Sucker Punched By a Giant Crow At The Zoo

So this is me. (In my dreams.) Minding my own business and having a nice day with my wife and partner at one of our favorite places, the Ueno Zoological Gardens.

Overhead, birds are flying about, children are laughing around us and families are enjoying a day at one of Tokyo’s favorite attractions when WHAM!

One of these little buggers brought me right into Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds.” I finally have a personal understanding of just how dangerous and how much it can hurt when you are attacked by an aggressive bird.

It wasn’t a bird gang but it was a huge black crow protecting it’s newly created nest. I guess he and the wife are preparing for eggs and babies. Yes, it’s nesting season in central Japan and some wildlife take it seriously. Probably all wildlife takes it seriously. Especially some humans. 😉

We were walking from the polar bear exhibit over to the far east side of the park when out of nowhere a huge, and I mean huge, black crow knuckle punched the top of my head, tangled with me for a moment and then flew off to a power line just above and front of us and began watching me. First of all…it hurt like a ^&(*#%#$^&*&%@#$#@%!!!! But no blood was drawn. Hmmm. I looked to the tree to the right and could see a nest was shaping up. I looked back to the crow who by now was flying off, circling the tree doing what any good parent does. Protecting home and family.

So in the coming weeks if you are out and about in Japan…wear a hat or be aware there may be a parent flying above you on patrol.

(I will say the bird’s intentions were clear. Not to harm but just to frighten me away. I came too close to the next it seems. We read some literature on the subject and learned that birds will knuckle you, not claw you when protecting their nests.)