When Big White Birds Attack
It really is a thing of beauty. And it honestly always brought a smile to my face. What could be better than watching a poor unsuspecting victim be attacked by a humongous white bird?
Ok, so what sounded a little harsh, and I can already hear the comments, but quite honestly everytime it happened all of us laughed. No harm was done to the victim, except for them being a little startled, and every single time the event happened it brought tears to our eyes.
What am I talking about you ask? Well, on the torch river there is quite a bit of bird life, and in particular, there are quite a few swans. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many swans confined to one area. The other thing, is that during the this time of year, they are either in the process of having babies, or they already do, and because of that there are numerous nests along the river. This sets the stage for some laughter.
When boats are travelling up the river there is a strict no wake rule, so everyone is going at really slows speeds, even the jetskis. For some reason, and I think it is directly related to their size, the swans don’t take kindly to these particular water vehicles. The boats can pass them all day, and nothing will happen, but the minute a jetski comes by, the show begins.
As soon as the male swan see’s the jetski he will start postering, and heading right towards it. Now most people aren’t aware of the issue, so they just keep going along without even realizing what is happening. Normally the birds attack from the rear too, so that makes it even harder to know what is coming. At first they will just put across the water trying to catch the “intruder”, but after a little while they will actually take off and fly, eventually catcing the rider and thumping them in the back. I can’t deny that it is quite a spectacle to watch.
Last year Jeff almost got attacked, and that is the only reason that we are aware of the issue. The birds are real protective when the waverunners come around, and we just wait and watch. The attacks are never vicious at all, but they definitely let the rider know to move on. It is so funny.
So next time you are in the torch river, and you’re on a waverunner or jetski, make sure you watch your back, or you might be on the next episode of “When Swan’s Attack”.
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That would be startling to have a “Big Bird” attacking from behind if you weren’t aware it was coming. Glad it was only a warning to move on for the unsuspecting.
The swan is a real impressive sight, glad you are getting to see a bunch.
Swans can be aggressive. We encountered them in a canoe on the Platte River a few times. They’re beautiful birds, but they sure don’t like people in what they consider their territory.
Ha! I knew geese were real protective like that - swans? Who knew?!
That would be very startling! I’m glad that if we’re ever on the Torch river I’m pretty sure it will be in a boat
That story brings back memories. I can attest to how aggressive this other wise mellow birds can get once they start nesting or raise hatch. As a youngster I walked up close to an empty swan nest to check out how many eggs where in it. Before I could count to one a male and female swan darted out from seemingly nowhere angrily hissing and flapping with their wings. I walked - limping might be a better term - away from that encounter with a black eye, a nosebleed and several bruises. Lesson learned. Never approach any swan near a nest or in company of cygnets.
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Thanks for the heads up on this issue. And I love the “When Swan’s Attack”. lol
Tell me somebody got a picture of Jeff being chased down!?! LOL!!
Thanks for the tip, I will keep my eyes open for Big Birds cousin.
Our neighbors had a pair of swans on their pond when I was a kid. We used to tease them and run for our lives. They’re murderous buggers.