When birds attack: Be afraid, be very afraid

Holy air strike Batman. Somebody get on the bat phone and call Stonington Commissioner Bates. (H/T Capitol Report). A crazy red tail is attacking.

Police Captain Jerry Desmond said there have been more attacks dating back to the summer. The hawk repeatedly charged a boy as he walked to his bus stop and took his hat. It snatched a pair of headphones and knocked the eyeglasses off a man while he was on his lawnmower. It even attacked a car.

“We’re concerned because the bird seems to be becoming more and more territorial,” Desmond said.

Margarett Jones, the director of the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center, said the hawk is trying to protect its nest during the spring breeding season, a time in which males can become more aggressive as they try to impress potential mates.

Animal Control Officer Rae-Jean Davis said she is investigating the attacks and working with the state Department of Environmental Protection to resolve the problem.

“People have said it just swoops down and dive-bombs them,” she said. “It feels like they’ve been struck by a stick or a rock.”

Hey, couldn’t he just do push ups on the beach instead?