Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

Couldn't believe it - yesterday, July The old McGrath's Hill Bunnings magpie got me on the way out, bang on the back of the neck, had to use my pump on the way back.

Think he has moved about 50 metres towards Windsor...

That'll serve you right for straying off the M7 Cycleway Ken

He is a bastard. got me many times in the past, i will continue to take the detour around the back onto the bridge when next out that way.

Its that time of the year for the McGraths Hill detour round the back to start happening.

Saw a maggie flying towards a tree on the commute route wi twig/nesting material I beak this morn. Made me think that it's time to be cautious soon. They are setting up for the coming season of bombing runs.

TimW wrote:That'll serve you right for straying off the M7 Cycleway Ken

Didn't ride all last week, bad cold, so thought a nice flat 60k, and I wanted to stop at the Rouse Hill bike shop... and it is only July!

Already???? Give us some time to train you stupid magpies!! Ahh well, I think that night time training program is looking better and better now.

There has been 1 luftwaffa swooping since easter, greta rd Wangaratta Vic. I first thought it was a plova but last week kept eyes in the back of my head and seen the magie coming 4 me. Simple wave of the hand around the helmet and kept it at a hovering distance.

Alycat wrote:

TimW wrote:That'll serve you right for straying off the M7 Cycleway Ken

Didn't ride all last week, bad cold, so thought a nice flat 60k, and I wanted to stop at the Rouse Hill bike shop... and it is only July!

Took a ride out there myself today , and successfully dodged the little bugger!
http://app.strava.com/rides/15808663

great day for it.Tim

TimW wrote:Took a ride out there myself today , and successfully dodged the little bugger!

Dodged? I am not interested in hearing how you dodged the problem, I want to hear how you have eliminated the problem.

Alycat wrote:

TimW wrote:Took a ride out there myself today , and successfully dodged the little bugger!

Dodged? I am not interested in hearing how you dodged the problem, I want to hear how you have eliminated the problem.

comon mate. on a forum such as this you are supposed to appreciate the birds and the bee's, love nature, be a part of critical mass,hate motorists and ute drivers,and be critical of all in power.Leave the poor misguided and misunderstood Magpie alone lol

I thought long and hard before posting, I mentioned eliminating the "problem" not the magpie For all I know you might have thought about relocating him to a better home

Alycat wrote:I thought long and hard before posting, I mentioned eliminating the "problem" not the magpie For all I know you might have thought about relocating him to a better home

What "Heaven"?


might cya out there tomorrow Ken , Not heaven lol....the M7

Don't forget to post yer scores HERE alycat, sounds like you're up to 3 points already

Shaun

Magpies=vermin !

wurtulla wabbit wrote:Magpies=vermin !

Naaah, they do what all good parents do, just with more gusto than sometimes necessary.

My locals all love me and bring their bubs to say G'Day. They eat outta my hands too. Haven't been swooped in a 5km radius of the house in yonks.

Has anyone tried wearing a mirror finish helmet? Reason being is that if it's that shiny, could they see another magpie (ie themselves) and avoid swooping too close? Also being so shiny, would reflect the sun a bit.

Mulger bill wrote:

wurtulla wabbit wrote:Magpies=vermin !

Naaah, they do what all good parents do, just with more gusto than sometimes necessary.

My locals all love me and bring their bubs to say G'Day. They eat outta my hands too. Haven't been swooped in a 5km radius of the house in yonks.

One swooped my 9yr old last year, drew blood, need to shoot or poison that bastard of a thing.
He was riding along a path, not in it's nest and certainly minding his own business.
Really upset and scared him.

Oh boo-hoo! It's all part of the growing-up process isn't it? A bit of blood here, a scratch and scrape there......your kid hasn't live until he's put a drill through the back of his hand or shot himself in the leg with a nail gun. Magpie strike is nothing except a badge of honour for show and tell at school.

gorilla monsoon wrote:Oh boo-hoo! It's all part of the growing-up process isn't it? A bit of blood here, a scratch and scrape there......your kid hasn't live until he's put a drill through the back of his hand or shot himself in the leg with a nail gun. Magpie strike is nothing except a badge of honour for show and tell at school.

Yes, I guess it would be a badge of honor at show'n'tell to remove his eye patch and show the empty socket where his eye used to be.
There was a notorious bird in my area that regularly attacked the eyes. Several cyclists received serious eye injuries, a bit more than a little scratch and a bit of blood.
In recent years a young child was killed when he ran onto the road whilst trying to evade a magpie attack, but I guess it must have been his own fault for entering magpie territory.

gorilla monsoon wrote:Oh boo-hoo! It's all part of the growing-up process isn't it? A bit of blood here, a scratch and scrape there......your kid hasn't live until he's put a drill through the back of his hand or shot himself in the leg with a nail gun. Magpie strike is nothing except a badge of honour for show and tell at school.

You sir, are a knob ! And if you indeed drilled through the back of your hand and shot yourself with a nail gun, karma seems to be dealing you a fine hand that you obviously deserved

Not me, I was too clever. I actually liked setting things alight (paddock, next door neighbour's shed, that kind of thing). This is my friend's son I'm talking about.

And a knob? I've been called worse and often in languages other than English. I still don't know what that German soldier was saying when he pointed an M-16 at me but I don't think it was pleasant.

Balance nature by buying your kid a pair of safety glasses or sunnies and tell him to harden up.

Yeah, knob was a general poke at your humour (glad you seen it that way) .
I laughed at him crying but mum wasn't too chuffed at me so I clammed up and laughed on the inside

Ps, what was a kraut doing pointing a cheap American rifle at you ? Don't those buggers use steyr ( think they did when I was a squadie)

I haven't encountered any yet. I try to feed the local ones around where I ride in the hope that it might make them more friendly towards me.

g-boaf wrote:I haven't encountered any yet. I try to feed the local ones around where I ride in the hope that it might make them more friendly towards me.

Good luck with that - hope it works as the one that I see near my work swoops me on the bike but when I walk through the carpark it leaves me alone (I don't feed it). The one at home will also swoop me on my bike but will eat worms out of my hand (even when wearing cycle gear) he just seems to hate the bike.

ive been semi swooped from late july, one around newport (northern beaches) and one near freshwater. I always forget that sound they make before you get attacked, you know that magpie cry, or you hear their young close by and its too late.