‘I was shocked': Owl attacks man walking dog in Medfield

A man says he was attacked by an owl while he was walking his dog in Medfield, Massachusetts.

Ken Wadness was running down a trail Monday night with his dog, Micah, when he says the bird came out of nowhere.

"He came at me so fast," Wadness said. "I mean, I never even knew, never even heard him coming. He just whacked me right in the back of the head."

The owl's talons left visible wounds.

"I was shocked at the force that it hit me on the back, and those talons were as sharp — they were like needles," he said.

The incident happened at the Noon Hill Reservation, a place where Wadness runs all the time.

"I just could not even believe it," he said. "I just was startled, we stopped, and I felt the back of my head, it was bleeding."

Just before it happened, he says he first noticed a large bird flying low over Micah, but didn't realize at first what it was. Seconds later, he was attacked.

Right after, he says he noticed the owl within 20 feet sitting on a branch. He took out his phone and started recording.

"I don't know why, he just stood there," Wadness recalled. "He might have just said, 'Well, I have defended my territory, and you're there, I'm here, and, you know, maybe you should leave now.'"

Wadness said the attack won't keep him from going back to the reservation for his regular runs.

"There's a lot of trails in Noon Hill. And I think what I will do is I'll just avoid that area, just to respect his territory — especially at nighttime," he said.

But he warns others who use the trails to use caution.

"For people who do walk their dogs, and the days are getting shorter — just to be careful," he said. "Not only was my dog almost attacked, but also I was."

Wadness is thankful he was wearing his headlamp at the time, because he thinks the battery on the back prevented the owl's talons from digging in any deeper.