What, no 2017 Magpie thread yet?

[Mububban]

No magpies yet, but I keep getting swooped by I think honeyeaters? A couple of different places on my usual route. They get close but haven't struck yet, but they clack their beak as they fly past which gets your attention.

[piledhigher]

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/magpi ... 018-gz3tab

[biker jk]

Anti-magpie helmet.

https://goo.gl/jU1cof

[Mububban]

Driving near home, I noticed the cyclist with a wooden ruler in his hand just before I noticed the magpie swooping down at him. He had quite an effective arm waving technique that kept the maggie at bay.

I've been making sure my kids wear their sunglasses when riding lately, some eye protection is better than nothing.

[Cheesewheel]

http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/countr ... 78f491674e

Cyclist creates ultimate anti magpie helmet

[Arbuckle23]

http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/countr ... 78f491674e

Cyclist creates ultimate anti magpie helmet

Ha

[tcdev]

According to a story in my local newspaper a few weeks ago, my old nemesis of the past few years was culled recently due to numerous complaints (not me) and was deemed "dangerous" by local authorities.

I guess, like warthog1, until one swoops down, removes my sunglasses and then pokes my eye out, or takes my ear clean off, I'll treat them as little more than annoyances. In fact my account was opened for the season recently on a ride out to Kurnell where I had to face my foe on the return journey as well. Aside from the initial 'click' to the back of the helmet, waving one arm as he tried to swoop was sufficient to prevent further contact.

I will admit though, having young kids who ride bikes too, the threat to their eyesight worries me a little. Miss 5 will follow directions and wear sunglasses but Mr 2 is another story altogether.

[gorilla monsoon]

An interesting piece on some TV show or another a little while back that tried the theory of introducing yourself to the local magpies. seemed to work for the guy (Bondi Vet bloke). I have done it in the past and it seemed to work then, too.
Certainly the local maggies on my ride leave me alone but i have seen them swoop others. Go figure.

[Humphrey1957]

I wear a helmet and wrap around eye protection.

I feed the local flock in my street. They look at me as a meal ticket. Not a threat.

I dont know if there has been any research done on helmet colour. Mine is yellow.

[RonK]

I guess, like warthog1, until one swoops down, removes my sunglasses and then pokes my eye out, or takes my ear clean off, I'll treat them as little more than annoyances.

I think it wise to treat them as more than mere annoyances.

Magpies on a mission: Eye injuries increase in shocking swooping season

As for your children.

Magpie put down after attacking Perth boys

And don't kid yourself that sunglasses offer any protection - they don't.

[warthog1]

Yes I think a full suit of armour is justified.
A helmet and glasses whilst offering some protection can be improved upon.
There is danger in underestimating the lethal threat posed by these deadly birds.

[Mububban]

I'm fairly confident I can take care of myself when being swooped, I've got years of experience with maggies from walking to and from school!
But I insist my kids wear their sunnies when we ride, if it gives them a second or two of added protection then that gives me a second or two to get to them as I ride behind them. Something is surely better than nothing.

[bychosis]

I had a bit of a swoop last week. Didn’t get anything in the morning going downhill, but on the way home I saw the shadow and waved him off.

Today, again nothing in the morning downhill. Kept an eye out and saw no bird. This afternoon I kept an eye out on the way up the hill. 1 false alarm - minor bird. 2nd sighting - Maggie came in from in front, went wide and circled around behind me. Waved him away and saw him perch. Moved on. Passed another 3-4 houses and he started to come back at me, then perched on a wire while I escaped on a slight descent. Smart bugger, no idea where he was ‘protecting’ and he took the effort to circle round to attack from behind, admittedly he was thwarted by the sun being behind me.

