Buzzed by a Buzzard

[cycleruk]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z34CWfYM5vY

Quite a few reports of Magpie attacks.
There is one where the magpie only attacked when the guy wore his helmet. No attack if he didn't ?
One of club members had his helmet damaged from the claws of a bird attack.

[meic]

I was regularly attacked by a buzzard on my motorcycle but the crash helmet was more than a match for it.
I do get very nervous about a scalp wound whilst cycling but only around certain places and certain times.
99% of Buzzards are quite tolerant and will watch you without bad intent. Meaning that you get to pass them very closely sat on fence posts etc.

[Audax67]

Friend of mine was attacked by buzzards a couple of times. Took a few whacks on the head, whacked back with pump. I don't think the bird thought much of his 650.

[Malaconotus]

Quite a few reports of Magpie attacks.

These are Australian Magpies, a species of butcherbird quite distantly related to Eurasian and American Magpies and not, like our magpies, members of the crow family.

[Ricardo]

We have a large buzzard population around here (N Wilts/Bath/SE Gloucestershire) and so far no problems. I get pretty close to them quite often without anything other than "that look" (the one that says "if you were cycling in the Dales..."). There are quite a lot of crows around here too, and the buzzards are usually too busy keeping an eye out for crows - because they're constantly mobbed by them - to worry about little old me. Magnificent birds, though, especially as they loft away from me in surprise when they're not been paying as much attention. We can see as many as a dozen at any time, thermalling, or circling over the woods.

I'm just surprised that such an impressive bird has such a pathetic cry (perhaps hearing it dubbed into countless movies doesn't help).

[Redvee]

I'm pretty sure I had the attention of an owl one night on the way home from work or less likely a bat. Pitch black apart from the moonlight and an odd shape above and behind me to my right which makes me think bat rather than bird. Could the flashing LEDS on my helmet been emitting signals which confused the bats' sonar?

[meic]

I dont know if the LEDs confuse the bats sonar but they do love flying close to you when you night cycle.
I thought that they may be taking advantage of the LED attracting insects.

[Tacascarow]

Quite a few reports of Magpie attacks.

These are Australian Magpies, a species of butcherbird quite distantly related to Eurasian and American Magpies and not, like our magpies, members of the crow family.

I have a friend in Oz who witnessed an Australian magpie trying to drag a live snake off a road.
The bird had got the snake to the verge & then a car came down the road.
Instead of flying away the bird picked up the snake & carried it back into the carriageway & left it for the car to run over.
Clever way to kill your food without getting a venomous bite.
Respect.

[The Mechanic]

Buzzards are very common up here. There are lots of anecdotes about attacks around nesting time.

[ChrisButch]

Nothing compared to being attacked by great skuas in the Faeroe Islands, which happened to me when I inadvertently strayed into their breeding zone. Once I'd worked out a defence mechanism (whirling my walking poles aound my head at thei final approach), it was fascinating to watch their technique, which involved soaring to about 150 metres, then diving to pick up maximum speed as they reached gound level - and me. Looked just like WW2 ground attack fighters.

[Gearoidmuar]

I've been buzzed by breeding birds, I believe lapwings, in the Yorkshire Dales, but I can best Mick's buzzards.

On more than one occasion while cycletouring in rural Brittany with my wife, we've been buzzed by Mirage fighters, which is rather spectacular. These chaps would dive down towards you, do a mental strafe and soar. Finally they would waggel zere leetul French wings and fly off. Great fun. On one occasion they made 6 or 7 passes.

[ChrisButch]

, we've been buzzed by Mirage fighters, which is rather spectacular.

I've had a similar experiece while hillwalking in a particularly remote corner of the Highlands. In that case it was a couple of Eurofighter Typhoons, which barrel-rolled spectacularly directly over my head.

[mrjemm]

Don't recall being buzzed, but on a motorbike had an owl fly along beside me near Norwich; just over the hedge I was riding along- most distracting! Similar in the lakes with a red squoil (can't pronounce skwirwal) running along a dry-stone wall besides me.

[Flinders]

Most birds look comical if you see them head on but raptors just look more powerful & indifferent when you get both eyes.
Beautiful animals though.

Agreed.
I got a picture of a falcon head-on when actually hunting - it had missed a kill, and was flying back to the falconer, and the falcon was visibly enraged at missing its kill. I happened to be in between and saw it's 'face' through a long lens, and it scared the wotsits out of me. It was like a cold, hard, but at the same time enraged look of sheer intent to kill. I was glad I wasn't any smaller.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
I am sure many town folk would be envious they only have the seagulls.

I think they are the most numerous of bird of prey and one of the largest.

I would bat an eyelid at any bird swooping especially if wearing a helmet.

Cycling you are most likely to see wildlife unlike walking where they have time to smell and see you coming, cycling in the country I have seen ten times more wildlife than my walking ever did.
Came round the corner and spied a buzzard feeding on the road, didn't budge till was right on him, a big bird indeed.

My worst fear was a head butting prize sheep called thumper and cows with calves whilst walking dogs (always hold your dog with finger by the collar NOT lead ) and a bull with heifers, despite what the farmer says
But farmers know and plenty die each year, not funny seeing your partner disappear behind a heard of stampeding cows with calves.....................then the dog slips the collar

My dad always said worst things happen at sea.