And you thought your bike commute was scary...

I don't know that I could handle experiencing a real life version of Hitchcock's "The Birds" every time I went to work.

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Permalink Reply by grayn8 on June 3, 2015 at 4:52am
The red winged black bird will chase after you on the Skokie valley bike path. Scary stuff. A female runner friend had her ponytail pulled by the Agro birdie.
Permalink Reply by Tom A.K. on June 3, 2015 at 5:12am
Great post Yasmeen ! The same thing happened to me and others in our neighborhood park during spring a few years ago. A red winged blackbird was on patrol protecting the brood and was swooping down on passersbys. It especially hated cyclists and would repeatedly wack them on the head just like in the video. I was hit a few times while not wearing the helmet and it hurts like heck. Oow !
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Permalink Reply by Mike Keating on June 3, 2015 at 5:56am

Just earlier this week one of those swept down on my one and a half year old daughter while she and my wife were on a walk and my wife had to pick her up and run away! I've been attacked by those things a few times, once while riding on the Green Bay Trail. They used to have signs warning of them in Wilmette. 

Permalink Reply by S on June 3, 2015 at 6:20am

There is/was a a red winged blackbird by the Shedd that would do this.  Not sure if it's still there although the warning signs are still up.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on June 8, 2015 at 10:55am
Every year there are nests along various parts of the lakefront. Not a bad idea to learn their calls so you have a bit of warning.
Permalink Reply by V W on June 3, 2015 at 7:25am
I've been attacked no less than thrice by this same type of bird. It's a good reminder that we humans are the white belts of the animal kingdom.
Permalink Reply by Len Krietz on June 3, 2015 at 7:57am

From Amber's accent and the palm trees I think she may be in Australia.  I've heard birds can be quite aggressive down under.  One solution I've seen posted is using zip ties to make your helmet resemble a porcupine.  

Permalink Reply by djm on June 4, 2015 at 7:45pm
Likely a magpie. I was similarly attacked by one cycling in Australia. I thought I had hit a low overhanging branch until I saw it coming in for the next pass in my mirror.
Permalink Reply by Skip Montanaro 0mi on June 4, 2015 at 6:00am
Permalink Reply by Christopher Newman on June 4, 2015 at 7:22am

The red winged blackbirds do this for a couple months every year at the Shedd to cyclists, pedestrians, and anyone else they see as a threat.  It can be pretty amusing to watch the tourists who lean out over the veranda with the expansive view of the skyline.  The birds nest in the trees directly below and will smack a lot of unwitting people posing for photographs.  For the two big fundraisers each year, a handful of volunteers are given umbrellas to escort each arriving guest from the taxi circle to the entrance, and it's not to protect them from the rain. 

Permalink Reply by Tricolor on June 4, 2015 at 8:42am

That helmet looks a little loose.

Birds rule. Almost as much as cats.

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