Divebombing buzzards did THIS to me...
A WOMAN has told of her horror after a bird of prey attacked her while she was jogging.
Chloe Burns was left bleeding after a buzzard swooped as she ran near her home.
It struck her once, leaving talon marks on her head.
The 30-year-old teacher said: ‘I didn’t see anything until I felt something touch my head. The bird left a big scratch and I had blood streaming down my face.
‘I managed to hide in some bushes at the side of the road and waited for a minute before I ran home. It swooped about six times but I was only struck by it once.’
Mrs Burns was running at Kirkhill Forest, near her home in Dyce, Aberdeen, on Monday morning. On her way back, she said one of two buzzards, which she had spotted circling earlier, swooped down to strike. After she got home, she phoned her doctor who told her to use antiseptic cream on the wound. Other than the scratch on her head she is ‘fine’, but concerned the birds could target someone else and cause a more serious or lasting injury.
She added: ‘I’d hate for other people to go there and get a fright as well. If it was a family or some kids they attacked instead of me, that could have been an eyeball.
‘I’ve read of people seeing birds of prey and complaining about them swooping. It’s scary, but that’s nature.’
Keith Marley, of the New Arc wildlife rescue centre, near Ellon, Aberdeenshire, said it is currently fledgling season for buzzards.
Mr Marley added: ‘We have quite a few chicks in our care right now ourselves.
‘It’s very possible that a lot of young buzzards are on the ground now and out of their nests, so mothers could be a little bit over-protective at the moment.
‘If anyone sees a grounded chick I would ask them to call ourselves or their local wildlife rescue.’