77-year-old Austin man attacked multiple times by hawks in yard

AUSTIN, Texas - A man who's lived in Austin for more than 40 years said he has an unusual problem going on in his yard. A pair of hawks has attacked him multiple times.

“Here it is it's the end of June it's 100 degrees nobody walks outside with an umbrella.” 

Even with sunny skies, 77-year-old Robert Pearce said he won't venture out in his yard right now without an umbrella in hand.

“This is ridiculous, but I don't know what else to do,” he said.

Pearce said he's been fine to share his yard with wildlife but a pair of hawks has decided they have an issue with him.

”These hawks are coming after me, I don't know what I did,” Pearce said.

The first fight with his new neighbors came out of the blue in his backyard, “He hit me so hard in the back it felt like I was getting hit with a 2x4. At 11:15 he hit me again, same place. That's twice in 15 minutes. A few days later the battle moved to the front yard.

“I was getting ready to water and I got it all set and boom I mean he hit me so hard, I almost went down and that's when I got the cut on my head. A cut on the head, and a ripped up favorite hat,” Pearce said.

Pearce said he's wasn't sure he was up for the competition.

“I tell you, I have to admit, my wife and I, we are seniors, and we get a little scared now.”

He did however get a tetanus shot and put his 81-year-old wife on lockdown in the house.

“I guess the husband has got to go out there and face all the problems, you got to be tough, can't let the wife get hurt,” he said.

Fox 7 spoke with some experts from “Austin Wildlife Rescue” who said based on the hawks aggressive behavior the likelihood there are eggs or babies nearby is very high.

Whether they are angry birds or protective parents, Pearce said he isn’t letting his guard down anytime soon and will keep his umbrella handy, “I'm only going to do this now so he doesn't hit me in the head, I don’t know if it will help, but I am not going out without it.”

The hawks are believed to be Broad Wing Hawks which is a federally protected species. So all the Pearce family can do is wait the 5 to 6 weeks until the possible babies take off on their own and leave their backyard.