Wrong! One of the numerous unexpected findings of research I’ve been a part of was the extent to which those magpies that are aggressive specialise on particular groups of people. Tomorrow I am likely to add more hotspots on our bike ride. I’ve only every been swooped once, luckily I had a helmet on. While alarming, it is usually just a warning, an attempt defend its family. By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use and Magpies do not remember faces-if that were true then they wouldn’t attack the first time round as they could not remember a face they’ve never seen before. Tim. Maggies like some mince with a bit of added calcium. That way cyclists and other members of the public can avoid troublesome birds! I gave you an up vote but I just want you to know that is soo wrong…….yet if I had a shotgun…….. i gave you a down vote as I just want you to know that is soo wrong……. Baron von Magpie. Maggies like some mince with a bit of added calcium. The problem is, looking backwards while riding the bike away isn’t exactly a safe thing to do either. Just kidding. NOT SO FUNNY NOW, FELLAS.). I am over in Gladstone from Singapore on business and brought my bike over, didn’t have any warning about these flying Angels of death. One trick that has worked for me in the past is to “stare them down”. For example, in a Brisbane study, the birds targeted either pedestrians only (about 50 per cent), posties only (10 per cent) or cyclists only (10 per cent) with remarkably few being less catholic in their preferences. So what is going on with these otherwise favourite Aussie icons? “HA! Helmets with cable ties, or a flag on your bike, can also help deter magpies. Every year, many thousands of people are swooped, some are slightly injured and a few seriously (especially cyclists) — and a very small number may lose an eye. He missed. 2 Through a process with absolutely no scientific process or rigour whatsoever. (I will say that that article had one thing right: a family of magpies on your property is very unlikely to swoop. Who the flamin' heck is really going to go all Mad Max on some poor little magpies. And if the ignominy of wearing Zip Ties is too much to bear, simply have a riding-alone zip tie helmet, and a riding-with-others helmet you can wear when you ride to the coffee shop on your 80mm carbon tubulars in your magnificent Rapha kit. Human food is not natural for magpies and can make them sick. Ive been swooped hundreds ofs times so I know what Im talking about. We have a massive over-population of the pest in this area. An inventor has engineered a series of helmet attachments to test the best ways to stop magpies from swooping. Yep thats right. There is a pair that have raised chicks here for 6 years and because we feed them occasionally (they like mince) they have never attached anyone walking down the street. In the evening, the shadows were long and I could see its shadow approaching my head. As a public service, I would like to highlight some of the egregious, perilous and downright irresponsible reporting you may come across regarding this matter. Ipso facto? Some swoop for many months of the year. I moved into a rental prop house October last year and there was a tree full of about 4 baby magpies and 3 adults The best way to stop magpies from swooping is education. Ican avoid some sites, and for a few weeks take a break from riding the bike, but as cycling is my sport, I need to train and ride regularly and it is not unreasonable to expect to be able to for most of the year without my safety being put at risk by these pests because it seems no one in authority is willing to address the problem. Magpies are known for their aggressive behaviour during their nesting season - which, according to reports, has come early. Now they wouldnt let us pat them, but they never attacked us. If only they relayed this fact to Magpie Bomber Command. There are about a hundred or more swoop sites in the town where I live and the authorities won’t do a darn thing. I know they are the original birds because they almost feed out of my hand and follow me up the steps when I am heading for food. I welcome anyone to approach me directly with any questions regarding the magpies. Some swoop sites are less than 400m apart. The swooping attacks of protective magpies has led to the creation of a a website designed to track and record attacks Australia-wide. we have butcher birds that fly and attack the magpies! I left town because of him (Not really, I left for other reasons, but I don’t miss the tourment at all). The native mynahs are worse at our place. Last year I nearly hit a car as I was swerving into the road…. I guess it falls in the same category as the eyes on the back of the helmet. Magpies are intelligent birds and full of character. If you must enter a ‘defence zone’, magpies will be less likely to swoop if they are watched constantly, or if … Raw meat – can expose them to parasitic disease Toxoplasma gondii, which is potentially fatal. There are other places for Magpies to nest. hi I think it is a bit of fun some just clip your helmet ,others just hit it hard but I personally have no fear for my safety it is mainly harmless. I got attacked by a magpie today and injured my ear. Apart from the initial surprise hit put the head down, laugh and it’s a sprint. Magpies don’t generally swoop at night because they are not active and cannot see as well. "There's a little section in Campbell where I can without