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Ever had a scary incident with a bird ? (1 Viewer)

senatore

senatore

Well-known member
Earlier in the week at my local patch I'd just started along the path to one of the hides when I disturbed a couple of small birds.They both scurried off into the tall grass on a bank to the right of the path.

As I stood by the bottom of the bank trying to get another look to ID them the grass parted and something raced down (just like the Veloceraptors did in one of the Jurassic park films) and a female Pheasant burst out onto the path.

Just as I was trying to recover from this shock it went on to the attack.It hissed and screeched and flew up at me a few times before I beat a hasty retreat and went to another hide.What a brave mother defending her chicks but damn scary at the time.

Have any of you had a scary incident while out birding.I'd love to hear it if you have.

Max
 
Yes while flying my plane at about 1500 ft got very close to a Buzzard circling, fortunately we got out of each others' way, doesn't bear thinking about having a Buzzard hit your windscreen at 135mph (and we are talking perspex not reinforced glass!)
 
Not really scary, but a bit of a shock at the time:

I see many different Sparrowhawk attacks in my garden, as it's a safe area with food and water. Well, safe apart from the Sparrowhawks that are drawn to any area with potential prey. If a Sparrowhawk is spooked while eating (sometimes by a Cat or a persistent Squirrel, or a neighbour) and leaves it's meal (maybe too awkward and heavy to carry off easily), it will often return the same day to finish eating. I had a female kill a Pigeon in the morning, and return in the evening to finish eating; I was in the garden at the time, and she landed on my fence... stared at the long dead Pigeon... stared at me (I was standing motionless under one of my trees) and then she flew at my head, well, into the tree inches above me. I never had time to react, it was over in a split-second, but it was quite a shock. I'm pretty sure she didn't lead with her talons, just flew normally into the tree, but Sparrowhawks fly fast even when they fly slowly, so I can't be sure ;)

Oh, she stayed in my trees until I went indoors, but flew down to start to finish her meal before I even slid the door shut properly
 
We've all had it, walking along quietly when a Snipe or Pheasant wait for you to almost step on them before exploding from the undergrowth.

Happens to me often with Snipe on my patch in Russia, must have taken at least ten years off my life this year alone!

Apart from that, whilst birding I've had a close scrape with Sumatran Tiger and been present when someone was gored by a Buffalo plus the odd encounter with Cobras and Pythons. My girlfriend stepped on a Scorpion in Africa too, all par for the course.

Can't wait to be somewhere where I might meet a Grizzly......NOT!


Andy
 
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Not me but in 1937 Eric Hosking (a pioneering wildlife photographer) was attacked by a Tawny Owl, subsequently losing an eye.
 
Seem to remember being in a group of people one of whom ended up floored and being stabbed at by Red crowned Crane in China, face down in the dirt avoiding an irate Ural Owl and three fingers cut open through gloves by a Bittern and a cut lip due to a hummingbird spp!!

Russ
 
I've been dive-bombed by common terns, mockingbirds, and willy-wagtails. Other than that, also spooked out of my shorts by ruffed grouse flushing.
 
Mike C said:
Not me but in 1937 Eric Hosking (a pioneering wildlife photographer) was attacked by a Tawny Owl, subsequently losing an eye.
Click to expand...

Which is why I approach my Owl box with extreme caution. Earlier this year as I climbed the ladder one of the Owls exited the box, I ducked and it bounced off my shoulder!
 
encounters with a hawk

Hello,

On a couple of occasions I have been buzzed by red-tailed hawks, probably immature ones. They have a large wingspan, up to 1.75 m. Having one fly close overhead, even a metre above the head was upsetting the first time. After I realized that they never attack humans, I was not quite as scared on the subsequent occasions.

Image by Louis Agassiz Fuertes.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewood :hi:
 

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Tawny Owl.

Mike C said:
Not me but in 1937 Eric Hosking (a pioneering wildlife photographer) was attacked by a Tawny Owl, subsequently losing an eye.
Click to expand...
Yes I have seen that photo of the Owl you mention which he just Took on film before the attack, a great wildlife photographer gets a mention in Many books I,ve read in the past.
 
I've had a few very close calls with nesting Ural Owl in Japan. Tawny Owl are bad enough,
but Urals can be twice as big, and attempt to rip your face off when you're 100m away from the nest. Psychotic buggers. :eek!:
 
I once met a Cassowary coming along a narrow path. As it was in the grounds of Cassowary House (Cairns) where the birds a pretty used to people I wasn't too worried and it calmly bypassed me through the light woodland, but I confess to being a little nervous as it walked by.
 
Animals which most often scare me are mice and blackbirds. When you go owling at dusk, these two can make surprisingly loud noise rustling dry leaves. In contrast, big animals can move very quietly.
 
One not to do yourself!

This wasn't even on a birdwatching trip, but happened about 35 years ago when a couple of mates and I went into one of the many old mine adits around certain parts of the Manx coast. The adit didn't go in very far, but all of a sudden there was an almighty din, as if the roof of the mine was collapsing. The cause of the noise was actually a feral pigeon fleeing over our heads from the back of the mine.
 
The female Eagle Owl from the well-publicised breeding pair in 2007 at Dunsop Bridge, Lancashire looked at me in anger, and then flew about 2 feet above my head, I don't think I appreciated the potential for harm at the time. But I had it in my bins as it came closer and closer and closer, thankfully it didn't go for me in the end.
 
wolfbirder said:
The female Eagle Owl from the well-publicised breeding pair in 2007 at Dunsop Bridge, Lancashire looked at me in anger, and then flew about 2 feet above my head, I don't think I appreciated the potential for harm at the time. But I had it in my bins as it came closer and closer and closer, thankfully it didn't go for me in the end.
Click to expand...


Going of on a tangent but what became of that pair?


Andy
 
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