A Strathmore, Alta., man is recovering from an unsettling wildlife encounter during a recent jog in Calgary.

Peter Laycock was jogging along a popular running path near the Alberta Children's Hospital when he was attacked by a hawk this week.

"[When] I got in the car and my hands were covered in blood and my shirt was all covered in blood," he said. "I got home and my poor wife thought I'd been shot."

Peter Laycock received minor injuries in a hawk attack in northwest Calgary. (CBC)

In the end, Laycock did not need stitches in the rare attack.

Nicola Murphy at the Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society says the bird was likely a protective mother.

She says people should try to be aware of nesting areas and avoid them.