Drake neighborhood resident Joshua Russell has a tip for people passing through his part of town: keep your eyes to the skies and your head on a swivel.

Russell recently reported to the Des Moines Register "multiple instances" of an owl swooping down in the morning hours in the area around Kingman Boulevard and Cottage Grove Avenue between 31st Street and 42nd Street.

"One time the owl took off a friend's hat," Russell said Monday in an email, "and this morning I actually felt the claws on my head and when I screamed it flew off … and then it redoubled back and I screamed again to fend it off."

The behavior exhibited by these owls is aggressive and possibly dangerous, so the Register reached out to Iowa Department of Natural Resources Avian Ecologist Anna Buckardt Thomas for more information.

What kind of owl is attacking people?

Due to the time of day of the reported attacks and season, the aggressive birds in the Drake Neighborhood are likely barred owls, Buckardt Thomas said. A barred owl was also photographed in the neighborhood and reported on the local social media site Nextdoor in May.

Why are these owls attacking runners and bicyclists?

"Both Barred Owls and Great Horned Owls can become very territorial when they are nesting and caring for young," Thomas said. "Both species have been known to swoop down at people (but often do not actually make contact) as a defense mechanism to scare off predators and protect their offspring.

"Many times recreationists become the target of owl attacks because they are using areas that are also good habitat for owl nests, large areas of mature forest often near water," she added.

The Drake neighborhood, with its many trees, parks and water fixtures is not all the different than a forested area.

What can a victim of an owl attack do?

One option is to contact the local park or city officials to put up signage around the owls' territory to alert recreationists to the danger. (Des Moines Parks and Recreation was contacted for this article — they had received no reports of owl problems.)

Removing or interfering with a barred owl would require a special permit from the USDA Wildlife Services, as they're protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

"The best thing people can do is be aware of the owls' territory and avoid it during the nesting season," Thomas said. "Identifying the owls' favorite perching trees and locations where they have swooped down at people can be helpful in determining locations where city or park officials could place signage warning runners and cyclists that they are entering the territory of a protective owl."

Thomas expects that any conflicts between humans and owls would end by mid-October, after the young offspring have grown independent and no longer require protection.

Aaron Calvin covers trending news for the Register. Reach him at acalvin@registermedia.com, 515-556-9097 or on Twitter at @aaronpcalvin.

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