Rogue rooster ruffles feathers in Osprey subdivision

When Daniel Knauf agreed to step in as president of the Park Trace Estates Homeowners Association, he knew he wasn’t assuming the most glamorous position in the world.

A resident of the Osprey subdivision for a decade now, he’d seen firsthand the type of eccentric personality that such a residents group could occasionally attract. He’d also read some far-out stories, including one about a Fort Myers man who parked a tank in his driveway to protest his association’s ban on pickup trucks.

“I expected some craziness from my research and my experience,” Knauf said. “I did not expect to have to deal with a rooster.”

And yet, that’s exactly the issue he’s been grappling with this summer. Over the past four months, the presence of the somewhat-affectionately named “Randy the Rooster” in Park Trace Estates has given Knauf a previously unthinkable experience.

"It’s an absurd kind of situation. Right now, though, the rooster’s gotten the better of us." — Daniel Knauf

He’s discussed rooster-related issues at neighborhood meetings, reached out to animal services and even ordered a 16-ounce bottle of a product called Rooster Booster Poultry Insect Repellent online. Still, the problem persists — and Knauf is determined to solve it.

“I’ve got a sense of humor,” Knauf said. "It’s an absurd kind of situation. Right now, though, the rooster’s gotten the better of us.”

When one imagines the havoc a rooster can wreak within a community, the first image might be ill-timed crowing. Some neighbors living near the Legacy Trail entry point where Randy makes his home have complained about the bird’s noise, but the trail of destruction doesn’t end there.

It extends another 50 feet or so, to Bay Street and Willow Bend Way, an entrance into Park Trace Estates. Randy has gotten into the habit of digging up landscaping on an island near that intersection, sending a significant amount of mulch onto the street.

Although Randy has a reputation as a troublemaker, he’s also got his share of supporters in the neighborhood. That’s why Knauf is searching for a solution that won’t bring harm to the rooster — leading to the purchase of the Rooster Booster repellent (which, for the record, was effective until the rain washed it away, he says).

“I don’t want to go after the rooster, because he’s cute, and people like him,” Knauf said.

As snowbirds return to the area over the next several months, the likelihood of a rogue resident taking matters into his or her own hands increases. The homeowners association hopes to avoid that and has reached out to a bevy of parties in search of best practices.

Inquiries to the Audubon Society and Save our Seabirds were unproductive. Dialogue with a

landscaping company and a Venice animal rescue group is still ongoing but inconclusive. Four months after Knauf first mistook Randy-related damage for shoddy landscaping, he’s no closer to a winning solution.

“If someone’s got a brilliant idea and they want the rooster and they’ve got a home for it, we’re listening,” Knauf said.

For residents of the 134 homes in the subdivision, one major question remains unanswered:

Where did this rooster come from?

Knauf speculates it could have wandered off a neighboring property, but one of Randy’s defenders — who takes the time to feed him corn when she can — finds it hard to believe the animal was ever in a domestic environment. (That individual declined to be identified for this story.)

Although he may not share the affinity for the rooster that Randy’s most fervent supporters do, Knauf does admit he’s a cunning creature. He recounts an experience when the rooster came out to observe Knauf returning the mulch to the island area, seemingly mocking him in the process. Attempts to chase him down proved unsuccessful.

“He’s not like a falcon or an eagle, but he can fly and go over a fence and land on the other side,” Knauff said. “He’s fast, and he’s smart.”

He might toss in some more colorful language if asked for additional adjectives. For all of Knauff’s talk about Randy’s bad attitude, though, he makes clear that the rooster’s enemy status is largely a put-on. Still, he feels the homeowners association has a responsibility to address the real problems the rooster is causing, and he’s willing to take all the help he can get.

“I don’t have anything really against the rooster,” Knauff said. “By rooster standards, he’s probably a really good rooster, but we don’t need a rooster tearing up our property.”