MD88 PERFORMS AN ABORTED TKOF AFTER SUFFERING A BIRD STRIKE AT ABOUT 60 KTS AT SRQ ARPT; FL. CITES VISUAL INTERFERENCE OF WX AND RWY COLOR THAT MASKED THE PRESENCE OF BIRDS ON THE ACTIVE RWY.

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AFTER A 9 HR LAYOVER IN SRQ; WE STARTED WHAT WAS EXPECTED TO BE AN UNEVENTFUL DAY. THE FO WAS AT THE CTLS AS WE STARTED A ROLLING TKOF ON RWY 14 IN SRQ. HE INITIALLY ADVANCED THE THROTTLES AS I ALIGNED THE ACFT WITH THE RWY. I THEN TURNED OVER THE CTL OF THE ACFT TO HIM AND I ENGAGED THE AUTOTHROTTLES AND FINE-TUNED THE PWR SETTING. I THEN ALTERNATED MY SCAN BTWN THE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE ACFT. AS WE ACCELERATED WE THOUGHT MAYBE WE SAW A COUPLE OF BIRDS ON THE RWY. WE COULD NOT TELL FOR SURE BECAUSE THEY TENDED TO BLEND IN WITH THE RUBBER DEPOSITS ON THE TOUCHDOWN AREA OF THE RWY AND IT WAS A GRAY OVCST DAY WHICH MADE VISIBILITY EVEN WORSE. AS WE GOT CLOSE ENOUGH TO TELL THEY WERE BIRDS; THEY STARTED TO SCATTER. A COUPLE OF THE BIRDS BROKE OFF TO THE SIDES AND MANAGED TO GET OUT OF THE WAY WHILE 1 BIRD FLEW STRAIGHT DOWN THE RWY AND THAT IS THE ONE THAT WE HIT. WE INITIATED AN ABORT AT ABOUT 60 KTS OR SO AND MADE AN UNEVENTFUL TURNOFF AT THE RWY INTXN. WE TAXIED BACK TO THE GATE AND HAD A MECH INSPECT THE ACFT FOR DAMAGE -- THERE WAS NONE. WE ALSO CHKED THE BRAKE TEMP AND IT REMAINED IN THE NORMAL RANGE. WE THEN RESUMED OUR FLT ON TO OUR DEST. FACTORS AFFECTING SIT: 1) DULL GRAY DAY. 2) RUBBER DEPOSITS ON RWY. 3) IF THE TWR WAS AWARE OF BIRDS ON RWY THAT INFO WOULD HAVE BEEN MOST HELPFUL TO US IN AVOIDING THIS SIT. 4) SHORT LAYOVER -- IMPOSSIBLE TO GET 8 HRS SLEEP AND EAT AND GET READY!