Beware the angry birds near the Rideau Canal
Nesting red-winged blackbirds are back in Ottawa, another sign spring has returned. But people running near the Rideau Canal say they've been hit by a wave of unexpected attacks.
"There’s screaming, laughing and swearing," said Julia Martin who lives on Echo Drive. "Then you think, 'Oh yes, they just got hit with an angry bird.'"
Martin has been one of the unlucky ones.
"What happened to me is they used their claws and they pull your hair. Sometimes people say they hear the flapping of the wings and they start running."
Gregory Rand from the Canadian Museum of Nature says there is a reason for this.
"At this time of the year, the birds are on their eggs or the eggs have hatched. What they’re doing right now is defending their young from perceived threat," he said.
The birds are mostly harmless and Rand says we can expect it to calm down in the next couple of weeks.
For those unaware of the birds, the ambush can be jarring. Children who live on the street created warning signs cautioning those willing to venture down the path.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Economists say temporary tax cut, relief cheques play into rosier growth picture
The federal government's 'meaty' move to pause federal sales tax on a long list of items and send cheques to millions of Canadians this spring could factor into an improving outlook for growth in 2025, economists say.
Trump chooses Pam Bondi for attorney general pick after Gaetz withdraws
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump on Thursday named Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida, to be U.S. attorney general just hours after his other choice, Matt Gaetz, withdrew his name from consideration.
Second Australian teen dies in tainted alcohol case in Laos that has killed 6 tourists
A second Australian teenager who fell critically ill after drinking tainted alcohol in Laos has died in a hospital in Bangkok, her family said Friday, bringing the death toll in the mass poisoning of foreign tourists to six.
Bears find a buffet of battlefield rations at Alaska military base
Hungry bears broke into a storage room at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in this U.S. to feast on the military rations.
'Not good for the economy': MPs call on federal government to regulate resale concert tickets
Ticket fraud and sky-high prices for Taylor Swift concerts have some politicians calling for changes to the way tickets are sold in Canada.
Canada Post strike may affect delivery of kids' letters to Santa
Montreal school children spent an afternoon writing up their wish list to send to the North Pole.
A one-of-a-kind Royal Canadian Mint coin sells for more than $1.5M
A rare one-of-a-kind pure gold coin from the Royal Canadian Mint has sold for more than $1.5 million. The 99.99 per cent pure gold coin, named 'The Dance Screen (The Scream Too),' weighs a whopping 10 kilograms and surpassed the previous record for a coin offered at an auction in Canada.
South Korea says Russia supplied air defence missiles to North Korea in return for its troops
Russia has supplied air defence missile systems to North Korea in exchange for sending its troops to support Russia's war efforts against Ukraine, a top South Korean official said Friday.
More than 70K Murphy beds recalled across Canada, U.S. over tipping concerns
A popular series of Murphy beds that had been sold online is under a recall in Canada and the U.S. after several reported instances of the furniture detaching from walls.