Teacher Peter Anderson, 57, from Port Carlisle, was fly fishing at Ae near Lochmaben on Sunday when he was set upon by two birds he at first believed to be buzzards.
Peter said: “I got my fly rod set up as usual then I like to sit and look at the water awhile before I begin to fish.
“After I had been fishing for about 20 to 30 minutes I was gently roll casting, trying to tempt a fat trout with my fly, when all of a sudden I felt a ‘whoosh’ and what I thought was a buzzard shot past me at a meteoric speed, almost touching my neck.
“What a shock I got.”
He added: “I watched as the bird flew up into the air and made another pass, this time from the front.
“It was such a strange feeling watching this thing attacking me when I was in the middle of the water with nowhere to go.
“To add to the terror I had to judge when to duck so it didn’t hit me. There were two birds so I didn’t know when one was going to shoot through the trees and attack again.”
After being swiped about ten times by the birds Peter decided it was time to move. He said: “I decided to get tucked into the bank so as not to be seen, yet this proved futile as the birds found me and again began attacking.
“At one stage I had to defend myself with my fly rod.” Peter decided to get out of the water and began walking back towards his van.
He said: “I was pleased the ordeal was over when suddenly I heard the whooshing sound again and a bird swooped literally inches from my neck as it passed.
“Eventually I got back to the van, relieved it was over.”
Upon returning home Peter contacted a local ornithologist and explained the saga, who suggested that it was likely to be a goshawk, not a buzzard, protecting its young.
Peter said: “Although it was scary it was an intimate experience of nature and its wonders.”
