Oh my goodness!!!!

Poor chickies!!!!! This chicken is safe and sound after a traumatic experience, but I think she's a little "ruffled." I had let the chickies out to hunt for bugs and taken my favorite spot on the deck when all of a sudden I hear squawking and flapping like crazy. I look up and see a bird, a very large bird diving for my babies!!!!! I jumped up and screamed as loud as I could several times and he aborted his mission. The chickens managed to run under two holly trees in the edge of the wooded area of the yard. I was able to call the ones from the front tree to join the ones in the back tree closest to their pen. Well from there they weren't moving at all. Some had hunkered down in shock the others just kept looking at me like what the heck was that. I started coaxing them to me one at a time and carried each one of them to the pen. When it got down to the last five they had more room to get away from me so I fetched the pruners and cut away a couple of smaller branches enough so I could crawl in, yes crawl in to a prickly holly tree. I kept moving them and when I took the next to the last, the last realized she was all alone and started cackling and telling me what she thought. Next thing I know she was "flying" to the pen. Whew!!!! I immediately counted heads (about 10 times) just to make sure they were all present and accounted for. The ones I had carried either "purred" or peeped grateful to be back to safety. Don't think they'll be out again unless I can stay down in the yard with them. Now I need to take some Advil for the sore legs I think I will have in the morning.