2024 Magpie season has began

[g-boaf]

There are no cars on these locations, this is on shared paths and completely off road cycleways.

[warthog1]

Must be greater cyclist numbers teaching them how to be effective.

[Andy01]

I have no idea how magpie's minds work.

I currently have a young magpie living in a bush in my backyard. The nest was in the crown of a palm tree and the adventurous little bugger tried to fly on Saturday morning and ended up with a half-hearted swoopie-looking thing that saw it face-plant on to my single story house roof. It was actually quite comical. Then it ended up in a fairly short bush about 1.8m off the ground - just near the corner of the house, so I think it almost "jumped" off the roof to land in the bush .

Both parents have been feeding it for weeks now, and they don't bat an eyelid when I am out in the backyard, even when yesterday I walked over the back corner within about 3m of the young one, and both parents were sitting on the fence - no response from them (thankfully).

And yet, if you dare to cycle at 30km/h past a nest that is 150m away and 15m above the ground, they will try to kill you - very strange

[Retrobyte]

And yet, if you dare to cycle at 30km/h past a nest that is 150m away and 15m above the ground, they will try to kill you - very strange

So true! At the last house I lived at when I would mow the lawn two of them would walk a metre behind me grabbing insects that were disturbed by the vibration of the mower. The same maggies would swoop anyone on a bike that dared ride past the house.

[Ivanerrol]

And yet, if you dare to cycle at 30km/h past a nest that is 150m away and 15m above the ground, they will try to kill you - very strange

So true! At the last house I lived at when I would mow the lawn two of them would walk a metre behind me grabbing insects that were disturbed by the vibration of the mower. The same maggies would swoop anyone on a bike that dared ride past the house.

Magpies can recognise up to 100 faces. So you and the neighbours might not be taken as a threat.
Riding past at 30kmh and they might not recognise you.

At my Noosa house in a court there are a magpie pair who have been there for years. They follow me around, they'll even come if I whistle if they think there's some tit bits in the offering. They will come into the garage and stare through the wire mesh door looking at you.
There's a retiree gentleman in our estate who took up cycling a few years ago. He rides around the estate 3 times a day on an old step through. (he's lost 15 kilo's in the time on his bike). Our maggies know him and leave him alone.
The local post parcel delivery guy knows the maggies. He'll drive right up to your door, race out, drop his parcel and jump back in his van before the maggies turn up.

The Maggies have a memory. If I go way for three or four months they will still recognise me after I return.

[jasonc]

got a thump from a magpie after it chased me for about 100m (in both directions) just west of Palmwoods (sunshine coast, qld) yesterday

[robbo mcs]

I've been swooped a couple of times recently by a large crow Wetherill park Sydney, Horsley drive. Didn't touch me, but made a very loud screeching sound, and looks much bigger than a magpie when you look over your shoulder

[g-boaf]

I've been swooped a couple of times recently by a large crow Wetherill park Sydney, Horsley drive. Didn't touch me, but made a very loud screeching sound, and looks much bigger than a magpie when you look over your shoulder

That’s very unusual. Never seen them do that before, but have heard that they can learn that behaviour from other birds like magpies.

Where on Horsley drive is it?

[open roader]

First maggie swooper today (Mon 14th October)

Completely unheard of here - so late in the season.

I was astounded as my usual loop ride sees the swoopers start mid to late July and go until the end of August at the very outside.

Mid October = crazy late breeding season.

[brumby33]

I've been swooped a couple of times recently by a large crow Wetherill park Sydney, Horsley drive. Didn't touch me, but made a very loud screeching sound, and looks much bigger than a magpie when you look over your shoulder

I just wonder if it could've been a Corrawong which has a pointy beak like a Magpie but is jet black like a crow but not quite as large. I haven't heard if Corrawongs swoop humans or crows even.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Currawong

[robbo mcs]

It was definitely a crow, much larger than a magpie, and completely different sound. It swooped me the last two times I have ridden there. It was on the Horsely drive bikepath, Wetherill park, near the McDonalds, but opposite side of the road. Right where there are some low trees overhanging the path.

I have been swooped by a crow before, in the Snowy Mountains. That particular one was quite well known by local riders. There was a swooping magpie in the same location, so p,ausible it learned the behaviour.

[g-boaf]

Okay - staying away from there!

It seems the magpie at Eastern Creek on M7 near the waste management place has given up.

[find_bruce]

There's a magpie-lark at the end of my street that likes to swoop. It's such a little bird that I find it amusing, but avoid that part of the park just so the bird's not distressed.

