Dulwich neighbourhood living in fear of violent crow attacks - with bald men the main target

Residents of a upmarket neighbourhood in Dulwich, South East London, are living in terror due to a series of violent crow attacks which left a schoolgirl bleeding. Another recent video shows a mum with a pram running away from an aggressive crow.

Footage also captured a cyclist being pursued by two relentless crows, screaming as one swoops down on him. With close to ten incidents reported since last year, bald men are apparently being the most common victims. Locals are now being advised to carry umbrellas for protection, with one mum even resorting to wearing a bike helmet for added safety.

Dulwich is known as one of the best areas to live in south London, having been home to celebrities like Hollywood star Tom Cruise, former BBC newsreader Huw Edwards and ex-prime minister Margaret Thatcher. However, overprotective crows guarding their young have earned a reputation for attacking passers-by on the leafy Townley Road.

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The nesting season for crows occurs between spring and early summer each year, during which time parent crows can become aggressive to protect their offspring from perceived threats. Research has shown that crows can recognise individual human faces and may even choose specific targets.

Bridget Furst, chair of the Dulwich Residents' Association, visited Townley Road last week after hearing about the recent wave of attacks and witnessed one herself.

"You can see the crows circling around," she said. "They sit in the trees over the playing fields. As I turned into Townley Road a woman was running away. She had a kid in a buggy and was looking over her shoulder. She was running so fast we couldn't stop to talk to her - the crow was just behind her."

She explained that a wave of violent crow attacks occurred in previous years, too: "Last year someone was sent to hospital after having his head pecked.There's a big crow nest near to where I live, but you never get these sorts of problems. It's very strange...It's these particular, aggressive crows that have caused people fear over the last two years."

Alison Frean, a mum-of-two who has lived on the road for around 18 years, has been attacked herself several times. But the letting agency director, 60, fears there's little that can be done to stop the crows.

She said: "We've got these wonderful trees and we have nesting crows in them. When they have a baby and it fledges, it drops down to the grass and the mummy, daddy and aunty crows protect it. Anybody who passes by on bikes or walking - especially men with bald heads - they dive on them."

She continued: "Last year I was swooped on three times just trying to get out of my car. It was quite traumatising... I tried to go out again with a bike helmet on."

The gang of aggressive crows has also taken to dive-bombing children on scooters. The issue has been ongoing for some time, with another resident admitting, "Ever since we've lived here there has been a lot of crows and there's not really anything we can do about it."

The problem isn't new, with many locals recounting tales of crow attacks over the years. Another young man shared his family's experience with the avian assailants: 'It's really common on this road. They just come out of nowhere and claw the back of your head. I see them swoop on the road and I think, 'Please don't get me'. What are you going to do? It's birds in a tree."

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