Rook diving around your head!!
Hello,
I am wondering why a single Rook would swoop around your head!?
I am from Scotland and go to University in Ayr. Me and friend were walking to go to the train from the Uni and it was on a track that goes through a wee section of wood. On a small section of grass beside the trail was a single Rook and I spotted it only 7-8 ft from us. It hopped a few times and then took off and I thought it was pretty close to my head! I then relized it wasn't really getting much further away and it kept swooping at us! We just continued on and it perched in a tree beside us and then had another go!! Once we were down the track a bit it stopped and went away!
I am from Aberfoyle and spent my life in the woods and have never come across this before!
Anyone know what this meant?
Thanks,
Calum.
Rook diving around your head!!
I would assume it must be to do with nesting behaviour. Have you ever been to the Farne Islands? The damn Arctic Terns there wouldn't stop attacking me (several pecks to the head) when I went in breeding season.
I don't know about Rook behaviour so I hope someone more knowledgeable than myself will post an answer. From discussions elsewhere I know many birds are nesting unnaturally early this year.
A quick google search did bring up this paper: http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/MU99011.htm
Aggression by Australian Magpies Gymnorhina tibicen Toward Human Intruders
Nicholas J. Cilento and Darryl N. Jones
Abstract
The pattern of aggressive behaviour by Australian Magpies Gymnorhina tibicen toward human and hetero-specific intruders was studied at rural and suburban sites in the Brisbane area during the 1994-95 breeding season. Both non-intrusive observations and experimental intrusions were used. All observations were based on breeding pairs. Preliminary observations of suburban pairs indicated that some were consistently aggressive toward humans ('aggressive') while others were not ('non-aggressive'). In virtually all cases (97.5%), only males were involved in attacking humans; however, females were equal or more prone to attacking non-human intruders as males. None of the rural Australian Magpies reacted to human intruders, although they attacked heterospecific intruders as frequently as did aggressive birds. The patterns of attacks during the breeding season showed a peak in the late nestling phase, immediately before the fledglings left the nest.
This seems to suggest that some birds are naturally more aggressive than others even within the same species.
Any other views? ...
Matt