I was attacked by a crow yesterday. ‘ Attacked’ might seem a bit melodramatic, but I am really not sure what else to call it. To say it hit me might suggest that it crashed into me unknowingly, blindsided by sunlight or temporarily malfunctioning landing gear, that we had a ‘collision’. But in fact, as I was walking my bike up past an old cemetery by the lake, while humming happily to myself in the sharp Autumn light, completely out of the blue I was suddenly hit violently on the top of my head by what felt at first like I was being bashed by a hammer ( in which case did it divebomb me beakwards or could the claws of the undercarriage also have delivered this blow?) ; all serenity shattered as it swooped up cawing loudly, the echoes of my fuck yous ! echoing shamefully round the gravesite; handclapping furiously, memories coursing through my nervous system of the indelible scene in The Omen 2,that horrible scene where the journalist uncovering the diabolical realities taking place is now doomed to die violently – running desperately for their life but eyes pecked out savagely by swooping overhead scavengers
Anyway.
I have just come out of my evaluation on an bleary overcast day in Fujisawa and immediately come face to face again with one of these now frightening creatures (pictured). It has been eyeing me beadily. And my heart did skip a beat momentarily – but I bore it no malice ( I think : yesterday, my heart was beating wildly post-incident as I tried to laugh it off to myself as just a one off bizarre occurrence, but there were more of them waiting – or the same ones waiting – on the telephone wires ahead, and I thought shit : is this going to become a new phobia ? I don’t really need anymore to add to the list). Then today, this morning at work, I found out that such aggressions are not as unusual as you might think.
It made good conversation. The secretary was horrified by all of our corvian anecdotes, clutching the side of her head a little too hysterically I thought personally – but one of my J colleagues had also been pounded on the head in exactly the same manner; another had had one coming at him horizontally slamming into his chest to grab a gold necklace in a bewildering tussle as a university student that had terrified him, but drew no blood ( I also checked the top of my head instinctively after it happened yesterday, to check if it had torn my scalp – now that really would have been melodramatic with blood streaming down the side of my face coming back into Imaizumidai – but perhaps the bird was just giving a physical warning of territorial patrol – ‘don’t even think of coming near my delectable red bean anko sweet cakes, human’ ) rather than more rabid, intentional Hitchcock murdering impulses
Why did it go for me? I was doing nothing threatening – although on second thoughts I was carrying two bags of groceries : maybe it was in the mood for a free lunch. Maybe it thought I was a bad singer. Or else it just didn’t really like my perfume. I am not really sure. In any case, there are apparently far more of them about these days, in cities, and elsewhere, waking you up at dawn if they land on the balcony, tearing plastic rubbish bags and scattering garbage-strewn mess deliberately onto the streets glinting rudely in saucy iridescence….. side-eyed, scarily knowing ( can it really be true that these ancient beings have the intelligence of a seven year old human child ?)
/
Whatever. They aren’t going anywhere soon and neither am I,so I suppose we will just have to continue to coexist (good job Japan doesn’t allow hand guns like America though, as I can’t guarantee that I might not have just blasted it out of the sky on impulse, smiling vengefully as it thudded to the ground).
No. It is fine. And it was good, in a way, that I came across one again today so soon after having one up so close (actually boring down into my head). (UGH!!!!) I think it neutralized something. Nipped something in the bud. Calmed the brain stem. It was very shocking ( have any of you had similar experiences ?) : but I absolutely refuse to get crowphobia. I don’t really hate them. I never have. In fact I always rather respected their naughty outsider status, which in a way I can almost relate to. They have attitude. They are cool. They are shiny. They have chutzpah. But you can be damn sure that from now on I will be looking up very warily around me at all perches and telephone wires and right up into the sky, each time I go past that bloody cemetery
A pack of crows is called a “murder.”
Not in my book !
They are wicked smart.
Yes. I am still processing all this actually – please give me some more crow news/ thoughts
It was the WEIGHT as it hit me that has freaked me out. I can still feel it at the top of my head.
SHUDDER !!!!!!
