of the World Games” – APHIS email).
  • Documents show the Parks Department orchestrated the project; Friends of Avondale Park were listed as a "cooperator," meaning they possibly paid for or ordered the culling.
  • Despite the paper trail, city officials had claimed, even when confronted with evidence, that the ducks were merely "removed" and no culling took place.

"The headline here is that the ducks were definitely euthanized. On the night of June 14, 2022, APHIS dispatched a team to Birmingham... including Avondale Park."
— Sari Soffer Sukanek, 29:21

"In one email, actually, it’s very explicitly stated. Our goal is to have this project completed in advance of the World Games."
— Sari Soffer Sukanek, 30:11

7. Aftermath: Bureaucracy, Obfuscation, and Reflection (32:54–33:19)

• Obvious Lies, No Accountability:
  City's attempts to maintain a false narrative, even when faced with evidence.
• Unanswered Questions:
  Who precisely ordered and paid for the project? Why such secrecy for an act most people in Birmingham suspected all along?
• Alex’s Reflection:
  The podcast ultimately exposes not just the culling, but a local government's determined obfuscation—a lesson in how small-seeming mysteries can illuminate larger problems of transparency and institutional trust.

"The thing that feels so interesting here, at least to me, is how hard the city worked to hide something that everyone knew. And now everyone knows that they did that, too."
— Alex, 33:19

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On local skepticism and a myth's power:
  "If my mom has heard this [rumor], then clearly everybody in town thinks this." (John, 07:49)

• On city explanations:
  "They relocated them across the Rainbow Bridge, like, I don't know." (Joe Goodman, 11:48)

• On wildlife realities:
  "They're city geese and duck...they’ve kind of lost that ability to, you know, migrate on and jump around from pond to pond..." (Chris Sykes, 16:52)

• Sari stakes the facts, after months of digging:
  "The headline here is that the ducks were definitely euthanized...our goal is to have this project completed in advance of the World Games." (Sari, 29:21 & 30:11)

• Alex identifies the bigger picture:
  "The thing that feels so interesting here, at least to me, is how hard the city worked to hide something that everyone knew." (Alex, 33:19)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:15–09:39 — Introduction to the mystery and local context
• 10:28–12:58 — Joe Goodman’s first-hand reporting and suspicions
• 13:53–18:30 — Attempts to get city records, wildlife expert’s input
• 18:30–23:19 — FOIA requests, city stonewalling, suspicion deepens
• 24:35–27:58 — Breakthrough from a community Facebook post
• 27:58–32:54 — FOIA results and documentary evidence of the culling
• 33:19–End — Alex’s reflections on transparency, accountability, and the city’s persistent obfuscation

Summary in Brief

Cry Fowl is a deeply engaging investigation that transforms a small-town mystery about missing ducks into a sharp exposé of municipal secrecy. Alex Goldman and team persist through rumor, evasion, and bureaucratic runaround, ultimately obtaining proof through federal records that the birds of Avondale Park were euthanized by APHIS on city orders ahead of the 2022 World Games—while city officials, astonishingly, denied the truth at every turn. This episode vividly illustrates how a community’s truths, even well-known ones, are sometimes the hardest for institutions to honestly acknowledge.