[Mububban]

Toddler swooped from the ground in "unusual" attack:

http://www.kidspot.com.au/parenting/par ... 47cd6e415f


I've had this only once in my life. Walking home from high school with a mate, cutting through the bush between the school and the shops, we see a maggie on the ground maybe 5 metres away, watching us. He commented "You know, I've never actually been swooped by a mapgie before" at which point, the bird launched itself into the air and proceeded to come straight at us! Cue much shrieking, running and laughing. It was the usual fear and adrenaline mixed with the ridiculous timing of being swooped from the ground immediately after my mate opened his big mouth

[bychosis]

They are interesting birds for sure. I've seen one hopping down around on the ground behind a kids soccer game, then up on top of the goals and start to have a go at the goalie until a parent, who could see what was going on headed over.

[TheWall]

Thought I got away this year...ridden past plenty where mates had been attacked...was pondering this fact last weekend on my Sunny Coast to Brisbane ride. 15klm later in Eudlo...absolutely hammered 4 times by one cranky magpie. Situation was complicated by being on a narrow road with an oncoming car...could not even raise my arms in my defence lol.

[outnabike]

And this is the smaller variety of bird. I laugh at the blokes that insist there is nothing to worry about. But then my several scared ears will tell the tale.....

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/kiama-woolwor ... 0c8y6.html

January 2 2018 - 8:59AM
Save
Print
Kiama Woolworths shop assistant wins payout after bird strikes on her way to work
• Angela Thompson
• Woolworths has been ordered to compensate a staffer at its Kiama store after the woman's eye was "severely injured" by a vicious swooping bird known to guard the entryway to the shopping complex.
• Anita Smith was almost inside the Kiama Village Shopping Centre when the bird, a native peewee, set her in its sights on May 14.
• She required surgery in mid-July to repair the resulting injury, described in a compensation claim as an "inturned central part of the right eye flap".
• Ms Smith, a customer service officer for the supermarket since 2010, was among at least 10 people who required medical attention as a result of the bird's attacks, according to an area ophthalmologist interviewed by Fairfax at the time.
• In a decision handed down last month, the Workers Compensation Commission ordered the supermarket to pay Ms Smith almost $17,000 in lost wages. The sum was calculated after 25 weeks of reduced employment. The company must also pay Ms Smith's medical and rehabilitation bills.
• The commission rejected Woolworths Ltd's submission that the incident had nothing to do with Ms Smith's employment.
• Counsel for the supermarket had argued she was "not performing any work" at the time of the injury.
• A Woolworths store manager had earlier denied liability, instead placing blame on centre management for not acting.
• "Centre management had previously been informed regarding a number of bird attacks and chose to do nothing about this until this and other serious incidents happened", the company countered, in its submission.
• Ms Smith was en route to her workplace when she was attacked. She left her car in the staff car park before walking along an open-air path towards the shopping centre's automatic sliding doors.
• The commission's arbitrator, John Harris, found an employer does not escape liability due to the fault of another party "in this case, the apparent failure by the centre management to do something about the dangerous peewee".
• Ms Smith's employment brought her to the point where the injury occurred and that the injury "arose out of the employment", Mr Harris found.
• "It is extremely unlikely that Ms Smith would have been attacked by the peewee at that time, had she not been in the course of her employment."
• The commission noted Kiama council had made attempts – ultimately futile – to deter the bird by placing two imitation owls in the area.
• The bird was eventually destroyed after Kiama council sought a permit from National Parks and Wildlife to cull the bird.
• Council workers cordoned off the area before the bird was shot dead on June 20.

[Ross]

I got swooped by a Peewee about a week ago! I was quite amused actually, he was trying to be menacing like a Magpie but it just came across to me as wannabee and tryhard and I just didn't take it seriously (even though he contacted with my helmet a couple of times) but after reading the article above maybe I should of been more concerned.

[g-boaf]

I've had a few of those birds screech at me, but never anything other than that.

I did have a magpie squawking at me the other day. It was on the ground right in front of me and demanding to have some of my lunch. It ended up eating straight from my hand. Then its more cautious compatriot decided to join in.