exaggeration be surrounded by 30 birds," he said. Teach kids not to throw things or try to hit magpies, try holding up an umbrella, or a stick/pole with crepe paper ribbons attached to the top (tried it, it works, they will sit in a tree and watch but not swoop). Magpies swoop to protect their territory when they feel their nests are threatened during nesting season, but this action can result in skin and eye injuries. The umbrella sounds like a good idea! These affiliate links provide me a small commission (2-4%) on each sale and they don’t cost you a cent extra. I’m thinking a schematic diagram of a helmet with notional placement would be ideal. Not only is bird feeding bad for their health, Maguire says magpies can become territorial around people and other bird species when regularly encouraged into a garden with food. I will be back again in November for APLNG so my wee feathered friends won’t have to miss me for too long! I just usually ignore them,and just speed up a bit while not looking for the bird,usually attack from behind out of the sun. They nest in the tree out front of the house and attack you as soon as you walk out the front door! They’ll still hover over you until you get away from their little patch, but so far none of them have had a go. Any advice for the dropbear season? Just make sure they have a bad regular season then they won’t show up in September… oh wait the animal not the footy team yeah i just send my cat after them, I am more scared of those Masked Lapwings in Tassie they are ferocious things that have swooped me on more than 10 occasions. If you stop in place, it could give the bird a chance to … They will come and take food from our hands. Otherwise, any method that may negate contact with the head is worth trying: sticks, hats, helmets and umbrellas. My view is that some non-aggressive swooping has to be tolerated, but as a cyclist getting swooped ten or more times in a 20-40k ride here is the norm, not the exception. … Or possibly, @brodiek was being, you know … ironic? The idea of having mince pinned to my jersey is pretty funny. Don’t let them target you. Timbo, where in the Northern Rivers? Having proved to himself his proficiency at the task means he is all the more likely to try again next time. I live in Magpie Hell. Usually will get two strikes and then you are out of range. Aerial bombardment is coordinated through Magpie Central Bomber Command from around June, although single unauthorised kamikaze attacks can occur anytime in my area. I’ve been harassed by a Maggie for the last two years on the way to work around spring time. Yes, I know that such behaviour will lead directly to disease, dependence and end of civilisation, but sometimes pragmatism wins. Swooping Magpies; Magpie Mp3’s; Newsletter; Resources; Contact; 3 Aug 2018. Ive never been swooped by a magpie in my life. No I cannot avoid them, it is the rail trail. If I keep doing it then that 10% strain will die out…. Magpies attack Helmets, cause they Helmets freak them out. 1. For the rest of the year, people are completely safe from swooping Magpies! We feed our local magpies; not on bread of course. EVERYTHING you could conceivably need to know about cycling in France. Had one near the front of my uni and i just had to keep looking at him for a good 200 meters. Also the number of zip ties and placement would be nice to know. Australian magpies are notorious for a habit that can cause injury and distress to humans - swooping. 2. comprehensive in interests, tastes, etc. If I were you guys, I would just post this every two months or so… Because that doesn’t smack at all of Today/Tonight’s “journalistic” practices…. FINALLY PEACE OF MIND FROM ANGRY MAGPIE ATTACKS!! So we as humans don’t turn a normal bird into a swooping magpie in the first place. We feed our local magpies; not on bread of course. colour trigger — they just hate orange/yellow/purple. Finally, an unconventional — and controversial — approach should be mentioned, simply because, in the right circumstances, it really does work. So, what, are they knocking you off your bike? In some gardens bigger birds like pigeons, magpies, jackdaws and crows can quickly eat all your bird food, before the smaller birds have had a proper chance to feed. its like the butcher birds protect us as we walk!! Brilliant mate! a very busy street They stopped swooping people and dogs. As a regular cyclist there are no alternative swoop free routes to use in this area at peak swooping season…which lasts 4 plus months here. }. But yes this is correct, when spelled with a lowercase ‘c’ the word “catholic” is an adjective and means “universal”. A natural diet for these birds consists of insects and small animals such as lizards and mice. Some of us enjoy all types of birds and other wildlife visiting our garden or local patch. