Man Says Owl Attacked Him At Graue Mill

OAK BROOK, IL – A La Grange Park man who went running early Tuesday evening in the DuPage County forest preserve near Graue Mill said he was attacked by an owl.

In an interview, Daire Barry, who runs regularly in the Graue Mill preserve in Oak Brook, said the owl grabbed and scratched the back of his head about 6 p.m. He said he at first thought a squirrel dropped out of a tree.

Barry, 47, continued to run, then the owl hit him in the back of his head, he said.

"There's a huge bird flying around my head," Barry said. "My initial thought was that it was a hawk. Then it landed in a tree. I shined my light. It was a big brown owl. I was kind of freaking out. I was yelling at it."

The owl swooped in for a third time, but Barry ducked because he saw it coming, he said. He was not hit that time.

He said he had thought before about possible attacks from animals on the ground, but not birds.

"I've heard owls there, but not seen them," he said.

Barry, who was wearing a hat, said the owl didn't break his skin.

He said he will likely return to the trails at Graue Mill.

"I will risk it again. I'm a glutton for punishment," Barry joked.

In an interview, Brian Kraskiewicz, an ecologist for the DuPage County Forest Preserve District, said he hadn't heard of such an incident in the forest preserves before.

"I don't know why the owl reacted that way. It's pretty uncommon," he said. "I'm glad (Barry) is OK."

Wildlife websites indicate that owls attack when a human accidentally or on purpose approaches an active nest.

December is not nesting season for owls, Kraskiewicz said.