Sydney mum left ‘bloody and bruised’ after magpie attack while on morning walk

The woman was walking to her car at a popular Coogee beach when the bird came “out of nowhere” and attacked, nearly costing her an eye in the process.

A Sydney mum has had a terrifying experience with a massive magpie that left her with a bloody black eye.

Last Wednesday, the 40-year-old woman, who did not wish to be named, was walking from the Ross Jones Rockpool in Coogee towards her car.

Suddenly, a “massive” magpie came “out of nowhere” and left her battered, bloody and bruised. 

Want to join the family? Sign up to our Kidspot newsletter for more stories like this. 

The mum was battered and bruised by the magpie. Picture: Yahoo Australia

Mum’s eye scratched by magpie in swooping attack

The woman was certainly no stranger to the swooping birds, and has copped a fair share of incidents in the past - but this time was different. 

“It just came at me and took his beak and went into my left eye with a big pop,” she told Yahoo News. 

RELATED: Sydney mum finds a magpie in her room and goes full mum-mode to get rid of it

After feeling “sharp pain” in her eye, the woman rushed to the nearest doctor; they confirmed a magpie had scratched her eyeball and prescribed her antibiotics. 

“He said you need something immediately because it looks like it’s going to get infected,” he told her. 

The mother made her way to the chemist to pick up her medicine and was told by a pharmacist that she was the third person to come in “with a bloody eye” from a magpie attack. 

Introducing our new podcast: Mum Club! Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode.

As of last Wednesday, more than 182 injuries caused by swooping magpies were reported to the online tracker Magpie Alert. 

While magpies are usually friendly and peaceful birds for the majority of the year, this changed during the swooping season, which runs from August to October - AKA when they have their babies.

Those who have interacted with the bird during this time of year know better than anyone that it’s a particularly dangerous time to be around magpies, as they tend to swoop to warn others from coming near their eggs and newly hatched chicks. 

Hey, it makes sense - they’re just in mum mode. 

RELATED: Mum uses her daughter as 'human shield' during magpie swooping season

Magpies are usually friendly and docile ... until swooping season starts. Picture: iStock

How to prevent magpies in swooping season

Speaking to news.com.au, Sean Dooley, national public affairs manager at Bird Life Australia, explained the best way to avoid getting attacked by oncoming maggies this year. 

“Just walk calmly out of that swooping zone … and the swooping will stop,” he said. 

He suggested that moving out of the “swooping zone” is the best way to avoid an attack - this can be achieved by turning around and walking back “the way you’ve come” until you’re in safe territory. 

“If people know they’re just defending their nest, they know the magpie isn’t going to keep chasing them,” he said. 

No matter what you do, he warned, never act stressed - it will only antagonise them further. “About the worst thing you can do is panic, run around and scream and try and retaliate,” he said. 

Popular methods to prevent a maggie from swooping, such as adding spikes to your helmet, may be a great alternative for some, but Dooley stressed it was “not foolproof”.

“If you are swooped, it does help if you’ve got sunglasses or something that you can put on to protect your eyes just in case,” he explained. 

Once you’ve been swooped, Dooley recommends keeping “an eye on that magpie”, as they may be “less likely to go again because they know you’re watching it.” 

“You’re more able to avoid it if you can see it coming rather than a stealth attack.” 

Originally published as Sydney mum left ‘bloody and bruised’ after magpie attack while on morning walk