Gold Coast in for long magpie swooping season

GOLD COAST is in for a long magpie swooping season that could go all the way to Christmas, an expert has warned.

Not even owls are safe from swooping magpies. Photo: Jerad Williams

GOLD COAST is in for a long magpie swooping season that could go all the way to Christmas, an expert has warned.

Behavioural ecologist Darryl Jones has predicted a bumper mating season for the dive-bombing birds of death, thanks to a “remarkably mild winter”.

“The first magpies started nesting in July, which is just crazy. The earliest I’ve heard is August, so they’re probably six to eight weeks earlier than normal,” Prof Jones, from Griffith University, said.

An owl tries to get some sleep at Palm Beach, but is attacked by other birds. Photo: Jerad Williams

“They’ll have one whole lot of chicks before they have their normal lot of chicks. It’s going to be a long season I’m pretty sure.

“Magpies only attack when there are chicks in the nest, so if there are going to be more chicks there are going to be more attacks,” he said.

Queensland has had the most documented magpie attacks in the country this year, with 119 swoops recorded on the Magpie Alert website.

An owl tries to get some sleep at Palm Beach. Photo: Jerad Williams

Research into magpie behaviour has found the eye-gouging birds remember their victims.

“If they think you’re a threat they will follow you and attack you for years. If you’ve been attacked in the past you’ll probably get attacked in the future,” Prof Jones said.