The big bird then pecked at the phone a few times, then flew off with the device, which hasn't been seen since and was probably dumped in the ocean, according to the victim, Lt. Andres Ayure.
"That was my 'welcome to Dutch Harbor' story," said Ayure, supervisor of the Marine Safety Detachment in Unalaska, who'd only arrived three days earlier. Three days later, on a Saturday, he decided to enjoy his day off by hiking Ballyhoo Mountain and climbed to the top of the 1,634-foot peak, which overlooks the airport.
The hike to the top was pleasant enough, and Ayure saw other people as he climbed. He was wearing shorts and an American Eagle-brand hooded sweatshirt. When he was about a quarter-way down, an eagle swooped him three times, only missing him because he managed to duck, but made contact on the fourth attack.
"It got close enough to hook me on my hoodie," said Ayure, displaying the sweatshirt with a hole in the hood. The eagle made about another six attempted attacks as he fled down the mountain. About halfway down, the attacks stopped when the bird grabbed the cellphone that had fallen from his pocket. Ayure, though didn't stop running until he reached the bottom.
"It was crazy," said Ayure, who arrived in Alaska from the San Francisco area. The next day, Ayure and two other Coast Guardsmen returned to search unsuccessfully for the cellphone, holding up hiking poles to appear larger and discourage aggressive eagles. Fortunately, there were no further attacks.
"I'm definitely keeping an eye on them when I go out now," Ayure said.
The Coast Guard cellphone recovery party was seen by local resident Andy McCracken, who said another hiker that day reported eagle harassment on the mountain. And he personally witnessed an eagle briefly participating in a local treasure hunt, when the bird opened a container containing a sign-in sheet on the mountain top, grabbed the paper, flew a short distance, and dropped it.
McCracken said he returned the paper to its cache box, among 10 around town in the Geo Adventure Challenge, sponsored by the Unalaska Department of Parks, Culture and Recreation. And at the start of Saturday's Ballyhoo Run, racers were advised to watch out for the birds, though no eagle encounters were reported to PCR, which sponsored the race up and down the mountain.
Hundreds of eagles live in Unalaska/Dutch Harbor, the nation's busiest fishing port, an artificially high population. Hundreds gather around trash bins, perch on street lights and crab pots, fly dangerously close to oncoming vehicles, and every year around this time, claw peoples' heads. Warning signs are posted annually near known attack sites, including across from city hall, and the Dutch Harbor Post Office.
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