Agressive bird stories

The "Forest Mystery" thread about a probable owl attack on a jay has prompted me to share my own personal owl attack story and wonder if others have had similar experiences. A few years back, late in the fall, late one afternoon, I was jogging along a trail in West Hartford, CT, on MDC reservoir land. Suddenly I felt talons attempt to grab my head and saw a large owl flying in front of me (it came from the rear). It settled on a tree branch and looked down ominously at me. I yelled at it and ran by without repeated attack. It drew blood but no stitches necessary. Just very unnerving to say the least.

I wondered about infection or rabies, but my Dr. minimized this issue. (He did ask me if the own just clawed me or actually tried to bite me--great question, how the heck did I know???). I reported this to the MDC and evidently it is something that has happened very periodically to others.

The consensus was that my bare head (with hair) must have looked like some sort of prey and stimulated the basic attack and grab response. It wasn't breeding season or anything so I don't think it was a protective issue. Perhaps the owl was just as surprised as I was.

Aside from being a unique experience, this story has certainly given my friends and acquaintences something to rib me about for years.

So, anyone else out there the victim of a raptor attack?

We had a screech owl in the family when I was a kid. Although she never "attacked" a person in her 14 years, she would take the occasional swoop at the cat. The cat was a lion to the neighborhood dogs but always left the owl a respectable distance.

There's an excellent book about owls by Bernd Heinrich called "One Man's Owl." He believes that the owl will not attack if it thinks you see it coming, so you could try to put a couple false eyes on top of your head to ward off the next attack. Susan got some nice false eyes at that taxidermy shop in Keene a few years ago, so that's one place to try, if you want. (She wasn't trying to ward off bird attacks, so I can't say how will this idea may work.)

Years ago I was hit several times on the head by a bird (not an owl, I don't believe) while I was riding my bicycle. It was before my helmet-wearing days, so it couldn't have been any later than 1981.

After the first couple times, whenever I neared the spot where it would happen, I would roll up the newspaper I was carrying and grasp it as a weapon, scanning for the bird, in anticipation of its attack. As soon as I would relax—nothing having happened and figuring I was past the danger zone—BAM! it would hit me on the head and I'd start wildly swinging the paper around and cursing. One of those times, I went off the road and nearly ran into a fire hydrant. "That bird wanted me to hit that fire hydrant head on!"*

The attacks ended as suddenly as they began, and never happened again, so I don't know what I did to set them off in the first place.



* à la Dennis Weaver in "Duel."

Protective hawks and terns

In the woods near my home, a hawk (I forget which species) built a nest right over a trail. For an entire summer it was impossible to walk through the area without the hawk defending its nest. A couple of people were pinned to the ground for a scary minute or two before they could escape. I know of one person who received a shoulder cut from a talon.

In Alaska, I unknowingly approached an Arctic tern nesting site (they nest on the ground near water). It was like a scene from "The Birds", minus the eye-pecking. They just kept flying at me, about eye-high, and then swooping upwards at the last moment. Very scary.

Pat T

Mockingbirds can be very defensive of their young. I was out gardening. luckily with a hat, and it swooped and knocked the hat right off my head. For several more weeks that spring, I had to fend that mother off, though she never touched me again.

On the flip side, my father got a mockingbird so accustomed to him with offerings of chopped apples that she would come right in the kitchen window and perch on the table. He took care not to feed her daily, though. The next year she came around with her young, but my dad sadly acknowledged that it wouldn't be fair to all of them.

Jessbee and I had a gray jay fly right in our faces a few times only to swerve away at the last moment when we were coming down the Avalon Trail a few weeks ago. More of a friendly aggressive, but good for a quick scare nonetheless.

Spruce Grice

One June up on Garfield Ridge I encountered a male Spruce Grouse strutting about on the ground. Thinking he might have picked up bad habits from the gray jays, I hunkered and held out some gorp. He circled warily and then flew at my arm, pecking my sleeve and beating his wings for a second and a half. And then he was gone.

I've heard similar stories from other hikers that took also took place in June for the most part. My theory is that the female is sitting on a ground nest in the vicinity, and the male is trying to send you packing.

While trail running here in Vermont, I've had a couple of instances of being (bluff?) charged by a mama spruce grouse, who have come running straight at me with outstretched wings, squaking (sp?) loudly. One of them seemed aggressive enough that I did a 180 and took another route. (Okay, so I'm a wimp when it comes to PO'd birds.)

More often, a grouse w/babies will do the broken-wing thing, trying to divert attention away from the youngsters. I wonder what possesses some to get aggressive and confrontational?

I've also been dive bombed by red winged blackbirds.

