How to protect yourself from crow attacks in downtown Victoria
It's nesting season in downtown Victoria, meaning aggressive crows are out in full force.
Obnoxious as they are, they're actually just being good parents, according to bird specialists.
CTV News weather anchor Warren Dean was out for a walk last Friday when he saw what looked like an injured crow on the sidewalk.
"It looked distressed and I was like 'Aw,'" said Dean. "And then the other one came up from behind me and whacked me in the back of the head."
It's a classic scenario, according to avian expert Ann Nightingale with the Rocky Point Bird Observatory.
She says adolescent crows are the same size as adults when they leave the nest. Approach one, then here comes mom or dad.
"All they're doing is trying to protect their young, and that's a virtue we respect in most animals."
While some people may approve of the birds' parental nature, others are fed up with being dive-bombed downtown.
Crowtrax is an online tracker that catalogues crow attacks in Vancouver and Victoria.
At the top of the pecking order is the intersection of Pandora Avenue and Government Street, which seems to be the epicentre of crow attacks in Victoria this year.
One way to protect yourself from crow attacks is to have eyes on the back of your head, literally.
Crows rarely attack from the front, so you could add some googly eyes to the back of your hat.
Wearing a wide-brimmed hat is also smart and stylish, or you could go full out with a helmet.
Nesting season typically lasts until July, when the adults become much calmer, according to the BC SPCA.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.