I was kayaking last summer and a giant (I MEAN GIANT) swan attacked me. Swans sound like nice birds, but this was serious stuff, an attack by a huge mean wild territorial animal.

I'm sure it weighed 100 pounds and had very, very, very wide wingspan. It came thundering out of the water, whumping its wings on the water - sounded like a monster coming to kill me.

As it was making contact with me, I hit it in the head with my paddle like Babe Ruth must have hit baseballs (I can still imagine the feeling of hitting an animal with a full swing of a kayak paddle). I don't think the swan was really hurt, but the blow took the power out of its attack and it backed off. It charged twice more (whump! whump!) but never attacked again.

You'll see a sign warning about this swan (named Fred) off Highway 27 in East Hampton, NY.