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1895402801/swoop-away-helmet-brim-for-swooping-birds-and-sun, Open your eyes you pinheads dont get the magpies and other birds ticked off at you for being careless. If they don’t feel threatened they won’t swoop. One of them pokes his head into the kitchen to wait for his food. Once the chicks leave the nest, magpies will stop swooping. With more and more of us choosing to feed our local garden birds, there are more and more pests stumbling upon our patches and making their presence known! Nor do you need to sacrifice a pair of sunnies, placing them in the rear defensive position as a token rear gunner fending off attacked. They had to be quick as the magpies don’t like sharing food. I tried the same approach. Cycling travel tips, resources and product reviews. But turned faster than a spitfire and got me from the rear,and then lost interest. - by Shahbaz Malik 21 Aug 2017 Spring may be beautiful but the warm change comes with a downside: Magpies. You could also try a biohazard suit, a full head gas helmet, or an astronaut helmet would also work well. Why you shouldn't feed magpies. Wrong! Magpie attacks aren't as common as you (and the media) might think. There is a lot to love about these distinctive Australian birds. When Im digging things up theyre following closely behind pecking through the dirt. The Australian Academy of Science says only one in 20 male magpies will swoop to protect their incubating mates, and eight out of ten people in magpie territory will never get swooped. Amazon will send some loose change our way if you buy through this link. I never once thought that taking my helmet off would work as a form of dissuasion. 1 Or at least it has been for a few months in my area. Every year people are blinded by magpies, generally children who look over their shoulders as they are attacked. At least Life Hacker knows what a Magpie looks like! festooning ones bike helmet with a forest of spikes or rear-facing eyes, as demonstrated (unsuccessfully!) Nope, for a few bucks, you can safely and effectively discourage attacks these birds, who, by the way, have one of the most wonderful native Australian bird calls after probably the whip bird, bower bird, butcher bird, kookaburra, and the very prolific Peroni bird (“hooooo! You will see them in videos going straight for the helmet. Magpie Alert by Daryl Jones. Or take the advice in this song I wrote after being swooped by a Magpie. The pattern I have installed these in is proven* to repel 99% of magpies. Magpies only swoop within 50 metres of their nests so stay away from known magpie nesting areas. The other 1% of the magpie population is an entirely unrational bird who has a nasty kamikaze streak and will risk harming himself by attacking a Zip Tie Installation just to inflict injury. There are so many theories on how to prevent it from happening (e.g. Remember magpies are urban species too, so there is generally no escaping them! In some cases on a 5k ride you can swooped 6-10 times. Well it might be useful if you're a council officer fanging around in your council Triton or Hilux, but for those who exercise on certain routes (for good reason) or commute a certain way, well that is next to useless. If you enjoy backyard visits from rosellas, rainbow lorikeets and parrots, it’s not a good idea to encourage the local magpies. A bit of rat poison mixed in and the attacks ceased completely. If you befriend the magpies around your house/street by feeding them during the year, they will remember you and wont swoop you during swooping season. Magpies are the most notorious swoopers. To stop the swooping, the best thing to do is to get off and walk rather than ride past them. If a magpie swoops you turn and face it. If i did that, he just left me alone. Also, magpies usually go back to the same spot every year, so if there was a swooping danger zone … Wear a bike helmet – still get swooped. 8 months of the year. Swoop Away is an Australian designed brim specifically for use with bicycle swoop. That often will divert the magpie away. To easily identify swooping birds, see our list of common swooping birds, or check out our Flickr gallery. about 4 months ago the babies (now young adults) and one adult relocated. Additionally, acting threatening toward their young will only increase swooping and magpies can remember individual human behavior. https://itunes.apple.com/tr/app/swoopers/id579212687?mt=8. ‘Beak rot’ can also be a complication to magpies that are fed mushy meat. I make a point of riding past a RAVEN-MAD (pun intended) kamikazi bird’s location at the end of a training session – he teaches me bike handling skills, improves my sprinting ability and always seems to come from a different direction. }. Just be thankful that only around 5% of magpies attack humans otherwise the carnage inflicted in Hitchcock’s “The Birds” would look pretty lame in comparison. Tim – I rate the currawong call highly. My grandfather – one of only a handful of Aussie Spitfire pilots – tells me that to hone his craft he would often engage in a multi-move dogfight with Tallangatta magpies. but they always catch you by surprise. As if that wasn't bad enough, this pap was promulgated in a certain Channel 10 “news” panel show that airs between 6.30PM and 7.30PM on weekdays. There is no stopping this 1%. Some one has to first get seriously injured or killed before appropriate action is taken by the authorities it seems……….. You’re riding your bike, which means you have a helmet on, which means even if they peck you it won’t do anything. Australian Youtuber Alister Laidlaw … Swooping here occurs 8 months of the year, well outside of breeding season. Check out our new Kickstarter project, new helmet brim to help during the next magpie season if (typeof siteads.queue !== 'undefined') { Thanks for the excellent suggestion. The best defence is cable ties attached to helmets. this month two of the young adult magpies returned to the house for food for their nest across the road in the park. It’s magpie swooping season in Australia and that means it’s time to learn to dodge and roll.