When Tree Swallows Attack

My run started out as anticipated... a low-key, barefoot recovery run on the athletic fields at the local high school with comfortable temperatures and a steady breeze blowing.  A few hundred yards into the run, I noticed a flock of tree swallows acrobatically darting through the air, chasing one another and flying low to the ground while searching for insects. Their speed and agility was quite fascinating. This is pretty neat, I thought. How lucky I was to once again view nature in its glory.

As I wrapped myself in these thoughts and was on the verge of a hippy folk song entering my head to reflect the mood, I noticed about 100 feet ahead one of these swallows was at eye level and flying right at me. I grew increasingly concerned as it showed no signs of slowing or changing its path. Its chirping sound that I had found so cute just moments ago was now growing louder and louder as it approached. It all happened so fast and the little bastard didn't swerve away until it was literally two feet from my face!

I cowered my hands over my face and ducked, avoiding getting hit. "Holy crap!", I exclaimed and cautiously ran on. The birds still flew overhead, and I imagined them monitoring me, but I moved out of the area and felt safe... for a while.

Unfortunately, each lap around the fields is just a bit more than a half a mile, so that meant I'd pass back by the area where the birds were hanging out quite a few times. Long story short, I was dive bombed three more times. The other interesting attack to note was when I was watching two potential aggressors to my left closely, only to hear a crescendoing bird chirp to my right and turned to see a bird flanking me and swerving two feet from my face again right as I turned. I was so startled I nearly fell.

I was thankful to have good reflexes, as they were needed during this run. I was perhaps a bit of a dumbass for running through that same area where they were attacking, but it was kind of fun. And it was somewhat comforting to know that there are much bigger dumbasses out there with reflexes equally as good:



Ran 3.1 miles @ 10:00/mile pace.
Grassy fields.
Flat.
Lower 70s, mostly cloudy, breezy.
Barefoot, shorts, short sleeved shirt.