Interactive map tracks Vancouver crow attacks

Vancouver, beware: Peak crow attack season is here An interactive map identifying the most aggressive crows in Vancouver is proving very popular as peak crow attack season begins.

A newly released interactive map pinpoints the location and severity of crow attacks in Vancouver.

The map, developed by two Vancouver college instructors, allows users to read up on local attacks and add their own experiences.

Continuing Studies instructors Rick Davidson and Jim O'Leary launched "CrowTrax" on Wednesday as an example of a system that is part of the curriculum at Langara College.

The map lets bird watchers and ornithophobics check the details and date of each attack that has been plotted on the map.

Reports are ranked on a five-point scale of aggressiveness. For example, an attack ranked "one" occurred Friday morning near Burnaby and Bidwell Streets. The crow "swooped from behind, brushing past my head," the user documented.

Another attack, ranked at a "five" on the scale, reads: "Crow followed my kids around on foot and bit my two-year-old's hand."

That attack occurred yesterday at Templeton Park.

Like a scene from "The Birds," another user said they were attacked by three crows at once while walking behind a Cactus Club on Thursday.

"They remember you," the user wrote.

Another said they had three or four crows try to peck their head at a park in New Westminster.

Victims of crow attacks are asked to document the incidents by clicking the location of the attack on the map. A small orange bird icon will appear in the area, and a pop-up window will ask the user to submit more information, including date, rank and what happened. All entries are anonymous.