Raleigh woman attacked by bird, wildlife specialist recommends awareness of surroundings

A Raleigh woman says she was attacked by a ‘huge bird’ while going for a run near the Village District.

Beth Gartland said she was treated for open scratches on her scalp after the incident.

“I felt this really heavy impact on the back of my head,” she said. “At first, I thought it was being attacked by a person.”

Gartland said once she realized it was a bird, she ran away.

“I would imagine birds fly faster than I can run, so in my head, I thought I had to get out of there really fast, or it was going to back down to get me again,” she said.

Gartland is not sure what kind of bird it was, but it left her with a few open scratches on her scalp. She said she was wearing a bun.

Robert Weaver is the owner of Freedom Wildlife Solutions. It’s a professional wildlife removal service that specializes in bird removal.

“If she had a ponytail, it could have represented a squirrel tail or driven more of that predatory instinct that would have caused an attack like that. Outside of that, it would have most likely been in the vicinity of a nesting situation,” he said.

Weaver said bird attacks are rare, however, spring and early summer is considered ‘prime nesting season.’

“Those larger birds, especially, geese, they will attack at this point. Some smaller birds, songbirds, such as the mockingbirds, swallows, will get a little more aggressive,” he explained.

Weaver also noted that his business is getting more calls for service in more urban, developed areas.

“Livelihoods are changing; their home ranges are changing quite a bit,” he said. “We’re seeing a lot more of them inside subdivisions and cities.”

The best thing to do, Weaver said, is to be aware of your surroundings.

“If you see a bird nesting, keep your distance,” he said.

Gartland said she has already modified her running route to do just that.

“I will never run on Pogue again,” she said.

If a bird is on your property, Weaver said you can also call professional help, because most birds are federally protected.