Totally Over Magpies

harmonix1234

Eats Squid
I'd be lying if i claimed to be brave enough for round 2 with the Black & White Evil. The thought had crossed my mind of capturing the next incident on camera, but phone in one hand, banana in the other tends to render one vulnerable to the worst kind of attack. Needless to say, i took the long route around yesterdays crime scene, with the images of pure fear still fresh in my mind.
To my horror, Manly was to be the setting for the next round of Swoop-fest 2010, this time it was just plain terrifying.
Straight out of the sun came the Kamikaze assault, this time from the left with enough impact to knock the visor clean off my helmet. With no time to react, i swerved violently toward the footpath, this time i was at speed and surrounded by morning traffic. A nervous backward glance revealing my flimsy helmet accessory being trampled by oncoming cars. . . Adrenaline pumping, i ducked under a shop awning in search of cover. Left cheek severed and smarting with the sting of a ripe beak-laceration, i knew i had to go back for my visor. I could see the little bitch
already perched back atop the electricity cable
overhead, scanning murderously for more action. I had no choice but to sneak out into traffic to retrieve my half squashed visor, all the while keeping an eye on old Magpie Hitchcock up above. Feeling completely defeated for the second day in a row, i made the mistake of thinking i was in the clear, remounting my bike i copped another peck just a mere centimetre from the last! With no other option but to mount my steed and peddle for my life, familiar flailing action, defeated, dejected, bleeding. Make no mistake, the Magpies own the sky this Spring... Be afraid.
Faaaarrk! That sounds hellish!
 

droctagon

Likes Dirt
It was crazy getting attacked two days in a row, and both times direct hits before i could even react! and they both drew blood!
But i have to say, it makes for a good story to tell people. At the end of the day, i was fine, but it just made me show more respect to such a great bird, They are fearless, and extremely accurate. Its only a couple of weeks out of the year that they are a bit of a pain in the ass so i can live with it. I think i was just unlucky this season, or they took a particular disdain for my chum bucket red karate monkey....that or the shiny silver ayups on my helmet provoked an attack! i took to turning my ayups backward so they would look like eyes? but i haven't been hit since.
I have to say, it aint fun when your the target, but watching somebody get attacked from a safe distance is hilarious.
 

BM Epic

Eats Squid
The thing is with magpies, at all other times of the year they are vulnerable to miner and currawong attacks, they get picked on mercilessly, until they start nesting, then revenge comes swiftly!
 

Delmar

Likes Dirt
I have to say funny thread. I also have full respect for the mad buggers: 300gm bird takes all comers in defense of young, without fear of consequences. You've gotta pay that and it is funny (til someone loses an eye...):)
 

harmonix1234

Eats Squid
The thing is with magpies, at all other times of the year they are vulnerable to miner and currawong attacks, they get picked on mercilessly, until they start nesting, then revenge comes swiftly!
Damn straight. In Wollongong I saw a magpie take on a Wedge tailed eagle and it chased the Eagle right outta there. That's gotta take some balls.
 

RMS116

Likes Dirt
Yeah I've seen the same thing out at the grandparents house. About 5 of them just flew over 100m straight up into the sky and started attcking these 2 eagles.
I got chased by the same magpie 3 times in the 1 day last week. It just comes out of no where and every time I turned my head at the same time this thing would be flying towards me only meters away. The last time it swooped me it landed in a tree about 7ft of the ground and I was so tempted to get back at it but I thought I'd be a bigger person than that hahahahahaha
 

Lard

Likes Dirt
How about lights pointing backwards? A magicshine pointed back at them might do the trick, although you'd also blind any drivers behind you :)
 

Nerf Herder

Wheel size expert
"great" read droctagon ... presuming this was at the park at the end of Glebe point road ... I'm gonna keep way away from there ... I think you had one of those common Vampire Maggies

Just to re-live the pleasures of spring
 

Wisey

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Consider yourselves lucky, how's this for a story.

