Birdseye view: What a swooping magpie attack looks like if you know it’s coming

ON the wrong side of a birdseye view, this is what a swooping magpie attack looks like if you happen to know it’s coming. See the amazing images.

ON the wrong side of a birdseye view, this is what a swooping magpie attack looks like if you happen to know it’s coming.

Cycling couple Clint Burfitt and Debbie Burns know to expect this repeat offender on their regular loop around Aldinga, so the nature lovers thought they’d try to capture some action shots on their Sunday ride.

“He had a little go at us on the way out so I thought it would be awesome to get a couple of shots of him,” Mr Burfitt said. “I never expected pics like that though.”

A magpie caught swooping on Clint Burfitt in Aldinga. Picture: Supplied.

Miss Burns bore the brunt of the attack as they rode between Silver Sands and Sellicks beaches.

“We know that magpie. He sees you from miles away, waits for you and then bang, bang, bang, bang, he hammers you,” she said.

“He bit me on both shoulders and then went to get my ear, which is what’s happening in the photos. He really ploughs into you. ”

But the animal lovers don’t bear a grudge. They understand the nesting instinct that drives magpies at this time of year as spring approaches and accept the swooping with a good sense of humour.

Clint Burfitt and his partner Debbie Burns, who bore the brunt of the attack. Picture: Supplied

“We cracked up when we stopped and looked at the photos,” Miss Burns said. “We thought they were just hilarious, the looks on our faces.”

Mr Burfitt agreed that the swooping went hand-in-hand with the experience of riding in Australia. “It’s just a part of enjoying cycling which we both can’t get enough of. And it’s a good sign that spring is coming.

“You just have to grit your teeth and bear it when they swoop. It sure helps to make you ride faster,’’ he said.

Originally published as Birdseye view: What a swooping magpie attack looks like if you know it’s coming