Brisbane Magpies

[CRV]

Another one to look out for is near the Joe's Diner side on Kingsford Smith Dr. So far he has only swooped me so not so sure how aggressive he is, but is still a problem due to the traffic along there.

[singlespeedscott]

Another 2 magpies to watch out for on Mt Mee. Both chase you as your heading up hills too . One is on the last of the switchbacks as you head up Ocean View rd. from the Dayboro side. The other is just near the turn off to Sellin rd.

[winstonw]

Just spoke to a mate of mine doing a Bris, Glorious, Kilcoy, Woodford, Mt Mee loop. I bailed after breaking a spoke on backside of Glorious.
He said he had encounters with at least 8 magpies on Wivenhoe Somerset Road. Considering the extremely small number of cyclists that cycle there, and the very low frequency, I think this confirms the view of environmental bureaucrats who say magpies only become aggressive towards cyclists after being abused, is total BS.

[singlespeedscott]

I agree with that. I have been bombed in plenty of places where the local magpies would have had no contact with people. I love to know what gets in the little pied bastards heads to make them hate cyclists so. Is it the movement? Do they see our heads as another bird? God knows.

[spirro]

I've also wondered why do they attack cyclists and not pedestrians.

[winstonw]

some of them do hit peds. there's one near the intersection of Hedley Av and York St near that coffee shop that I've saw last year terrorize a Mum with two babies in a pram. She was really distraught as the thing seemed to be trying to land on the pram.

On my primary school walking route back in the 1960s, they seemed to target peds. When 7yo, one really hit me hard and opened my ear up. got to school with blood all over me and the admin people were horrified. thought I'd been knifed or shot.

I wonder if the males are motivated purely to impress females, competing males, and other bird species that might take their young....attacking cyclists might be the most visible and impressive sign of manhood. In the chronic absence of cyclists, they might pick on peds in order to keep up appearances. just m2cw

[briztoon]

I don't know where anyone got the idea magpies mostly attack cyclists. A magpie will attack any animal/human it deems a threat that enters it's territory. But when there are multiple targets in their territory they have to do a threat assessment and the biggest and fastest creature in their territory represents the biggest threat. I've seen a magpie dive bombing a bearded dragon.

I do know as a pedestrian, if I keep my head turned directly at the attacking magpie, it just watches instead of attacking, as long as I keep walking. Turn my head for even a split second, and it's air born. It just makes it incredibly difficult to walk out of said magpies territory.

[singlespeedscott]

I have to say I make a game of the bombings. I love waiting until there full tilt into their bombing run and giving them a good squirt from the water bottle.

It keeps things fun

[brett.hooker]

The KBB maggie tagged me today. No harm done. But damn he is aggressive. Came in right on the earline of the helmet. The only good thing is that he was harrassing two kids on their bikes and he switched to me when I came past; good to get him away from the kids... Definitely a pest. Shame to have such a beautiful public space haunted by a paranoid bird...

[InTheWoods]

In the car this morning taking son to doctor. Waiting at traffic lights, saw a magpie attacking a primary school kid on a bike, whose mother was walking with him. The kid was in tears. Maggie sits on power line for 3 seconds, then spies 2 more kids 100 meters away on the far, far side of the intersection, and flies over there and starts bombing them too...

[Wazza]

Not quite Brissy but I've got 2 of the buggers, #1 the Maine Rd marauder- between Lucinda & Baringa Sts Clontarf #2 the North Lakes lout - cnr Discovery Dve and Kinsellas Rd East North Lakes. Haven't seen the Boardman rd bandit yet nor the Suttons Beach swooper but no doubt they are there somewhere.

[rossocorsa]

Last spring there was a nasty one nesting near the corner of Rickertt road and Chelsea road, between Lotta and Thornside. It didn't matter if you were riding on the shared path or the road, it would target your left ear and was very good at drawing blood. After being hit on three successive rides, and a work colleague also being hit, I avoided the area for 3 months.

It pretty much ruined my favourite ride, as anyone riding from Wynnum to Wellington Point, or doing a bay loop from Wynnum has to ride down these roads.

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I don't know if I was just lucky, but I went from Birkdale out along Chelsea Rd to Wynnum and back yesterday and didn't even see a magpie. After reading your post, I did wet myself when a branch fell off a tree as I rode past, but I emerged unscathed.

To add to the discussion though, I did wear a magpie in the head as I approached Old Cleveland Road/Finucane Road/Moreton Bay Road intersection, coming from the Birkdale direction at 6am Saturday last week. I was riding solo and got crunched. I thought someone had thrown something at my head. Looked around to see it flying away. I've ridden through there a few more times and it hasn't flinched. I don't think it was accidental because I'm a 6'3" ginger wearing red kit, so I'm pretty hard to miss.

[Psycho]

Hi guys,
Yesterday afternoon my daughter was swooped by a magpie on Barrack Road, Cannon Hill, towards Lytton road.
Think it might be time to give those cable ties a try?


Cheers,
Shane

[winstonw]

The KBB maggie tagged me today. No harm done. But damn he is aggressive. Came in right on the earline of the helmet. The only good thing is that he was harrassing two kids on their bikes and he switched to me when I came past; good to get him away from the kids... Definitely a pest. Shame to have such a beautiful public space haunted by a paranoid bird...

last year, he smacked me in a couple of the side streets on the southern side, when I was riding to avoid him on KBB. He also cut guys just behind the left eye, that was I riding with. When we stopped, he'd land no more than 5 metres away, and puff his chest out, and stare you down. Keep in mind there's supposed to be another one on KBB on the upside of the train overhead bridge at Toombul

[kingswood]

Hi all, my first post.

