June 21, 2008
Jerk Bird Attacking People
If you're walking or bicycling around the city and see a bird that looks like the one in the above photo, you best start heading in the opposite direction. It's a red-winged blackbird, it's nesting, and it's a mean SOB. Get just a wee bit too close to its nest, and you're likely to feel a pecking and/or clawing at your head.
It happened to Holly Grosso. The businesswoman was on her cell phone, walking along West Grand Avenue near Rockwell Street on Wednesday, when the bird—dubbed "Hitchcock" by area workers—made its move."Something just came down, pecked me in the head, took my hair and started flying away," she said. "It's so bizarre. It's this little bird."
The birds especially like to go after bikers, with a report of one bird getting so aggressive a person lost control of their bike and fell on the sidewalk -- which would be a shoo-in winner on America's Funniest Home Videos.
Has anyone here had a run in with one of these bastards? [Trib]
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I was at the botanic garden in Madison last summer, and these birds were all over the place. They have kind of a crazy buzzing call, and I was mocking it, which I wouldn't recommend doing. One of them swooped down and tried to attack my girlfriend. We managed to get away, but that thing was gunning straight for her head, and I didn't hear the end of it for the rest of the trip.
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Did anyone ever see that movie "Damien Omen II"? Perhaps this is some kind of sign that the end is near?
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Birds get a little protective when nesting. I have been hit a few times by smaller birds like this one but got strafed one time by a red tail hawk. Glad he/she didn't make contact! That would have left a mark for sure.
tallformyheight...at least it went for your girlfriend.
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We had one of these birds near our office in Rosemont last summer. If you know where it nests (and you can't avoid walking by it) then keep something over your head, like an umbrella or a newspaper. It really works! I was pecked in the head twice before I learned my lesson.
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Also watch out for the swan attack:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPihMK_XZNw
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a better link:
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/264650/swan_attack/
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I was jumped by one of these hooligans just north of the Field Museum. I happen to work with Doug Stotz and he assured me that this activity should subside in a few weeks. He also said that red wing black birds in more natural habitats do not get as aggressive and don't make actual contact with people like the city birds do.
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There are some of these shits in humboldt park- listen to my weirdest day ever, 2 summers ago- my friends and I took acid, then walked down to the park from my place by the cali blue line. We sat at the lagoon watching the water freak out and this androgynous old guy in a puerto rico hat came up to us, saluted us for smoking weed, squatted down, and whipped out his crack pipe. we decided to move away, and ran into this guy fishing in the lagoon- he had a bucket of nasty, small green- slime looking fish, and a distended eyeball( and that's not the acid talking, he really did have a popped-out peeper). anyway, he was sitting there as we walked by; I heard a whoosh, and looked around, saw the bird coming around for another pass; he came back and pecked the guy on the back of the neck. he seemed a bit spooked, and picked his bucket and rod up and started to move to a different spot- we were headed the other way but I saw him get pecked at least another 2 times.
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"..Something just came down, pecked me in the head, took my hair and started flying away..."
Does this woman wear a toupee? Or as Marv Albert would say, a hair "system"?
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Yes, the past few days I have taken walks through the magic hedge area at Montrose Harbor. There's one particular spot in the mini forest where this little shit of a bird swoops in and you can feel it's claws brushing your hair. At some point I wonder if it's callings are actually signals to all his other little friends in the area.
Usually though it's just that one specific area, everywhere else is fine.
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That's a brilliant headline, btw.
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One of those damn things attacked my helmet two weeks ago on Grand!!!
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Got me on thursday evening around 4:30 coming out of the Shedd Aquarium. I didn't get a chance to see the culprit, so I don't know if it was one of these or a garden variety seagull. 1st time he came in, I was quick to react, and smacked him back on the 2nd attempt.
Funny thing was that I was in the middle of the pedwalk, so I don't understand the threat to a nest I presented. I wasn't eating anything to attract the bird either.
I could care less about the bird checking me out, I just was glad it didn't crap on me.
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I was attacked two or three times by that bird off of the Rosemont stop. It really freaked me out, and drew blood one of the times. I tried throwing pinecones at it, I hated that stupid bird.
I tried warning oncoming pedestrians about it, but eventually gave up as they gave me a blank stare in return for my warning. One time I saw a bald guy get attacked by it. Ouch!
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Any bird will do this. I got swooped on by a mother robin once when I unknowingly got too close to one of her brood that had fallen out of its nest too soon.
That is a good title, I agree...funny to think of a bird being called a jerk.
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the picture chosen in particular looks kind of jerky. what i find fascinating is that i read the post thinking, "oh, the trib found a weird human interest story," and now all of you are coming out with tons of other incidents from all over the city. totally unexpected.
i've seen these birds in WI growing up, but didn't know they were so rage-y.
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let's try again: the picture chosen looks particularly jerky.
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I volunteer giving tours at the Alfred Caldwell Lily pool, and last year, one of these red-winged black birds really liked to dive-bomb old ladies, and it made a lot of people avoid the park. Calling them jerks is too lenient.
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Glade to have you as a nieghbor Sanddollar
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I was attacked by this bird while riding my bike...EXACTLY at Grand and Rockwell. I'm riding towards the metra stop and i hear this "CAW CAW" and some flapping behind me. The sound gets louder and all of the sudden I feel claws on my head and the bird starts pecking me! I brushed it off and it followed me for another block. So bizarre.
This bird is an asshole.
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I was walking by the pond in Washington Park on Saturday when I was dive-bombed by one of these little bastards. It apparently had a nest nearby and made a habit of divebombing people that walked by.
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I hope the bird avoids any police officers. That beak sure looks like a weapon!
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Yea Oz, I'd think the CPD SWAT unit would have come and baslted the offending bird felon out the air with those new Machine guns they're getting.
Personally those birds give me a pass, its a solidaity thing ;-)
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LOL, this story is getting international attention now.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7470871.stm