Totally Over Magpies

[Nerf Herder]

There was a nice rearward pic of a cyclist getting swooped, in the Saturday SMH ... interestingly the article accompanying it mentions how maggies remember or can differentiate what is harmless vs a perceived threat.

so eg, we've been walking past the nesting tree on our way to swimming with the kids and we don't even hear it ... and then on a crowded afternoon with lots of walkers and park users ... it singles me out and attacks the helmet, whilst I was maching past. pretty cool I reckon.

I still reckon the zip ties are garbage ... I saw a guy with a KoM red polka dot jersey :tape: and fully zipped lid ... getting chased this morning whilst he was riding uphill ... I thought that was pretty funny.

 

[metwonk]

dealing with maggies

Freakin Magpie got me on the morning ride to work through the park down at Blackwattle Bay, this was my 3rd major swoop incident in a week! Only this time i was hit whilst in mid peel of a banana which i was attempting to scoff on the run. The bugger got me on the ear and it was a direct hit, stung like a bitch and drew first blood! I had no choice but to retreat awkwardly, arms flailing, banana still in hand, waiving it like some kind of soft breakfast weapon, to no avail, the bastard of the sky took one last reconnaisance pass and returned to its nest. . .i swear i heard the little prick chirp a giggle. I felt so vulnerable, my lobe hot with the pulse of red reward. There was nothing more to do but limp on in defeat, with the distinct feeling that my entire ear was hanging by a thread.

get off ur bike grsb ur softball bat and go for it.

 

[cruzilla]

Getting Nailed Daily myself. Have the big eyes and that worked for a day, next is cable ties. After that im thinking Helium ballons or an umbrella. In the mornings its not so bad as its down hill but on the way home its up hill so its not as much fun at all. The eyes stopped him completely the first day but today he came back. He did not get as close though and only had 1 attempt so i will run the gauntlet on the way home with no cable ties and see what happens.

 

[carpetrunner]

you guys got nothing...

Last week, 7pm, pitch dark, Lane Cove River National Park,
just before porters creek, a full head on with one of these
(that's a wallaby it has in its beak)



It scared the $hit out of me, I nearly lost it, off into the undergrowth on a roadie at 45kph,
then I thought - poor thing it must have been dazzled by my light, I hope it's alright...

Then, a couple of days later... I saw it coming for me out of the corner of my eye,
I was ready for the hit, not so much a peck, more of a headbutt,
its talons made a hole in a fairly new 3-ring-circus jersey

The only comment from the park rangers was;
"that's strange, never heard of a tawnie doing that before,
maybe you could turning off the light" (at 45kph???)

ttfn, Matthew

 

[harmonix1234]

Last week, 7pm, pitch dark, Lane Cove River National Park,
just before porters creek, a full head on with one of these
(that's a wallaby it has in its beak)

View attachment 211370

It scared the $hit out of me, I nearly lost it, off into the undergrowth on a roadie at 45kph,
then I thought - poor thing it must have been dazzled by my light, I hope it's alright...

Then, a couple of days later... I saw it coming for me out of the corner of my eye,
I was ready for the hit, not so much a peck, more of a headbutt,
its talons made a hole in a fairly new 3-ring-circus jersey

The only comment from the park rangers was;
"that's strange, never heard of a tawnie doing that before,
maybe you could turning off the light" (at 45kph???)

ttfn, Matthew

Holy crap! that's awesome.... and a bit scary.
Does your light have a flashing mode? Maybe try that?

 

[casnell]

Out the other night I was behind a friend and a tawnie swooped right in between us and I thought it was going to go him but it peeled off at the last second.

Scary!

 

[quiggs]

You would get maximum respect for riding down the road in one of these.

We could have our own Aussie Sparticus! maybe we need to employ a motor in the bottom bracket of the bike to get through the magpie danage zone.

 

[harmonix1234]

Holy farkin.
Poor little fella.
Make sure you wear your riding glasses. I know I do.

BOY LOSES SIGHT AFTER VICIOUS MAGPIE ATTACK

http://au.news.yahoo.com/latest/a/-/latest/10315330/boy-hurt-in-magpie-attack
Yahoo!7
September 22, 2011, 9:26 am

A vicious magpie attack has left a four-year-old boy blind in one eye in Toowoomba.

The boy, Seth McInnes, required around-the-clock treatment after the magpie swooped on him while he was riding a pushbike near playground equipment.

His father, Chris, said there had been no trouble with the magpies up until that moment, the Toowoomba Chronicle reported.

"He was riding his bike back towards me and I saw it (a magpie) coming down really fast," Mr McInnes said.

His father rushed to his son's aid when the magpie swooped and hovered near Seth's face.

"His screams didn't shoo it away, it was only when I got over there it left."

"He had a little scratch over his eye.

"But when I looked in his eye it was full of blood."

Chris was told his son would most likely lose all vision in his left eye after he had been rushed to Toowoomba hospital.

"He had to have four stitches in his eyeball," Chris said.

"It hit him right in the centre of his eye."

Chris urged all parents to take extra care, and hopes what happened to Seth would be a cautionary tale during magpie season.

"I knew it was magpie season," he said.

"I didn't know it could be that serious."

 

[cruzilla]

If that was a Dingo it would be destroyed but I bet nothing will be done about it. I think it should be destroyed. An eye for an eye!

