AUGUSTA — A bird of prey aggressively protecting its nest has prompted the closure of two trails at Bond Brook Recreation Area after it attacked a trail runner and sank its talons into his head.

The runner, according to a social media post, suffered multiple scratches on his head and went to urgent care to have the scratches cleaned out and sanitized, but was otherwise OK.

The same goshawk is believed to have previously nested and acted aggressively toward people in years past in the same area of the city-owned recreation area with a network of trails for hiking, running and biking.

“They’re known as being super territorial on the nest, to the point they don’t care who is coming in, they’re going to be pretty aggressive about it,” Doug Hitchcox, staff naturalist for Maine Audubon, said. “There is not much in the Maine woods I’m afraid of. I’m afraid of a mother moose (with her baby), and a goshawk on a nest. It’s two pounds of fury coming at you.”

Goshawks tend to be around 22 inches long and have a wingspan of more than 40 inches, according to experts.

The Western Way and Northern Exposure trails, two of the many trails that cross the 300-acre recreation area, were closed earlier this month to protect both the nesting pair of birds and their young and people using the trails.

Chris Riley, president of Augusta Trails, which spearheaded development of the trails, said this isn’t the first time someone has been dive-bombed by a goshawk at the recreation area. He said three or four years ago the trails were also temporarily shut down after someone reported a raptor attack there.

“There are signs at the top and bottom of the trail, warning it’s closed,” Riley said.

If people decide to use the closed trail, he said they risk finding out that an aggressive bird is ready to defend the territory around its nest.

“This bird has been coming here for a few years, at least,” Riley said. “It comes back for nesting season, which is not very long, then it’s gone once the birds fledge.”

The trails aren’t gated or roped off, he said, because if they were people would probably just take them down, anyway.

Hitchcox figures the birds probably have less than a month remaining on the nest before their young take flight.

Once that happens, Riley said those two trails will reopen. He said the trails make up about 10% of the miles of trails in the recreation area, and there are ways to get around the closed-off areas and still bike, hike and run the trails.

He said the goshawk seems to be more of a threat to runners than to cyclists. Mountain bikers, who generally wear helmets and travel at faster speeds, don’t seem to be as at risk as runners or hikers, he said. But he hopes all will stay away from the nest, which is believed to be somewhere near those two trails, for their own safety and that of the birds.

Earl Kingsbury, community services director for the city, said the trails were closed on Riley’s recommendation.

Hitchcox said that was a wise decision.

Goshawks are the only exception to Audubon rules for people reporting on nesting birds. Normally to confirm that birds are indeed nesting, people need to see the nest to make it official, he said. Because they are such fearless menaces while nesting, goshawks only have to be observed acting in a territorial manner to be confirmed as nesting. That kind of behavior generally includes them issuing a foreboding-sounding warning of “Cak! Cak! Cak!” when disturbed.

He said closing the trail gives the birds the space they need. He noted birds, even raptors, generally don’t want to get physical with a person, because they are so light and fragile any contact could injure them as well as the being they’re attacking.

Usually, Hitchcox said, the female goshawk stays at the nest and the male finds food and delivers it. Females tend to be bigger than males. The oldest known goshawk was more than 17 years old.