New Zealand Journalist Surprised by Seagull While Filming

Jess Tyson, a journalist from New Zealand, experienced quite the shock when a bird unexpectedly flew at her during a news segment. Tyson, who is part of the Whakata Māori channel’s show Te Ao With Moana, shared a clip of the incident recently on social media.

While preparing for another take, a seagull suddenly collided with her face. Thankfully, the bird seemed to be okay and was taken to a nearby corporate office for care.

In one of her photos, Tyson showed a bloody cut on her right eyelid, though she was otherwise uninjured. “POV: Just trying to do my job, but nature has other plans,” she captioned the video.

Discussing the event later on NBC’s “Today” show, Tyson mentioned this was a first for her in her reporting career. “Before the incident, I was concentrating really hard to get my lines right, so it was a huge shock when the bird hit me,” she recalled. It felt, she added, like “a heavy pillow was slamming into my face,” and then she noticed the bleeding.

After receiving treatment, she chose to continue filming. “I didn’t have to, but I wasn’t satisfied with the first take,” she explained.

Tyson expressed relief that her team managed to capture the incident on camera, saying it turned into a memorable story with just a small scar to show for it. “I’m fine now, and I have a small scar to prove it. It’s a funny story,” she concluded.