An "orchestrated attack" by two seagulls has left a Dunedin runner avoiding a popular recreational reserve, and another issuing a warning.
On Wednesday afternoon, Tim Hill was running diagonally on the middle of the Oval in central Dunedin when he was attacked by a pair of "screaming" seagulls.
"One came at me from the front and the other from the back.
"It was an orchestrated attack."
The territorial pair, which he said came within inches of him, did not stop their attack until he reached the safety of the footpath, he said.
The experience left him embarrassed, and wanting to avoid the area in the foreseeable future.
Another runner, Steve Skilling, told the Otago Daily Times he had also been attacked by a "renegade pair" at the Oval, and also at the nearby Market Reserve on Princes St.
"People would have thought I was a madman, waving my arms around to protect myself."
Mr Skilling said it waspossible the pair were nesting, and had become territorial of that area, and "it is not nice to be attacked by marauding scavengers".
"It is only a matter of time before someone gets hurt."
Mr Skilling said territorial birds were just another hazard for runners, along with dogs and motorists, and it served as a reminder for people not to run while listening to music as "you need to be aware of what's going on".
A Dunedin City Council spokesman said the council had yet to receive a complaint about the birds.
