Totally Over Magpies

[MasterOfReality]

I have a family of them that hang around my back yard. Couple of young ones as well, not quite black and white yet.

They give me no troubles, they just park themselves on the fence or lawn whilst I am mowing, and they just casually move themselves out of the way when I approach and then resume position when I head the other way. I feed them sometimes as well.

However, the other day I drove out of my street and I saw something incoming low. This maggie just went full steam into my side mirror with enough force to bend it back towards the door.

Maggie didn't live to see the end of the day

 

[alchemist]

Magpie Map

 

[harmonix1234]

And here's a map for Vic. Check it out! Go little fellas! hahaha

http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/dse/nrenp...56C2100166A833882F6D25A5CBF6CCA256C290005F61B

They even have a swooping hotline and a 'Swoop Off Kit' with downloadable eyes to stick on your helmet

Have you been swooped?
To add a swooping location, send us a message detailing where the birds are swooping and we'll add it to the map.

Call: 136 186
Email: swoop.vic@dse.vic.gov.au
Twitter: Send a tweet to @dse_vic or @leaderonline with the location details and #swoopvic
Send in your photographs of swooping birds for us to add to our Swoop Flickr gallery. Email: swoop.vic@dse.vic.gov.au

Swoop off kit below. The eyes makes me giggle.

http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/DSE/nrenp...5777D000F28003882F6D25A5CBF6CCA256C290005F61B

 

[jp4294]

First time the thing chased me for like 500m until i went under a covered area and I have since learned to just take my helmet off and they normally stop but i suppose you dont want to be riding too far without a helmet. Also, riding in a group normally keeps them away.

 

[Norco Maniac]

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

round here we just have feral deer and brumbies try to take you out on the creek tracks. oh and the occasional fox, carpet snake or bird-eating spider.

 

[BM Epic]

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?

I live in the blue mountains and have never ever been swooped in the bush, far too much competition in the bush re: kookaburra, the ultimate meat shredding beak!!!!, also little wren's that are ultra aggressive and only as big as a mouse!

 

[Ultra Lord]

round here we just have feral deer and brumbies try to take you out on the creek tracks. oh and the occasional fox, carpet snake or bird-eating spider.

Damn bird-eating spiders...... them bastards are scary.

The worst thing I've had happen is I got bitten by a fox when out spot lighting with my old man. He shot it, told me to got get it, it looked dead so I kicked it a little to make shure and BAM! The little bastard bit me on the foot.

 

[U.D.O]

Magpie Map

Hahaha. This shouldn't be funny, but I actually saw one of the reported attacks on that map, but in St Kilda - Melbourne, happening on the way home from picking up my new DH frame.
Maggie just kept swooping at this women on the footpath riding her bike. How i know this, as it's a BV map map I believe it said, and only a BV member would wear fluro yellow wind breakers.

 

[Riding Hoares]

me and my mate where walking our bikes home ( i had stupidly ridden up a set of stairs and got a puncture) we took a short cut through a park and found our selves in swooping territory, we started talking and forgot to look out for them and out of no where one came swooping down at my friend but left me alone. i didnt have a helmet on but he did. i dont know what it is with them and helmets but they dont seem to swoop me when i take my helmet off.

 

[Nerf Herder]

Local Maggie was previously only attacking helmets or those unwary walkers that got a little too close to the nesting tree ... however, a few teens took to provoking a swoopfest yesterday ... and really got the puppy angry.

Now he/she ?? is swooping everybody he sees.

He has a pretty commanding perch which covers two soccer pitches and the "hill of death" leading to the local pool which shite loads of people previously used ... pretty much a dead zone now

The best bit is that there are a couple of electricity workers out today ... in cherry pickers ... they're taking a hammering, although he is slowing down a little now and letting them work.

must be near the end of season soon.

 

[BIG RUSTY]

The method I use to keep swooping maggies away is to put my sunnies on the back of my helmet.

