Hello, Tweeters,

I had an unusual experience today. I live south of Olympia. Today, Sunday 1
Oct 00, I was out in one of my pastures picking up horse manure. (I pick up
my pastures daily.)
While wielding my manure fork, I looked up and noticed a crow flying directly
at me and at head level. I thought that perhaps he just hadn't seen me,
although I was the only vertical thing in the pasture for a ways. This crow
just kept on coming at me with very purposeful wingbeats. I suddenly realized
he was going to attack me and at the last second, swung my manure fork at the
crow. It was so close that it was within arms reach. It shot up into the air,
went behind me and dived right at my head. I spun around and tried to hit the
crow with the fork again. Then the crow flew up about twenty feet over my
head and began yelling in the same tone of voice that crows use when they
harass hawks. From quite a ways away, I saw a flock of crows rise up out of
the trees that line Glacial Heritage and start coming my way. I ran into my
garage and got a shotgun that I keep for rabbits, and went back outside. By
this time the crows were in my backyard and several of them started diving at
me, coming very close. The air was full of their hawk attack calls. I fired
blindly into the crowd of crows and they took off at full speed. I didn't hit
any of them, unfortunately, but I was a bit shaken, I have to admit.
I have had crows dive at me on other occasions, but it was always during
nesting season. This is not nesting season.

I saw what I assume is the same gang of crows harassing one of my harriers
later in the day. They would NOT leave her alone. THere were about twelve
crows and they took turns driving her higher and higher into the sky. She
fled with them right on her tail, attacking her individually.

Is anyone else seeing overly aggressive crows? I wonder if this bunch isn't a
gang that's looking for new turf now that the Hawk's Prairie Landfill has
been closed to them. Why would they attack a human??

Michelle
MBlanchrd at aol.com
Oly, WA