I have been attacked five times by the crows in front of my office. There have been five times that I've been on my way to work and felt a thud or a set of talons on the top of my head. Once, a crow swooped on my head, grabbed my hair, flew off and before I knew what hit me I saw his buddy coming down to finish me off! -And so, I am starting to get a little bit paranoid about my safety, anticipating fledgling season. I think I am also a bit nervous because I've had my suspicions confirmed that crows never forget a face, and even if I knew what I did to offend them, there is nothing you can do to get back into their good graces.
It makes me feel like Tippi Hedren, running away from the flock of crows in Alfred Hitchcock's classic film The Birds. Ah well.... How did that movie end? Only one person died, right?
Maybe this year, I will bring seeds and corn with me to work (and old Chinese food - they seem to like that). Until then, I am going to follow some of these guidelines I found:
What to do in case of a potential swooping bird attack (taken in its entirety from the Compleat Wetlander):
1. Avoid the “swoop” area—this is an open area between stands of trees, like a marsh, a wet meadow, but could also be a recreational park area.
2. If riding a bike, wear a helmet, and if birds begin to swoop, get off the bike and walk it to safety. Swooping birds can cause a cyclist to have an accidental injury.
3. Warn others. If there are others who might be unaware of swooping birds, such as children, let them know to be observant or to avoid the area, especially during certain birds’ breeding seasons.
4. Travel in a group. Most birds only swoop down onto individuals.
5. Be confident and face a swooping bird. Like tigers, birds tend to attack prey that are facing away from them.
6. Do not panic and run. It will only encourage a bird to continue its attack.
7. Wear a hat in the area where there are swooping birds.
8. Paint “eyes” on the back of your hat. Wearing sunglasses on the back of a hat has the same effect.
9. Holding a stick or umbrella over one’s head will deter a bird attack.
10. Do not harass, interfere or throw stones at birds. This only makes them more aggressive and defensive, especially if they have nests nearby.
11. Do not destroy nests.
12. Do not feed or try to befriend swooping birds.
-List adapted from the Department of Sustainability, Victoria, Australia
Good luck, and for your own safety, please wear a hat.
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2 comments:
I have seen "The Birds" no less than about 10 times. My mom and I would watch it WHENEVER it came on t.v. (what channel was that anyhow? This was pre-cable days). I thought the creepiest scene (and SOUND) was when the birds congregated on the jungle gyms at the school and Tippi was trying to lead her class (and neice?) to safety - "Walk slow, children... be quiet." and that awful CAWING, CLUCKING sound they would make... EE GADS. That movie might be my "Psycho" when it comes to birds - i can't STAND THEM. Pretty much any bird. Yuck. ~c~
That article is interesting... the crows not only recognized the "dangerous mask guy" years later, they taught each other to recognize 'him.' We get flocks of them in our neighborhood... thousands!! I love it. Chip
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