B737-300 REJECTS TKOF WHEN A FLOCK OF BIRDS ON RWY 15R AT IAH FAIL TO DISPERSE.

Narrative

DURING TKOF ON RWY 15R AT IAH; A VERY LARGE FLOCK OF WHITE BIRDS WAS OBSERVED ON THE RWY. AS THE AIRPLANE RAPIDLY ACCELERATED TOWARD THE FLOCK; I REALIZED THE BIRDS WERE NOT DISPERSING. IT APPEARED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS GOING TO LITERALLY RUN OVER THEM. I WAS VERY CONCERNED WITH THE HIGH POSSIBILITY OF INGESTING BIRDS INTO BOTH ENGS THUS; SEVERELY AFFECTING THE SAFETY OF THE FLT BY CONTINUING THE TKOF. THE REJECTED TKOF WAS INITIATED AT APPROX 120 KIAS. I BELIEVE THE REJECTED TKOF ALLOWED THE FLOCK TIME TO DISPERSE BEFORE ENGULFING THE AIRPLANE. THE AIRPLANE DID SUSTAIN MULTIPLE BIRD STRIKES; BUT NO DAMAGE WAS NOTED BY MAINT. THERE WERE NO RPTS OF BIRD ACTIVITY PRIOR TO OUR TKOF. ALL LIGHTS AND THE RADAR WERE ON FOR TKOF. I CONCUR WITH THE FLT MANUAL REJECTED TKOF CONSIDERATIONS. I HAVE HAD BIRD STRIKES AT HIGH SPD IN THE PAST AND DID NOT EVEN CONSIDER REJECTING. THE SIT WAS MUCH MORE THREATENING DUE TO THE LARGE NUMBER OF BIRDS ON THE RWY THAT DID NOT SEEM TO DISPERSE AS THE AIRPLANE ACCELERATED TOWARD THEM. I HAVE ACCOMPLISHED MANY SUCCESSFUL RTO'S IN THE SIMULATOR DURING MY TRAINING. I WAS CONFIDENT THAT THIS RTO WOULD NOT BE DIFFERENT THAN IN THE SIMULATOR. IN OTHER WORDS; I HAD A LOT MORE CONFIDENCE IN THE RTO THAN CONTINUING THE TKOF THROUGH THE LARGE FLOCK OF BIRDS. THE AIRPLANE WAS LIGHT AND THE RWY WAS LONG AND DRY WITH A 5-10 KT HEADWIND.