Bird Alert in Almere

I am officially bird friendly ever since I could remember. Since I came to the Netherlands especially, I feed birds; notably seagulls, ducks and geese at our local park. I was comfortable in nature and enjoyed listening to the chirping of  birds. I liked it when birds perched on the branches of trees chirping away while I sat below the tree relaxing.

Yesterday was no different. Taking advantage of the good weather, I sat reading in the library garden. I had reading for half an hour when I heard a bird hopping towards me. It was a pigeon with somewhat ruffled feathers like it had just been in a fight. This bird hopped right up to my feet. 

Although I considered myself bird-friendly, I was now threatened by this gesture because its eyes were piercing into mine. It also hopped towards my bag, looking at it. I opened my bag to see if I had any cereal bar which I could feed it with. So happened the big eater in me had no food. So back I went to my reading, trying to ignore the bird. 

Yet the bird refused to bulge. So I had to bulge. What I did not like was the staring eyes of the bird. Before I left the garden though, I took a photo of the bird since it was so close to me. After taking the photo, with no flash, this bird suddenly gave out a loud "caw" sound and flapped its wings full stretch and lunged towards my thighs. 

I screamed with the impact. I did not expect the bird to actually attack me. I ran with my bag out of the library garden. For better or for worse, nobody heard me because I was the only one in the garden. 

Before I left the library, I felt it was my civic duty to inform the library staff that there was a predator on prowl in their garden. I explained to the huge, burly security guard about the bird which attacked me. I told him also that I believed it could not fly because it lunged only up to my thighs and not higher. Probably it was so hungry that it had to attack people for food. I also saw its mate, a darker bird on the ground, hiding under the stairs of the garden. 

The security guard laughed at me. Either he was amused by my experience or he did not believe me, I do not know. I felt like one of those straight-faced comedians who do not see the joke in it. Well, well...at least I had informed the guard. The next time someone else gets attacked, however mild - it is still an attack...not a physical one, but a mental one. Quite a shock for I thought most birds were shy with humans. 

Who knew such a little bird could be so fierce? 

Or just maybe I should come armed with a packet of snacks, not for myself but for hungry predators. This is vital to protect myself from unwanted advances...from those small, piercing and chirping ones. I live to tell the tale...

Of course I am exaggerating the last sentence. Mind you though, the rest of the story is true!