magpie research

UncleFeet

UncleFeet

Likes Dirt
...My 6 yr old and I watched this vid early this morning and laughed like mad...We went for a ride to a notorious swooper's territory, I went first and got a good swooping...the little fella was packing death but I had him ride through next to me and I copped all the avian abuse...what's a maggie going to do to you with a lid on anyway?...you can just tuck your head down and keep your neck protected in case it gets a low blow in (never happened to me but I have heard of a Lithgow Magpie that gan get you low)...We just had a good laugh at the maggie's antics...I reckon any injuries people have had stem from panicked or irrational action when scared by the birds...thinking back I should have taken my helmet off and checked to see if the vid was right...I suspect it isn't...
 
No Judge

No Judge

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Iron_Shano said:
Ive found that whenever i am looking at the magpie it dosent swoop me.
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Yeah, but that usually ends up with me riding into a parked car as I'm too busy looking backwards :eek:

I normally have two single LED lights on my lid, which I suppose look like eyes from above. Which is some deterrent, but there will always be the mental ones which stop at nothing. Unless we kill their baby's then they'll have nothing to defend...
 
H

HAKS

Likes Bikes
UncleFeet said:
.I reckon any injuries people have had stem from panicked or irrational action when scared by the birds...
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Not in my case. Last year had bird came out of nowhere and clawed my ear in the process of swooping. Drew a fair bit of blood.

At the end of the day though every bird will act differently. I've got one on my current training route that as long as you look at it it will stay a good 20m back. Then got another that won't stop at anything, swinging arm doesn't bother it, getting hit doesn't bother it, it just keeps bombing.
 
Ridenparadise

Ridenparadise

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I've had a hole punched through my ear despite a helmet. The good ones are skilled. I actually quite enjoy them, they are a cool bird. Our local maggies don't swoop me, I think cause I chat and whistle to them all year round.

The most skilled I came across was in this huge open area after the sugar cane was cut up near Bargara Qld. The only thing taller than me was the tele poles. He let me get past him before swooping and I couldn't stop laughing cause depite being very accurate the sun was behind me and I just ducked every time his shadow appeared. However, after 5 of these dives he got educated and came in low in stealth mode and got me in the back of the neck. Then he flew up to another pole ahead and sort of just looked down at me and giggled as I passed.
 
UncleFeet

UncleFeet

Likes Dirt
...Went past 4 more swoopers on a training ride today...out on lonely dirt roads...the maggies out there were really only making token passes...the ones in town must have so many targets they are driven to being more aggressive and shifty...still, can't draw any conclusions from such a small sample size...
 
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mitch58

Likes Dirt
Sorry for sort of changing the subject a bit but does anyone hate getting chased by little ankle biting dogs.Just like magpies I know that the dog and maggie cant do much damage to you but I seem to get the legs pumping a bit faster when I'm getting chased.:D
 
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wazzaa

Likes Bikes
Looking at them is definitely the technique. There's a bunch of them around my area and they all back off when you stare them down.
 
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Warwick

Likes Dirt
First swoopage of the season. Quite early, and it was a little half-hearted as maybe the eggs are not laid yet. We eyed each other off, and it took off and flew straight at my eyes!
In conclusion: a beautiful, intelligent amazing bird 10 months of the year.
 
flamshmizer

flamshmizer

Likes Dirt
Theres one on the way to work now, well it only swoops me on the way back becuase its asleep at 5:45 in the morning. its pretty game to. My advice, grab one of the rolled up newspapers on the path, and when the bird comes near just swing in its general direction. Even if you do hit its not going to do any damage.
 
AngoXC

AngoXC

Wheel size expert
elliotdhmcgeary said:
I've found the best way to get rid of them, well, atleast make them less aggressive towards me, it's called a massive backhand punch to its head ... The magpie over the road from me decided to chase me down the hill, whilst i was riding away, i turnt around, had a swing at it, and actually got it :eek:
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Magpies are protected under the Wildlife Act 1975 and there are serious penalties for harassing or injuring native wildlife. Please don't advocate such behavior on a public forum.

There are exceptions however if the bird is particularly aggressive but even then, relocation is preferred.

Not sure about other states but DSE have published a 'Swoop Map', otherwise, inform your local council if you're having issues with Magpies.
 
harmonix1234

harmonix1234

Eats Squid
Every time I ride through Kingston there's this paddock full pf plovers and they go right at you as you slow down for the roundabout. Every Saturday I do that ride and it's always nerve racking even though they only swoop to scare you, it works.

When I used to live in the Gong there was this old magpie that hassled everyone at the top of Crown Street near the servo. I used to have to get off the bike and walk it for about 100 meters and wave my arms like a madman as he swooped me to try and scare him off. If anyone in Wollongong reads this they will know the one I speak of. He has sent many a kid into tears on their way to school.

Oh man, and just the other day, riding to work in the dark at 5:30am and I have a head-on collision with a top-notch pigeon whilst going about 40kph. Right in the chest! I couldn't believe it. TOPNOTCH! BAMMO!
At first I thought I'd been hit in the chest with a tennis ball or something. Scared the crap out of me. I felt kinda bad for the little fella, he was alright though.
 
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pinkbike

Likes Dirt
The don't tend to swoop when you're looking at them - so I got an old jersey that was basically white on the back and drew a big pair of eyes on it with permanent marker. I have not had one swoop me while I've been wearing this, even though I've seen them getting ready to they seem a bit confused once they see the eyes and pull away.

As for them not swooping a bare head as compared to a helmet... each magpie has different views on what is sees as a threat. Some will swoop walkers but not cyclist, some the other way round. I even saw one going full ball dive bombing a postie on a 50cc postie bike on a major road! Anyway the point is, that one magpie in the video obviously has a thing for cyclists but maybe not walkers - so once the helmet was off he didn't swoop. But that probably won't hold true for all magpies as then why would walkers get swooped?
 
Nerf Herder

Nerf Herder

Wheel size expert
I'm sceptical about the bare head ... as a kid my Brother and Sister tricked me into running down a corridor of trees with a swooper ... attacked me.

The one down the street now also doesn't discriminate ... loves a go at walkers especially with dogs.

I reckon turning around and trying to hit it or loock for it is the worse idea ... best way to lose an eye I reckon ... just hoof it and try to flog it off the the next victim ... wah wah wah
 
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burnside97

Likes Dirt
They definatly hate bright helmets. I rode to work yesterday for the first time in sunny spring weather and it was like running the gauntlet. I wasnt sure where i was going to get swooped but i knew it was going to happen. got 300m from work without getting swooped once the 'bam' !! twice in 100m!
They're both on the same only route so im gunna have to put the pedal down when i come to they're tree in future!! little bastards
 
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