Mark Consuelos says he got into beach confrontation over wild birds that ended with an unexpected twist

Mark Consuelos had his feathers ruffled during a beachside confrontation over wild birds, the talk show host and actor revealed on Thursday's episode of Live With Kelly & Mark.

The 53-year-old recalled the interaction — which ended in a hilarious twist — that began on the shores of Long Island, N.Y., years ago, as he and wife Kelly Ripa walked along the beach with their three young children.

"Every now and then you'll notice fencing along the sand dunes with signs that say, 'Stay away, plovers are nesting,'" Consuelos said, referencing a species of beach-dwelling birds that often run along the sand, near the water. "We're walking along the beach this summer evening, it was sunset-y, with the kids, the kids were young and running around and the birds were there, playing with the birds. This guy was walking toward us."

That's where things got heated, amid Ripa's recollection that the birds "were dive-bombing us and the children" before the man confronted them.

"He goes, 'You need to leave those birds alone!'" Consuelos said, while Ripa jumped in: "And Mark said, 'Well they need to leave us alone!'"

Consuelos admitted that the men "had a few other exchanges of words" and that he "said something else that was not nice," and said that the exchange "ruined" his entire night.

But the story didn't end there. A few nights later, Consuelos and Ripa attended a dinner party at a friend's nearby home, where they came face-to-face with the man once again.

"We're getting out of the car and I see this guy walking toward me in the parking lot. I'm like, 'That's the guy!'" Consuelos remembered. "Not only that, it was the boyfriend of the [woman's] house we were going to!"

Consuelos said he told their pal what had happened, and she confirmed that her boyfriend also told her about the interaction the night that it happened.

Now, Consuelos said that the duo have bonded over the transgression and still "laugh about it" to this day.

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"I'm dear friends with him," he said. "It was just a misunderstanding. He cares about the birds! I call him bird man!"

The confrontation isn't the first that Consuelos and Ripa have had with a neighborhood personality. They previously discussed a conflict with their neighbors, who once lodged a noise complaint against Consuelos and Ripa over an outdoor children's party in 1999.

Live With Kelly and Mark airs weekdays in syndication. Check your local listings for showtimes in your area.