Most maggies will not swoop you if you are looking at them only swooping when you have your back to them.

If you notice most attacks happen from behind or the side.

this method workrd for me the other day when out riding

and worked for me last season when I was commuting to work and getting hit in the head everyday by an aggro bird.

 

[akashra]

It baffles me that local councils think the general public should have to put up with these pests - especially in areas where infrastructure (such as bike paths) have been there for 20+ years, yet a magpie comes along one year and we're expected to put up with it and change our own behavior.

If someone let a rottweiler loose in an area frequented by passing cyclists, I doubt they'd have the same sympathy.

Interestingly, in South Australia it's not illegal to kill a magpie that attacks a person . Can we Victorians, therefore, drag it across the border?

I have to pass five magpie nests on my commute to work, so it's barely something to laugh about anymore - it's quite seriously dangerous.

 

[casnell]

First swoop of the season today at the Youies, Stockyards near the picnic shelter.

 

[Mr Kurt]

I got swooped on the tuesday of two weeks ago. It was very un-expected, ive never been swooped that early before haha

Edit, regarding Nerf's post: There are about 4 living in my backyard! But they didn't attack me last season haha finger crossed

 

[Nerf Herder]

was thinking about this thread today ... we have two sets of maggies covering about 300 to 400m of park ... its gonna be interesting getting through that patch of ground. Although I think its last seasons family so not sure if the younglings start breeding the very next season ...

They've been eye'ing us but seem friendly still. Kids are alert to spring coming though :single_eye: so last year was embedded in their memory irate:

 

[No Skid Marks]

It baffles me that local councils think the general public should have to put up with these pests - especially in areas where infrastructure (such as bike paths) have been there for 20+ years, yet a magpie comes along one year and we're expected to put up with it and change our own behavior.

If someone let a rottweiler loose in an area frequented by passing cyclists, I doubt they'd have the same sympathy.

Interestingly, in South Australia it's not illegal to kill a magpie that attacks a person . Can we Victorians, therefore, drag it across the border?

I have to pass five magpie nests on my commute to work, so it's barely something to laugh about anymore - it's quite seriously dangerous.

Harden up ya winger.
LOL, just realized it's a year old comment.

 

[Warwick]

First swoop of the season today at the Youies, Stockyards near the picnic shelter.

Yeah, but it was MY HEAD they were after, not yours!

 

[Nerf Herder]

Yeah, but it was MY HEAD they were after, not yours!

prolly why he posted ... always funnier when its not your own head

 

[Comic Book Guy]

Got massively attacked the other day.

Riding around C'town and I turned off Blaxland Rd onto Badgally Rd. Not far up Badgally Rd is a known Magpie location. Don't know what I did but the Magpie decided to really have a go at me today. Normally Magpies will swoop till you get away from their nesting site. Not today, this Magpie followed me along Badgally Rd and around the roundabout onto North Steyne Rd. After being swooped 10+ times I eventually had to stop not far from Cronulla Crs get off my bicycle and physically chase the Magpie away. What a trip.

Cheers,
CBG.

 

[flamin'trek]

It baffles me that local councils think the general public should have to put up with these pests - especially in areas where infrastructure (such as bike paths) have been there for 20+ years, yet a magpie comes along one year and we're expected to put up with it and change our own behavior.

If someone let a rottweiler loose in an area frequented by passing cyclists, I doubt they'd have the same sympathy.

Interestingly, in South Australia it's not illegal to kill a magpie that attacks a person . Can we Victorians, therefore, drag it across the border?

I have to pass five magpie nests on my commute to work, so it's barely something to laugh about anymore - it's quite seriously dangerous.

Seriously? Its one of the perils of native australian wildlife. Yes they are a bast@@d but it's only a few months of the year and you shoud be wearing a helmet anyway. I hate spiders s should the council clear all the webs across the tracks for me? Maybe we shoud organise a sign out the front of everyones door that says "it's dangerous out there" that should cover everyone.