 

[eMOJO]

Damn! wonder which park it was... wouldn't be heading there with my kids

Think I'll make the girls wear sunglasses whenever we go to the park from now on.

 

[No Skid Marks]

If that was a Dingo it would be destroyed but I bet nothing will be done about it. I think it should be destroyed. An eye for an eye!

Would you let your kid run about next to a dingo with pups?
"I knew it was magpie season," he said.
He should loose an eye if anyone. Nature is nature, you can't play with a bee and not expect to get stung.
How many people have had eye injuries this year at the hands of other humans? and?

 

[cruzilla]

If it was a dog friendly park and the child was bitten by a dog, is the Father to blame or the dog/dogs owner?

 

[No Skid Marks]

If it was a dog friendly park and the child was bitten by a dog, is the Father to blame or the dog/dogs owner?

IMO Both are to blame. If you can't predict a dog might bite because your that sheltered and in experienced with nature, you ned to get out more, and probably shouldn't have had kids if you thought the world was so safe, and disregarded their safety.
It's nature/natural. Get out into it.

 

[doosh]

This thread is awesome. The centurion helmet, the tawnie eating the 'wallaby'. :biggrin:

Last time I got attacked I was walking out of Uni to get picked up off the main road. Saw a pissed off looking bird come out of a tree about 70 odd metres in front of me, flying at around head height. Didn't think much of it, but as he kept his line and got closer, I saw his angry red eyes, ends of his wings clenched into fists and I'm sure I heard some kind of war-cry.
I hit the deck, then got up and ran, swerving wildly, arms flailing, occasional army rolls, jumps, threw leaves in the air, whooping noises etc the last 200m to safety.

Got out ok. Still have flashbacks. I hope no-one got it on video. I like to run past their trees now with a chainsaw as revenge. I don't cut it down, but I might.

 

[Anarchist]

IMO Both are to blame. If you can't predict a dog might bite because your that sheltered and in experienced with nature, you ned to get out more, and probably shouldn't have had kids if you thought the world was so safe, and disregarded their safety.
It's nature/natural. Get out into it.

It's "natural" to be attacked by animals in suburban areas where you live? I wonder how you would feel if that were you or your kid, who is now blind in one eye? Pretty harsh...

On another note, why do magpies attack cyclists more often rather than walkers/joggers etc. Does the helmet flowing at higher speed make them think the cyclist is a bird (a threat)? It would be an interesting hypothesis to test. Also interesting to note whether black or dark helmets with patterns are attacked more often than white or light coloured helmets.

 

[cruzilla]

Now that the council will be aware of this Maggie, if it harms someone else are they liable for failing to protect people?

 

[harmonix1234]

It's "natural" to be attacked by animals in suburban areas where you live? I wonder how you would feel if that were you or your kid, who is now blind in one eye? Pretty harsh...

On another note, why do magpies attack cyclists more often rather than walkers/joggers etc. Does the helmet flowing at higher speed make them think the cyclist is a bird (a threat)? It would be an interesting hypothesis to test. Also interesting to note whether black or dark helmets with patterns are attacked more often than white or light coloured helmets.

I have wondered the same thing, but they also go for skateboarders.
so maybe it's the wheels, or the whooshing noise, or some high pitched sound made by the bearings we can't hear.
I'd like to know though.

Also, sometimes if you get off and push your bike they will stop, but get back on again and start pedalling and it's death from above. Strange.

 

[Anarchist]

I figured that they see a helmet (or similar) moving at a higher speed and with different motion to "walking human" (no threat) and flip goes the attack switch. Perhaps they perceive the speed and lack of "human" movement tp be a threat. Who knows?? Would be a good study...

 

[No Skid Marks]

It's "natural" to be attacked by animals in suburban areas where you live? I wonder how you would feel if that were you or your kid, who is now blind in one eye? Pretty harsh...

I'd rather my child got to grow up in as natural environment as possible, with all it's pitfalls, dangers and colours. Being attacked by a magpie is great IMO, and something every child that experiences it will have deep in their heart. Such exhilaration in an otherwise fantastical upbringing. An Australian right of passage LOL. Suburban settings without any nature are very depressing.
Yeah it's dud a kid lost his eye, no doubt about it. I'd be pissed at myself as much as the magpie if that was my kid. Children are suffering far greater suffering all around the world at the hands of humans. Far larger fish to fry in the child welfare dept than crying about a fricken bird attack. Hell you can find a sad story to do with anything. I'm sure someone's lost their eye carrying a pencil in an urban area. Do we ban pencils?
Pretty "harsh" to think poorly of an animal protecting it's young IMO.

 

[BM Epic]

I'd rather my child got to grow up in as natural environment as possible, with all it's pitfalls, dangers and colours. Being attacked by a magpie is a beautiful thing IMO, and something every child that experiences it will have deep in their heart. Such exhilaration in an otherwise fantastical upbringing.
I'd be pissed at myself as much as the magpie if that was my kid. Children are suffering far greater suffering all around the world at the hands of humans. Far larger fish to fry in the child welfare dept than crying about a fricken bird attack.
Pretty "harsh" to think poorly of an animal protecting it's young IMO.

I absolutely love the maggies, i feed them bread every morning, get about 15 of them at my feet, then when i go riding up my street, i just use the whistle i use when i feed them and they dont go near me, they just land near where i am riding and give me funny looks, i love getting out and about just like you Rod, the mountains has so much wildlife to see, dangerous or not, they rae to be respected!