A lad I know was riding a newly sealed piece of road in between Falls Creek and Omeo up in the mountains late last summer, after arriving at Falls, sipping a nice latte and a rest they proceeded to head back down. Not long down the road but completely in the middle of nowhere, he noticed a shadow from above sort of following him down the road, thinking it must have been a plane he lost interest, 30 sec later, BANG, a rather large bird had stuck it's tallons into his back and was trying to fly away with him, after a few moments it realised it needed a better grip, let go and grabbed onto his helmet and once again tried to take of. With him freaking out and sceaming at the top of his lungs and basically jumping of his bike the bird casually let go and dropped 3 meters in front of him on the road and started to give him the stare down. Now, this wasn't a magpie, it was a massive Wedge Tailed Eagle looking for it's next feed, it stood nearly 3ft tall on the road and refused to back down. Awesome bird.

Needless to say he shat himself, threw his bike at the bird which didn't seem to fazed by it all, once he calmed slightly, he grabbed his bike and pedaled away as quickly as possible with any further incident, still alive, with an amazing tale. He did suffer some semi serious wounds to his back and some damage to his helmet.
 

g-fish

Likes Bikes and Dirt
"great" read droctagon ... presuming this was at the park at the end of Glebe point road ... I'm gonna keep way away from there ... I think you had one of those common Vampire Maggies
The one there is an angry bugger! Been swooped pretty much everyday for the past 2 weeks. Good fun sitting around and watching other people get swooped though! Joggers are the best - flapping their arms around like a.. magpie.
 

droctagon

Likes Dirt
"great" read droctagon ... presuming this was at the park at the end of Glebe point road ... I'm gonna keep way away from there ... I think you had one of those common Vampire Maggies

Just to re-live the pleasures of spring
You would presume correctly Nerf Herder! it was around the giant fig tree just after the light rail bridge. I havent had the nerve to ride under there for quite a few days now!
It seems to be calming down now though, and the scars are healing ...maybe not the emotional scars but the physical ones have scabbed up!
 

Mental Anarchist

Cannon Fodder
A 12 year old boy in Ipswich was killed last month when a Magpie swooped him and he swerved out onto the road and got hit by a car.

Must admit I have made some similarly dangerous moves trying to avoid the second hit because you never see the first one coming.
 

flamin'trek

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Went the long way to work this morn, along a power line easement in some bushland. After reading this thread, and having had encounters before, was quite nervous riding through a group of about 20 magpies. Fortunately no incident.

Has anyone been bombed while out in the bush or is it an urban thing?
 

downhillar

Likes Dirt
walking back to my car the other day i got swooped twice by this little thing:



the little bastard brushed straight across the top of my head, had a 2nd go, and then on the 3rd go i swung at him/her with my bag and he/she made a quick retreat.

they swoop because they feel like we're a threat to their nest, is that right?
well we wouldn't even know the nest was there if the silly things weren't flying around at our faces! :p
 

Arete

Likes Dirt
they swoop because they feel like we're a threat to their nest, is that right?
well we wouldn't even know the nest was there if the silly things weren't flying around at our faces! :p
Yep.

But it's a very effective strategy in suburbia - as can be attested to by their prevalence there.

If you are a pet cat who thnks a magpie/myna chick would be tasty, a swooping maggie is likely to be enough to put you off climbing up that tree.

Walking to work today I got belted in the head by a peewee. bugger flew off with a tuft of my hair in its beak and I felt embarased to have been smacked down by a bird caled a peewee.
 

Cypher

Likes Dirt
bwahahaha! I warned my partner about riding at Mt Annan. But heedless, he went for a ride anyway (those magpie warnings were apparently not for him).

He called me up a short time ago. There are two magpies that work the circuit and they harrassed him for half the track. I think he might have PTSD.

He is now retiring to cower under the bed until the magpies go back to normal. I'll miss seeing him.
 
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Ultra Lord

Hurts. Requires Money. And is nerdy.
Holy shit.

"So how was ur day honey?"

"yeah not too bad, just had a fucking bird try and drag me off the cliff I was climbing".

Fuck that
 
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