Con Ed kicks Hootie to the curb

From the NY Post:

Add "Hootie" the owl to the ranks of the recently unemployed.

Con Ed workers yesterday "fired" the mechanical bird, which failed to scare parrots off a Queens electrical transformer, repeatedly allowing the equipment to blow up because of their nests.

"The birds win!" said a Con Ed worker who took down the blown $25,000 transformer -- and Hootie -- in Beechhurst. "The owl's fired!"

The transformer, like others in the area a favored nesting place for parrots, exploded Monday because of a rain-drenched nest, leading to a 45-minute power outage for more than 1,500 customers.