Bird attacks on people are getting more common according to wildlife experts who say the creatures are particularly likely to dive bomb those straying onto their territory at this time of year.

Many birds of prey and seabirds are defending their eggs and young against intruders, according to Dr Steve Portugal, an ecophysiologist from Royal Holloway University of London.

“Great Skuas in particular are renowned for dive-bombing anyone that gets too close to the nest, and colonies of Arctic Terns will protect their babies by aggressively mobbing any intruders," he told The Independent.

He added: “As available nest sites become harder to find due to habitat loss, it’s likely that these interactions between diligent bird parents and humans will increase”.

Earlier this year, Tom Ellis from Prestatyn in Wales was advised by the council to put up umbrellas to prevent sea gulls from mobbing him around his home. He said the birds nesting on his roof had turned aggressive after their chicks hatched leaving him scared to leave the house.

The UK's top birds 2018 Show all 10 1 /10 The UK's top birds 2018 The UK's top birds 2018 10. Chaffinch Down one place on last year. Birdwatch has released this year's rankings for the most frequently spotted birds in the UK. Results were collected from 420,489 British birdspotters Getty The UK's top birds 2018 9. Long-tailed tit Up one place on last year Getty The UK's top birds 2018 8. Robin Redbreast Down one place on last year Getty The UK's top birds 2018 7. Great Tit Up one place on last year Getty The UK's top birds 2018 6. Goldfinch In the same place as last year Pierre Dalous The UK's top birds 2018 5. Woodpigeon In the same place as last year Getty The UK's top birds 2018 4. Blackbird Down one place on last year Getty The UK's top birds 2018 3. Blue tit Up one place on last year Getty The UK's top birds 2018 2. Starling In the same place as last year Getty The UK's top birds 2018 1. House sparrow In the same place as last year Getty

Andrea Jones, director of bird conservation at the US National Audubon Society told BBC that attacks were definitely rising.

Like Dr Portugal, she said this was largely caused by humans encroaching on bird habitats.

She also believes people are more aware of these interactions because they are being shared on social media.

In Vancouver there is a website called CrowTrax where people can log these incidents which are then put on an online map. Since the website was created in 2016 more than 5,000 reports have been logged.

Ornithologists often wear hard hats when checking nests for chicks and Ms Jones says she was attacked by common terns in Massachusetts while doing her latest research.

However, these attacks – which normally happen when the bird flies into someone’s back or pecks at their head – are unlikely to cause injury.