The bird pictured above is actually a raven. Notice the distinct neck ruff and the the curved and large upper beak. Most crows only attack people who have done them wrong and they remember faces. Raven behavior can be more aggressive and they are large and powerful birds which confirms your sense of power and force. I am sorry this happened to you.
I stand corrected, should have looked it up first! That is a large billed crow and it really looks like a raven you would find on the east coast of the United States! We do not have many crows here that are that big! What about that unprovoked attack? So frightening and weird.
Ha! A raven. Even more Poe-ish. Thanks for letting me know. But yes. That would explain the impact a little bit more as it really was quite a big bruiser.
Crow or raven, the impact gave me a headache afterwards.
I might suggest leaving the crow a peace offering, intrusive though (s)he may be. Crows are watchers with excellent memories. An offering of, say, walnuts would be remembered.
I might then.
Good idea
The important thing is that you are okay. They make themselves known where I live as well as the deer and foxes.
It’s always nice to have wildlife nearby ( I love deer … wait do they attack as well? Do foxes?)
Crowgate is fine – but it did strike me that a frailer person could easily have been knocked to the ground by that winged bastard – and could have had a serious accident
A deer attacked my car and totaled it. I was lucky it did not kill me. Yes, foxes are beautiful but dangerous. One pushed its nose against my bedroom window and showed me its teeth, which could have eaten me up as if I were little red riding hood! Luckily it did not try to break through the window. I also once had a family of snakes live in and on my small outdoor patio. I had to finally find a snake man who caught the large one, which was only a black snake was huge, but not poisonous. He had to take it at least over 10 miles away and set it free as they can find their way back to their dens. I live in a condominium community, but once this are was all woods and the homes of deer and other creatures. I watch entire families of deer from my bedroom
window travel through the open space behind me.
Despite not wanting to read of your distress, this is very beautiful to read
!!!
I have been attacked in the same manner by a “house “ crow here in Nepal.
I was hanging laundry on the roof one morning and heard a loud rustling and flapping. I looked around but didn’t see anything. Then I felt creepy cold finger-like feet and sharp claws on top of my head. The damned thing actually scratched me and pulled my hair!
It took me a few minutes to realize what had happened.
Then it dive-bombed me again. I was shocked.
I waved my arms and yelled too.
I don’t know what he was after, my hair is golden blonde?
This same male crow attacked my cats in the yard a few times. He would steal cat food and caw for hours. He’d often sit on the clothesline when I would hang the laundry up. I named him the Evil Moriarty. Most days he’d sit on the utility pole across the street from my house and stare menacingly.
One day he showed up with two lady friends. The new “murder” terrorized the cats and I for about a week and then disappeared. Never saw him again.
Nepal is home to 40% of the world’s birds at any time of year. The Himalayas are a major migration point for many species. It’s interesting to see how the hierarchy of birds plays out. The crows often gang up bully other birds, especially pigeons, mynahs, and egrets. It gets violent at times, I’ve seen crows throw egret chicks out of nests and even kill smaller birds like bulbuls.
My god – an ornicopia from hell
please forgive the v late reply : going through quite a traumatic period currently
glad, well not glad exactly to hear of you having quite the Tippi Hedren, but to hear I wasn’t just imagining or making it up ( possible gaslighting being rather the current theme )
Well, you mentioned The Omen 2, so do you remember in the first Omen when Damien’s mom took him to the zoo and all the animals ran away from little Damien? If the crow came near you, that surely must mean you are not the devil’s spawn or even possessed. Always look on the bright side!
Loving this logic : obrigado x
Sorry to hear about your corvid misadventure! Lately there have been a few crows on TV aerials on my house and the neighbours’. Boy, are they loud; and why haven’t they perched there like that in previous years. I used to actually love the sound of crows as it reminded me of the grassy areas outside the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, where I sat and worked with my red pen in the summer heat back in the day. I hope you can make friends for a gentler daily greeting as you look up to the sky.
A lovely way of putting it, and yes, the sound of crows really is like that : a sensurround evocation.
Trying hard not to develop a deep aversion