I have been hit twice by the Toombul magpie. If its the same one, just west of the over pass heading towards Kalinga park. I believe the location is Ross Park.

The first time I was east bound to the Crit track about a week ago. I legged it which aggravated him even more. I got a whack and a number of swoops before I got to the over pass. He would have made contact more, except I was lucky with sun behind me his shadow was cast on the path in front of me. A couple of well timed head ducks as the shadow got larger. He was really persistent.

The second time was on the weekend. I thought I'd try a new tactic. I planned to get off and walk the bike through his patch. As I approached the area I was distracted by a number of pedestrians. As I passed them I remembered, this is where I'm supposed to start walking --"WHACK". I saw him circle back, so got off and pushed. He stopped the assault and landed in a tree. I didn't take my eyes off him until I was out of his patch. This tactic seemed to work for me on this occasion. I haven't been brave enough to battle the Kedron Brook Maggie . I'm not sure walking past him would make a difference.

Cheers.

[Psycho]

Ok so as per my earlier post today I got swooped three time and contact was made on each occasion. As I had a helmet on it seems to go for my ears! On one occasion it drew a small amount of blood!
This has been my regular running and now riding track for two years and I don't necessarily want to change it.... Hmmm what to do tomorrow!??


Cheers,
Shane

[winstonw]

hypotheticals:

would I be breaking some law if
- I hit a magpie with my bike pump while it was trying to poke my eye out, and maimed or killed it?
- it got caught in one of several rat traps glued to my helmet?
- it attacked, I got off the bike, then shot it in the head with several ball bearings using a high powered sling shot?

[Lukeyboy]

Hi all, my first post.

I have been hit twice by the Toombul magpie. If its the same one, just west of the over pass heading towards Kalinga park. I believe the location is Ross Park.

The first time I was east bound to the Crit track about a week ago. I legged it which aggravated him even more. I got a whack and a number of swoops before I got to the over pass. He would have made contact more, except I was lucky with sun behind me his shadow was cast on the path in front of me. A couple of well timed head ducks as the shadow got larger. He was really persistent.

The second time was on the weekend. I thought I'd try a new tactic. I planned to get off and walk the bike through his patch. As I approached the area I was distracted by a number of pedestrians. As I passed them I remembered, this is where I'm supposed to start walking --"WHACK". I saw him circle back, so got off and pushed. He stopped the assault and landed in a tree. I didn't take my eyes off him until I was out of his patch. This tactic seemed to work for me on this occasion. I haven't been brave enough to battle the Kedron Brook Maggie . I'm not sure walking past him would make a difference.

Cheers.

I'm impressed at that bastards range. It will attack you on the bikway. It will attack you in the bike lane along Sandgate road right up to the lights for the train station. It will leave alone kids on the bmx track but if they venture onto the pathway through the park or any of the grass in the park its open season. It also checks out the bus interchange after swooping anyone on sandgate road and some times eyes off those that use the skateboarding area.

[spirro]

I had one chase me on Stringybark Drive at Aspley. I swear the thing chased me for about 500m. The thing wouldn't give up. As a result I had a pretty good average speed over that segment

[joecoady]

had a persistent magpie pester me nearly the full length of Victoria st heading onto Montague rd in West end at lunchtime today, only for I seen the shadow at the last min Im sure he would have hit the mark !

[RonK]

Had my first encounter of the season this morning, at the roundabout near the control tower at the domestic airport terminal.

He wasn't very persistent and didn't make contact but sure startled me. And then had another go on at me on my way back.

[Lukeyboy]

I had one chase me on Stringybark Drive at Aspley. I swear the thing chased me for about 500m. The thing wouldn't give up. As a result I had a pretty good average speed over that segment

Where abouts? I rode past in both directions with my sister the other day and nothing swooped. It also seems like the one on Albany Creek Road near the bowling alley isn't there anymore.

[spirro]

I had one chase me on Stringybark Drive at Aspley. I swear the thing chased me for about 500m. The thing wouldn't give up. As a result I had a pretty good average speed over that segment

Where abouts? I rode past in both directions with my sister the other day and nothing swooped. It also seems like the one on Albany Creek Road near the bowling alley isn't there anymore.

About 100m from the footbridge on Horn Rd. I rode past this morning and he went for me again.

I haven't been on Albany Creek Rd for a while so don't know about the one near the bowling alley. I found another mongrel across the road from Aspley State High on Zillmere Rd.

[Lukeyboy]

Hmmm. But yeah nothing swooped at us going past there. I even did circles on that corner while waiting for my sister to catch up and nothing made a dive. The one on Albany Creek Road usually attacks between Railton Street and Trouts Road when heading west (heading east it won't attack unless your on the southern footpath). I spotted one on the power pole while heading towards the hypermarket near the bowling alley but it just stayed there. There is also another one further down on Kirby Road next to the footy club. I've passed the one next to the high school but that only attacks if you are riding along the footpath. I've seen some magpies at the roundabout on Ellison Road-Murphy Road just before Chermside Westfield but so far I haven't been swooped there yet but it has in past seasons. I forget the street name (more than likely it would be Chailey Street or Pelton Street) but there is also another one in the box here

[Dedot]

My friend's little boy just got attacked by this pesky bird at KBB today. Not knowing the notorious magpie attack, the family went on for a family ride on the track. The bird attacked her youngest boy first on the helmet and went on to his big brother, drew blood around the eyelid area. That poor boy must be traumatised now by this pesky magpie.

I suggested my friend to lodge a complain to the council.