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When Michael Hart went for his morning run in rural Hertfordshire last week, he did not expect to be attacked. “I felt something come at me from behind,” said the 31-year-old, who works in IT.
The perpetrator has quietly stalked the streets of Flamstead for months but in the past fortnight has gone on a rampage, having bumped and slashed more than 20 men, including Hart. A hunt for the serial attacker is under way.
“It clawed at the back of my head. I looked up and it flew back at me again. It landed on a roof around the corner and sat there staring at me,” said Hart, describing the Harris’s hawk on the loose that left him reeling.
On Thursday, I paid a visit to the storybook village being terrorised by this mischievous bird of prey. I came prepared, donning a baseball cap to keep my head out of sight, though this paled in comparison with the bicycle helmets worn by the TV news crews descending on the village.
After a life of being looked down upon – figuratively and literally – over my 5ft 7in stature (1.7m), it had finally become an advantage. This is because the hawk appears to have a penchant for tall men. So far, women have evaded the bird’s ire.
The village streets, lined with quaint cottages and country pubs, were not deserted as I had expected. In fact, they were fairly lively. One thing was glaring, however: there were not many men walking alone.
“I’ve been getting my wife to come out for a walk with me because I don’t want to go for a walk by myself,” said Hart. He has resorted to driving 20 minutes out of the village to continue his daily run.
Men who did brave the streets solo ventured out with protection. Some went for hats, but others battled the wind and clasped newspapers tightly on their heads.
For some, the bird’s rampage could point to something greater. Inside St Leonard’s Church, which dates back over 900 years, a prophetic painting from the 15th century titled Three Living and the Three Dead adorns its walls.
The faded painting can still be made out. It shows three wealthy noblemen, one of whom holds a hawk, who come across three live skeletons while out hunting. The skeletons mock the men and say: “As ye are, so were we, as we are, so shall ye be.”
“They’re saying however rich you are, we’re all going to die and be the same one day,” said Mark Jenkin, 76, a former vice-chair of Flamstead Heritage. “Maybe the hawk has come back to tell us something.”
Back in the middle ages, owning a hawk was seen as a status symbol. Some people would even bring their birds along to church, including into St Leonard’s. A local book from the 15th century states that only noblemen ranked as an earl or higher could own a hawk.
The origin of the Flamstead hawk has stumped local people. Whipsnade Zoo, which is located nearby, said the bird was not one of theirs. When asked if an earl lived nearby, Jenkin said: “Funnily enough, there is!” – Viscount Grimston, Earl of Verulam, resides in Gorhambury House, near St Albans.
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Wherever the bird came from, patience is wearing thin for some. “I was spreading manure around the garden and I felt something on the back of my head, like a football hitting it,” said gardener Paul Boyes, 64. “It was quite hard and he was right there as he boofed me before he disappeared.”
After he was attacked by the hawk, Boyes joined the growing number of men in the village to wear a hat. First, he opted for a beanie, but has recently upgraded to a fedora for extra protection.
“It’s lighthearted but my life is spent outside in the garden. I do have a genuine fear that it’s going to hit me,” he said. “Quite a few people have been hurt, though not very seriously. Still, people are a bit nervous.”
Despite not being the hawk’s target of choice, Rebecca Levene, 34, has also taken precautions. “My mum wants me to go out with a bike helmet when I take the dog for a walk,” she said.
She runs the Three Blackbirds pub. “On Sunday alone, six people came in and said on their way there that they had been attacked by it.”
The hawk is no stranger to the camera. Local people have posted many images of it perched on rooftops and TV aerials in the village Facebook group. One person even uploaded a video of the bird swooping to camera.
Police and expert falconers are working to tame the rogue hawk. But as fears grow that it could attack children or pets, other options are being considered. In a note on the village noticeboard, the parish council hinted at what the last resort could be: “I am sure we all wish to avoid a lethal option of control,” it read.
Levene hopes the saga can end without more blood being spilled. “They’re trying their best. I hope they don’t shoot it. It’s a living thing at the end of the day.”
