The Birds

So I run in a rural area.  I figure a little wildlife comes with the territory. I get that.  But nothing prepared me for a role in a revival of Hitchcock's The Birds last week.  I was trotting along comfortably enjoying the morning when a bird swooped low over my head.  I figured it was just flying low and it didn't bother me until it came back even lower.  I watched as it circled around and started diving towards me again. This time I noticed talons and a very sharp beak as it was headed for me.  Determined not to lose an eyeball, I shouted at it hoping to scare it away.  It worked only temporarily as the hawk circled again for another pass.   By this time, I'm shouting and waving my arms and looking like a complete lunatic, but I managed to run beyond whatever the hawk was protecting.
Eventually, my breathing and pace returned to normal, and I was feeling more confident, albeit confused about what inspired the attack.  Unfortunately, the only way home was to turn around and go back the way I came, so I was hoping the bird would find better things to do than harrass me by the time I got back. From the point I turned around, I was scanning ahead, hoping not to see the big hawk in the sky.  This would have been easier had not a sparrow decided to dive bomb me as well. His attack was not as persistent as the hawk, but by this point, I was getting a little jumpy.  Any bird that took flight when I passed was a potential threat.  I didn't see the hawk again until I was right next to the field where it started circling.  Did I look like carrion? It wasn't that long of a run.... My plan was to outrun it while screaming and waving arms.  Crazy, but what else could I do? He dove at me again, but pulled up when I turned on the maniac routine, so it worked.  I was half-panicked, half-laughing at the ridiculousness of it all, once I was a safe distance past.   I only hope no one I know saw me that day. 
After some reflection, I think the birds must have been protecting unseen nests nearby my route, so credit the defensive mama birds.  But I am a little less trusting of birds these days.  Sure, they look innocent enough, but I've seen the movie.