SATELLITE BEACH, Fla. — A heads up, literally, for residents in a beach-side Brevard community: An aggressive hawk is going on the attack.

Officials are trying to warn people to keep them safe.

"I could never see what it was, but it gave me a real thump," said Joe Larkin, who was in the backyard of his Desoto Parkway home last week when something popped him in the back of his head.

"I saw it later — it looked like it was guarding its nest," he recalled. "It was going from one tree to another."

Turns out the culprit was a red-tailed hawk, and officials say Larkin is right, the mom is guarding her nest in a tree in his neighbor's front yard.

And city officials say this isn't the only high flying attack of late.

"They are going to do what they will do to protect their nests," said Chief Dave Abernathy of the Satellite Beach Fire Department.

A jogger was running on the sidewalk on Desoto last week was hit by the hawk and ran right to the nearby Satellite Beach Fire Department.

"He had a couple marks on his head," Abernathy said. "Nothing that needed stitches or anything — we just cleaned him up."

Officials recommend using an umbrella or wearing a hat of some type, but...

"We did have report of somebody's hat taken, so..." the chief added.

Meantime Larkin says he is keeping his eye to the sky when doing yardwork or taking out the trash.

Satellite Beach officials are getting warning signs made. They should be up in the area this week.