SHIRLEY, MA (WFXT/CNN) - A Massachusetts man says he is being relentlessly attacked by a hawk living outside his home. And so much so that he is starting wearing a helmet outside. "It's very, very scary,” he said on Wednesday.
After an aerial attack on the unsuspecting homeowner, at least the first time the hawk attacked last week, the homeowner was shocked, and in pain. "I was on my deck and all of a sudden, boom it hit me on my head,” he said.
By the third time, on Tuesday, the bird had drawn blood. "The last hit it was painful, and I had to take a couple Aleve,” he said.
His wife dialed police in a recorded call about what she believed was a falcon. "He hit my husband three times. Today is the third time,” the woman said.
"He hit your husband?" the dispatcher asked. "He hit my husband from the back. I have pictures of the blood and all that," the woman said.
"The bird would dive bomb him as he was walking in the backyard, and it would strike him in the back of the head,” said Sgt. Peter Violette of the Shirley Police Department.
When Shirley Police arrived, they found the homeowner hiding, but with protection. "It was kind of hysterical because he's wearing a helmet and we're coming out and he's hiding in the car,” said Craig LaPrade of the police department.
There wasn't much police could do and eventually the bird flew away. But the family is now living in fear.
"Every time I go out now I have to wear a helmet, and if I hear a sound or airplane or some weird sound I just duck. And I always put my hand behind my head in case I get attacked again," the man said.
The homeowner believes the bird may be annoyed because its nest is right above a fire pit in the backyard. There's also the possibility the bird is protecting its young.
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