Helmet comes in handy as hawk attacks cyclists on Confederation Trail

A group of Island cyclists say they're glad they were wearing their helmets on the Confederation Trail when a hawk attacked them Monday. 

Paula Finkle, Jeannine Carver, Cathy Wood and three others were riding along the Confederation Trail near Breadalbane when a hawk dove at the two riders in front: Finkle and Wood.  

"My friend next to me sort of screamed and then I felt this big thump on my head," said Finkle. "It was hard enough that my helmet came down — I had my sunglasses on — and my sunglasses kind of hit my nose.

"I was thankful I was able to stay on my bike."

The bird hit Finkle so hard it left dents in her helmet, and Wood was startled off her bike. Both were spooked, but not injured. 

"I was grateful I had my helmet on. It could have been a lot worse," said Finkle.

Carver, riding not far behind, saw the brown and white hawk fly out of a tree, its wings spread out like a metre-wide fan. 

Humans are predators, we're scary to these birds— Peter McMurchy, owner of Island Falconry

"It landed on her head — hard. And I don't know if it bounced off, but then it flew away," said Carver. 

Scaring away a predator

Peter McMurchy, who owns Island Falconry, said based on the women's description and the location, the bird was likely a northern goshawk (pronounced GOSS-hawk). 

"This is the most likely bird that we'd see in a forestry setting, willing to take a chance at chasing someone or attacking someone," he said. 

Right now is the end of the birds' typical nesting season, he said, with the last of the young birds just leaving the nest. McMurchy said the hawk was likely giving the cyclists a warning that they were getting too close to either its young or its prey.

"We're talking about a predator bird that has a flight-or-fight instinct. And in this case, it was in the mood for a little bit of a fight. It had a fear response and it wanted to push a predator away."

He added: "Humans are predators. We're scary to these birds. We're big — big faces, big eyes — and we're in their space. The forest is their space."

Finkle said her hawk encounter on Monday was a sudden and unexpected reminder of that, and she and her friends will keep it in mind as they pick away at cycling the entire Confederation Trail between now and the fall.

"This is their home and we're guests here. I respect that we need to go cautiously and with that awareness — and there may be messages from different animals along the way."