Village in Turmoil: Locals and Cyclists Under Attack from Aggressive Buzzard Divebombs!

A PEACEFUL village is being tormented by an aggressive buzzard viciously swooping on locals’ heads and knocking them off bikes.

The resident attacks “almost every day” and has dealt its cruel blows for several years, locals complain.

The gashes caused by the swooping buzzard Credit: leicestershire Live/BPM.Media The village has been terrorised by the aggressive bird of prey Credit: BPM Media

Residents in the quiet village of Coleorton, , live in fear of the buzzard’s strikes.

One man was caught on video being attacked from above, with the large bird swooping down and scratching his head.

Photos of his injuries show a long cut on the top of his scalp, with another on his forehead from the bird’s sharp talons.

Terrified locals also reported further incidents, including a being knocked off their bike and injured to to the aggressive buzzard.

The bird is believed to have a nest somewhere along the footpath in Coleorton Credit: leicestershire Live/BPM.Media The magestic birds have extremely sharp beaks and talons Credit: Alamy

Local resident Samantha Thorpe, 36, said it would “swoop down and just attack anyone who walks through the pathway” on her road.

“I see people being swooped at almost every day, it’s that bad. We’ve been living here since 2020, and it’s been happening every year since then,” she told Leicestershire Live .

“I tried to warn the village about it, and I think initially they didn’t take me too seriously, but now a few people have been attacked.”

Samantha said the bird lives at the top of the leafy footpath just off Gelsmoor Road, where it lies in wait for unsuspecting passers-by.

It has been known to swoop down on several people, local sources confirmed, with stories of locals being forced to duck out of the way of its huge talons.

Samantha added: “I don’t go up this path any more. I have two kids and I don’t let them go up there either, it’s just too dangerous and my neighbours are of the same opinion.”

They are large birds, with wingspans typically reaching around 1.2metres and extremely sharp beak and talons.

Locals have taken to avoiding the area where it nests and taking a detour in an effort not to provoke it.

Sally Kimberly, 54, has lived in the village for five decades, and said she had only noticed the attacks “for maybe the past five years”.

Other locals said they knew of multiple people who had been forced to duck out of the way of the bird’s swooping flight.

The buzzard’s reign of terror on the innocuous country path is likely the result of protective instincts during breeding and nesting season.

Bird the RSPB explained: “Aggression can often be caused when birds feel threatened or are protecting their young.”

This would explain why its divebombing campaign recurs once a year.

A spokesman for the charity advised: “When faced with a bird showing aggressive behaviour, the best thing is to give them space, avoid the immediate area and even take an alternative route.”

Local Ralph Odendaal, 56, said: “We’ve seen it quite often. The thing is that when it is nesting it tends to get quite aggressive but that makes sense as it’s only protecting its babies.”

He added it was nice to have the buzzards around, but noted it was important to take a detour to avoid them.

Nesting season typically begins in March and can continue for months, until the youngsters are fully fledged.

The RSPB reassured residents: “This behaviour should soon die down – once the birds have finished nesting, they will become less territorial and disperse into their wide-ranging habitat.

“As wild birds, these birds of prey form an integral part of the countryside and play an important role in natural ecosystems.”

Last year, enacted a similar campaign of terror against locals in Havering, East London.

It was captured on video swooping down on a woman in her dressing gown.

Havering Council advised students from the nearby primary school to stay inside due to concerns about the buzzard.