'Go Birds' Has New Meaning For Hatboro-Horsham Judge

HORSHAM TOWNSHIP, PA — Hatboro-Horsham District Justice Todd Stephens had a real reason to shout "Go Birds" over the past few days.

While the Philadelphia Eagles are hosting a home playoff game on Sunday, the former state representative really wanted the Birds to go.

That's because he had several of the feathered friends in his office at the Horsham Road courthouse for several days.

Earlier this week, Stephens tried to liberate two birds that got into the space above the drop ceiling in his courtroom.

"They were making quite a commotion all morning, moving around and chirping nonstop," the judge said.

He said the maintenance team removed some ceiling tiles and opened some windows over the lunch hour, and "we ultimately had a quiet afternoon."

Stephens thought the birds had flown the coop.

But on Thursday, while sitting at his desk, the noises coming from above the ceiling returned.

Stephens said he removed a ceiling tile and went back to work.

Then out of nowhere, a "decent-sized bird" flew down into his office. Stephens opened the courtroom door and eventually a window.

"After several attempts to fly through many closed windows, the bird finally made it out through the open one," the judge said.

So Stephens took a lunch break. But this Birds saga wasn't over yet.

While Stephens was at lunch, a second bird came down through the open ceiling tile and flew into his staff area.

"It created quite the commotion until they were able to guide it toward an open window in the courtroom, and it safely flew outside," he said. "Hopefully that’s the final chapter in this story and the birds remain safely outside the building. Go Birds!"

(Todd Stephens)