A few years ago there was an aggressive bird of prey--don't know exactly what kind of bird but it was big--at Wachipauka Pond, on the AT. There were many reports of "attacks," including one by a friend of mine, who reported talon-on-scalp contact.

cantdog said:

I'm waiting for a nice post from Pete Hickey here.

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Am I being mocked? Just because birds seem to enjoy attacking me? I suspect that I was a cat in a previous life, and the birds are just getting their revenge.

There are so many times, the most recent, a few weeks ago no field. Hiking on the sandy beaches of Long Island one time, and dozens of birds started swooping down on me. Why do they always go for my head?

One time at my house in the Adirondacks, a loon had flown down the chimney, and
was caught in the house. I returned, and had a 15 minute battle with a loon. I was just trying to help him(her? hey.. why does a tom turkey have big breasts). I would not want to fight a loon again. Not only are they aggressive, but they are LOUD!

Several times, while hiking, I have had birds swoop down on me, grabbing my hair/head. I have no idea what kind.. heck, I can't tell the differecne between turkey and chicken!

I think the first time was when I was just under 2 years old, in my carriage in the yard, and my older brother spilt peanuts around me. My parents found me crying in a carriage, filled with birds. Scared for life? Irrational fear? You decide. All I know is that birds will attack me whenever they have the chance!

Pete_Hickey said:

My parents found me crying in a carriage, filled with birds. Scared for life? Irrational fear? You decide. All I know is that birds will attack me whenever they have the chance!

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Is there trail mix in your beard?


I was working at a banding station this past fall. One of the other volunteers took a cardinal out of the mist net and put it into the cloth bag. She didn't tell the master bander. that little critter bit her through the bag drawing blood. Her finger looked like a lobster had grabbed it.

Also, for terns, Go to Machias Seal Island the terns dive bomb peoples heads. Many people leave with blood trickling down thier temples.

Puck said:

Is there trail mix in your beard?

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LOL, I wonder if he was born with all that hair he has now!?

I'll have to add Pete to the list of people to never hike with!

JOKE!

A few years ago,we were sitting in the square at Old Orchard Beach and a seagull flew in from behind me,hitting me in the head and yanking a fried clam right out of my hand. An Alfred Hitchcock moment?

Big angry birds? Just get a Canada Goose upset-they run fas,and they bite hard!

Once when we were hiking to Crypt Lake (Glacier N'tl Pk, off Waterton Lake), we were warned that a hawk sometimes bluff-attacked hikers at a certain spot on the trail. It was protecting a nest. Defense was to hold your pack up over your head. We were also told that it had never attacked anyone on horseback. Perhaps it perceived the person + horse as a non-threatening funny horse (or elk etc).

I was charged by a grouse on Osseo Tr, somewhere near the junction with the old trail. It had young spread out on both sides of the trail ahead of me.

Doug

Tom Rankin said:

LOL, I wonder if he was born with all that hair he has now!?

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Beard? What beard?

http://newmud.comm.uottawa.ca/~pete/tmp/goose-eye.jpg

http://newmud.comm.uottawa.ca/~pete/trailwork/Gothics/Petepack.jpg

I'll have to add Pete to the list of people to never hike with!

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Birds ain't nuthing. Talk about blackflies, sometime!

Pete I do think you really need to work on this Bird thing. There have been comments in other threads about Canadian Jays being "not nice" in the Whites and "nicer" in the ADK. What about Maine. Personally I think their all quite nice but you might want to try a different State. Here's one I saw In Baxter. Like I've said: Don't forget the donuts,leave your nuts at home!

Mike 'Bird' Mammy is the most aggressive bird I don't know!

Dugan four-legs and I were charged by a turkey on Northfield Mountain. She followed us for a couple hundred yards before returning to her brood.

A late hiking dog and I were charged a few times by various ground birds doing the broken wing act.

While out trail running early one morning several years ago, a Great Horned Owl swooped down in front of me from behind, only a few feet over my head. You really can't hear their wings. I had to walk until I recovered a heartbeat!

Killdeer, too, can be aggressive about protecting their nests and will swoop around in an attempt to drive off invaders.

Mr. X said:

Mike 'Bird' Mammy is the most aggressive bird I don't know!

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Nah, he's just a Mammy's Bird!

I was attacked by a Kite in Ngorogoro crater, we were sitting there having a picnic lunch on the shores of a beautiful pond warily keeping an eye on nearby hippos and elephants when the hawk-like bird swooped down, missed my face by inches and grabbed the chicken leg I was preparing to take a bite of. I can still hear the talons whistling by.

Turkey "tigers"!

Turkeys have been very aggressive in many areas!

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.birds/browse_thread/thread/9815a0817c223f7c/c0b01a8b27555278


Fred