Buzzard bait

06-12-2004, 08:42 AM

Angry Buzzard Terrorizes English Country Road

Fri Jun 11, 7:26 AM ET Add Oddly Enough - Reuters to My Yahoo!

LONDON (Reuters) - An angry buzzard is terrorizing a quiet English country
road by dive-bombing passing cyclists, newspapers reported on Friday.

Paul Taylor, 71, said the bird of prey used its beak and claws to rip a
three-inch gash in his head as he cycled along the stretch of road near
Holsworthy, in Devon, western England.

"I thought at first it was a lorry passing and the wing mirror had somehow
caught my head," he told the Daily Mail.

"Then I saw the buzzard swooping in front of me and suddenly there was blood
pouring down my head and face."

Last weekend 22 cyclists taking part in a long distance competition along
the road -- the A3072 -- suffered head injuries or had gouges taken out of
their helmets by the same bird, according to the race coordinator.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds suggested the bird was
probably nesting nearby and was defending its chicks.

"We would suggest that people avoid the road for a few weeks, but if
cyclists do want to use it we would advise them to paint a pair of eyes on
their helmets," a spokeswoman told the Daily Express. "That will put the
buzzard off."