Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

One near the Coulter Dr/ William Hovell intersection. Fairly harmless. Plus the usual one 2/3 up Mt Ainslie just where it gets steep. Cheeky bugger.

well since my lack of riding lately I have been bird free.

Till this morning. 4 birds in 1h 30m. One of the attacks was a double whammy, I had 2 teamed up against me. Still currently at 0 connects tho.

The one at the hospital is really annoying, 2 strikes for me yesterday.

mrgolf wrote: Plus the usual one 2/3 up Mt Ainslie just where it gets steep. Cheeky bugger.

As you know I'm a regular at Mt Ainslie but haven't been swooped. Maybe because I go there early in the morning or maybe they are just used to seeing me and consider me a "friend". I think Magpies are quite an intelligent bird. Crows too. Ducks are as dumb as dog$hit.

I went up pre 6am and then again around 7:30 twice and only got swooped at 7:30. It must know you, perhaps. Magpie's are pretty damn discriminating when it comes to who they target. It can be as particular as small boys on bikes only, or only women pushing prams, or only McMamils after 7am... Pretty amazing bird. I still love the things. I love their songs and that they can be so trusting to the point of hand feeding fairly easily.

The only thing I like about them is their song.

I hate their swooping
I hate their pooping
I hate their AFL team
I hate their NRL team.

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Here's a map that I found on the RIOTACT of where the maggies are swooping. Feel free to add yours.

http://goo.gl/maps/SSdGr" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

mrgolf wrote:I went up pre 6am and then again around 7:30 twice and only got swooped at 7:30. It must know you, perhaps. Magpie's are pretty damn discriminating when it comes to who they target. It can be as particular as small boys on bikes only, or only women pushing prams, or only McMamils after 7am... Pretty amazing bird. I still love the things. I love their songs and that they can be so trusting to the point of hand feeding fairly easily.

I did a couple of reps this morning, started about 6.15 and finished just before 7. There were 2 maggies on the side of the road about 3/4 of the way up, just before the white line accross the road, and they just casually glanced in my direction as I rode past!

Got my first proper swoop this morning, or rather I think I did because I didn't actually see it, just heard it. Out on Kambah Pool Rd, just before the Mount Vernon Dr roundabout. All I could hear was the click of I presume a magpie's beak close to my left ear.

Careful on Athllon Drive bike path between Atkins St and the underpass. I didn't get done this morning, but copped it on the way in yesterday with the bird grabbing onto my shirt and just missing my ear. Most aggressive bird I've come across in a long time.

lobstermash wrote:Careful on Athllon Drive bike path between Atkins St and the underpass. I didn't get done this morning, but copped it on the way in yesterday with the bird grabbing onto my shirt and just missing my ear. Most aggressive bird I've come across in a long time.

The return of The Red Baron.

Report the little bugger - guy at work was bleeding from his nose last year when it went for his face.

Yikes. I didn't get done at all last year. Not a swoop. The year before however, I copped a hammering along the path from August to December!

twizzle wrote:

lobstermash wrote:Careful on Athllon Drive bike path between Atkins St and the underpass. I didn't get done this morning, but copped it on the way in yesterday with the bird grabbing onto my shirt and just missing my ear. Most aggressive bird I've come across in a long time.

The return of The Red Baron.

Report the little bugger - guy at work was bleeding from his nose last year when it went for his face.

Yep report it. Dangerous birds need to be removed.

I know he is only doing what is natural, but we live in Surburbia and as an adult we can choose to take the risk however if it swoops a kid and gets their eyes then that is bad gu gu

I haven't done any reporting yet, noting I didn't get swooped at all today. I'm wondering if someone has already dealt with him...

One on yamba drive near canberra hospital. Almost got me killed. Riding south this morning past the hospital whilst a bus was passing me decided it was a good time to launch a surprise attack. I almost ended up hitting the side of the bus from the shock.

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Another one on Warragamba Ave (Duffy?) just as you go up the last kick before intersection with Eucumbene Ave.

The Red Baron drew blood this morning (ear) from a mate. Online reporting has been removed... new process is :

"If you need to report a swooping bird, please call Canberra Connect on 13 22 81. They can take down details of the location of the bird, your details and any information you can provide on the bird to pass onto the ACT Parks and Conservation Service to follow up on."

i go on that path pretty much every morning. dare i say it, but he hasn't come out for me yet... (and ain't that gonna upset the god of every magpie in living history now...) i know he's there and expect him but touch wood i've been safe....so far...

twizzle wrote:The Red Baron drew blood this morning (ear) from a mate. Online reporting has been removed... new process is :

"If you need to report a swooping bird, please call Canberra Connect on 13 22 81. They can take down details of the location of the bird, your details and any information you can provide on the bird to pass onto the ACT Parks and Conservation Service to follow up on."

Reported both the Baron and his new mate near Greenway on Drakeford Drive via that number this afternoon.

It says something that when I mentioned the Baron the nice lady who answered the phone knew exactly who I was talking about and where he lived.

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I was swooped 4 times this morning by maggies. One on Athlon dve near the basket ball stadium in Greenway, another on Athlon dve in Bonython, a third on Forlonge st Wanniassa near the roundabout (all of these had several goes but no contact) and the 4th near the old HIC offices in Greenway (only one pass for this one). Each one got the legs turning a bit faster.

The Forlonge St fella is just around the corner from me. Made contact with my helmet a couple of times yesterday. I was riding 'Retro Ruesday' on an almost 14kg Apollo I. I tried to turn the pedals faster up the hill...

I have three now stalking me on my lunch time route which I'm changing day by day to avoid them. Haven't been hit yet but it's tiring me out trying to outrun them.

One near Vikings tennis courts, one over just north of the Lake Tuggeranong dam on the lakeside cycle path, and one on Athllon Drive between Don Dunstan and Barr Smith in Bonython.

When do they stop? Do we have to wait for eggs to hatch? Young to leave the nest? Winter?

Some years they swoop until mid-November, other years you only get a couple of weeks of it. Don't bother trying to outrun them. I've seen a few postmen still getting hit at 70-80km/h. The only advantage of going faster is to get out of their territory more quickly.

None of my feathered friends attacked me this morning.

lobstermash wrote:The only advantage of going faster is to get out of their territory more quickly.

That's the plan, the further away I get quickly the more chance of him giving up.

I now have some printed clip art eyes stuck to the back of my helmet, will report back if this works or not today. I have a mate with cable ties on his helmet who has been harassed in the last few days.