Flying Tigers

Unfortunately I've had several less than enjoyable things to deal with the past couple of days, and a couple more like them appear to be on the way...so after work Tuesday, I made a quick escape...







I went to Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary for a sanity break, arriving there just as the sun was tucking itself away. (Arcadia officially closes at dusk, so ssshhhhh...)









I strolled over to the meadow in the fading light, to where the Tree Swallows, one of my favorite birds, come to nest every summer.





Observing the nest boxes, they seemed strangely empty, and all was still. I hung out a bit, and observed this rather large burrow in the field.



Just as I snapped that picture, I could feel a burst of fluttering air behind my head. I glanced up to see a Tree Swallow tightly circling me at high speed, and kind of low to the ground. I got a great close up look at it as it went around. Wow, how cool I thought, as the bird swooped back up into the sky. I was one with nature, I thought. God I love Arcadia. I tried to get a picture of the fast moving bird, (which isn't easy even in bright day light)...



Then I felt another brush of air again. A different Swallow this time. Hmm, I thought as I watched it sail back up into the sky, this is a little unusual. Then it did a hard reversal, and I got a perfect head on view of the little bird, as it came back toward me. It didn't stop. It came swooping in within two feet of my face, gave a couple of angry chirps, and veered away at the last possible second. I flinched and instinctively moved my head out of the way. What the....He came around again, another perfect head-on silhouette of the bird and another angry chirp and near miss at high speed. I dodged again and snapped out of my dumbfounded hypnosis. Geez, they were attacking me! I tried to follow it's flight, and noticed there were a lot of them now, darting about overhead. It, or another one, came at me again, but this time I raised and waived my arms and did my best primordial roar. It swooped away and this time flew off.







I got the camera ready, as I began slowly backing away from the meadow. I was going to try to get a picture of the next attacker, head on... While I scanned the sky, I was feeling a little betrayed. I love these birds, come here just to observe them, and they're attacking me? It was like that episode of Seinfeld where George complained of the pigeons' broken 'pact' with humans. But it occured to me that the Swallows might be defending eggs or fledglings in the nest boxes. I continued backing away, but still looking for that cool picture...

I snapped back to attention, as sure enough, another one came in close, circled low, and rose back up into the sky. I steeled myself, one eye on the bird, one eye in the cross hairs of my camera's viewfinder....I could feel my heart beat as the bird swung around...Then I was staring at the head on silhouette again...getting bigger and coming in very very fast...Wait for it...Wait for it...The little bird suddenly gave an angry string of chirps, just as it was about to crash into my face, and darted off violently at the very last millisecond...!!

I flinched.



Dang. Lost a game of chicken. With a bird. I withstood two more attacks with the same result. It was now way too dark, and they were way too quick. Conceding defeat, I retreated to the edges of the meadow, and exited the theater...I had probably distressed the brave little guys enough anyway...

On to Northampton for a night coffee...







Then home again, in the cooling evening air...