[g-boaf]

New magpie attacking on M7 cycleway near Rooty Hill:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/DFT18GMQvUYqTmWu5

Saw it attack someone ahead of me last Sunday. Seems to be new, have not seen this magpie before.

[warthog1]

Seems pretty well done here.

[g-boaf]

There is also one here, Chandos Road Horsley Park:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/SGqxRzuJhXQGaS6p7

That got me on last Saturday. That's another new one.

[Anrai]

Never dealt with magpie swoopings before; as of a week and a half ago there's a pair swooping on my usual ride route (bottom of the trails between the cenotaph and Queen's Domain in Hobart.)
No attempts to actually hurt me yet but they seem to be focused on me in particular no matter how many pedestrians or other cyclists are around, as I've yet to see them swoop anyone else despite it being a relatively active area.
I'm a bit fed up with it so last ride I thought I'd take the cycleway home but one of them followed me out that far anyway. Not sure if I need to be altering my route or how long the area is no-go if I do.

[uart]

Seems pretty well done here.

Yep same here. Had a few fairly aggressive ones (going for the ears) on my route over the past two months, but as of about a week or two ago they seem to have stopped. Haven't been swooped at all on my last half dozen or so rides.

[brumby33]

Seems pretty well done here.

Yep same here. Had a few fairly aggressive ones (going for the ears) on my route over the past two months, but as of about a week or two ago they seem to have stopped. Haven't been swooped at all on my last half dozen or so rides.

Yeah wouldn't be so bad if they didn't go for the ears but it can bloody hurt. The first one I had going down Mate St, Albury was a vicious little bugger, he'd always go for the left ear and although he got me, he didn't draw blood just jeez it hurt. I took to wearing a beanie over my ears in mid August and I thought that was early for these birds but he was still attacking mid October.....jeez by that time his kids should've been out of home and going to Uni

I went for a ride today from my place to Wodonga to try and find the trail head for the Murray River Rail trail and found it......so, i'll be venturing down there this season. Had no maggies attack me today so i think most are done and dusted but i'm sure there's still a few that can't help themselves. I've heard offering them some chook pellets work.

Gonna test another swooping area tomorrow so see if they've stopped as well. One of my neighbours told me the other day they don't stop until after Melbourne cup hahahaha.

Early to bed for me tonight.....it was a big ride (for me) and I'm knackered!!

brumby33

[jasonc]

my local seems to have stopped also.

[warthog1]

I spotted a dead one on the road near my worst. The one I hit with my arm whilst watching the shadow. Pretty sure the youngster got squashed by a car.
No swoops since.

[Andy01]

jeez by that time his kids should've been out of home and going to Uni



brumby33

The magpies that had a nest in my back yard are still feeding the not-so-little offspring. The young one flew from the nest 2 months ago (it face-planted onto our house roof (my wife saw it) which was quite comical, and the parents are still feeding it - you can tell by the frantic "I'm going die if you don't feed me know" squeaking sound it makes whenever the parent come close. It just sits on our fence, roof, or neighbour's place and waits to be brought food - reminds me of many "modern-age" kids

I saw them side by side this week and the young one is almost indistinguishable from the parents - very nearly the same size, and a little browner on the back between the wings, but otherwise it looks like an adult magpie. I am really surprised that both parents are keeping up the feeding when it looks to be quite capable of flying around and finding it's own food.

[g-boaf]

I have a young one here that's still a bit unsteady with its flying and it demands for food.

It knows I sometimes give the parent birds food so also looks at me and squeaks and carries on. The other day it saw me and came flying over.

The other young one is a bit older and doing well so they are trying to chase it away.

[nezumi]

I successfully defended myself against a swoop on Monday afternoon while commuting home. There's a known offender on my route, but in previous years they've only stuck to the shared path, so I've been safe by going on the road that runs parallel.

This year they've spread out a bit, so when I heard the tell-tale cry I went into a super aero-tuck over the top tube, then as the shadow showed a swoop incoming I bucked up and back, catching maggie by surprise. They backed off after that.

[warthog1]

I successfully defended myself against a swoop on Monday afternoon while commuting home. There's a known offender on my route, but in previous years they've only stuck to the shared path, so I've been safe by going on the road that runs parallel.

This year they've spread out a bit, so when I heard the tell-tale cry I went into a super aero-tuck over the top tube, then as the shadow showed a swoop incoming I bucked up and back, catching maggie by surprise. They backed off after that.

I've done that too. Does make them think twice.