It’s magpie swooping season and your face is in the firing line

RIGHT now Australians are under attack from a very bothersome bird. But there are things you can do, from helmets to ham, to deter magpies.

JAMES Wood was left with a bloody ear after being attacked by a magpie as he cycled through Carrum Downs in Melbourne’s south east.

It’s a common problem throughout Australia at this time of year, as magpies swoop everyone from cyclists to little kids playing in parks.

But, say ornithology experts, there are steps you can take to reduce the risk of being the target of a malevolent maggie.

It’s all too late for Mr Wood. On a recent ride he was left with a bloody ear after being attacked eight times on a 250m stretch of cycle track — all of which he captured on his GoPro camera.

A magpie swoops on James Wood in Carrum Downs, Melbourne. Picture: James Wood

“It was a bit scary because you don’t know when the next swoop is coming or how strong it will be,” Mr Wood told the Frankston Standard Leader.

According to the Magpie Alert web site, 76 per cent of people attacked by magpies this year have been cyclists. But anyone can be in the feathery firing line.

Earlier this month in Gosford, on the NSW Central Coast, six-year-old Peter Adnam-Berry almost lost his eye when a male magpie swooped down on him while he was playing at the park.

Simon Adnam-Berry with 6-year-old son Peter who almost lost one eye after a magpie attacked him piercing his eye at East Gosford. He had to have surgery and has lost some sight. Picture: Mark Scott

A BAD RAP

However, with almost nine-out-of-ten attacks little more than a swoop and a squawk, injuries are rare, the supervisor of the bird show at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo, Matthew Kettle, told news.com.au.

In fact, it’s estimated that less than 10 per cent of magpies take any kind of umbrage at passers-by.

“The majority of magpies aren’t dive bombing people,” said Mr Kettle, “but those that do make up for it.”

Magpies raise their chicks once a year and in the short window between hatching and first leaving the nest, some males will aggressively protect their territory.

“We just don’t get the message not to come close and the magpie has this constant need to say you’re not welcome,” he said.

“You can almost draw the line on the ground; you step the one side you get harassed, you step the other you’re left alone.”

The particular malice magpies have for cyclists could be because they follow a more predictable line than pedestrians, said Mr Kettle. In addition, unlike pedestrians, cyclists can’t easily turn and confront their attackers head on.

“Cyclists are also covering more turf and may experience more magpies so maybe they’re just leaving themselves open to more harassment,” he said.

THEY REALLY ARE OUT TO GET YOU

And if you think a magpie has it in for just you, you could be right.

“They’re clever enough to identify individual people,” Mr Kettle said, “They’re pretty much hardwired to remember things that are problematic and that can alert them”. For instance, if a magpie has had a troublesome encounter with a certain child, it might forever hold a grudge against people of the same height.

Animal Rescuer Nigel Williamson under attack as he traps a swooping magpie to be relocated.

The CEO of the Bicycle NSW advocacy group, Ray Rice, said the organisation’s members regularly told him of attacks and even injuries caused by the birds.

“The ears are a real target, they’ll come and peck and particularly nasty ones will draw blood.”

“It’s very often the surprise factor, people who may be not expecting it suddenly get dive-bombed and people have fallen off bikes.”

BRIBE THE BIRDS, SAVE YOUR SKIN

Common magpie repelling strategies include painting eyes or attaching cable ties on the back of cycle helmets. But Mr Rice’s unique remedy involves ham.

“As I approach the area, I would hold up a piece of ham and then put it in the gutter and after a while the magpie sat in the tree and it expected its little piece of ham.

“You become a friend and you don’t get attacked,” he told news.com.au.

But the experts aren’t so sure. “The problem is if you offer them food you end up with a bigger number of magpies and that can open another can of worms,” said Mr Kettle who warned the newcomers might eat your ham and then have a nibble at your ear for dessert.

MAGPIE MYTHBUSTING — HOW TO PREVENT A PECKING

Draw eyes on your helmet or wear sunglasses on the back of your head

But does having eyes on the back of your head really deter magpies?

Certainly, magpies don’t like attacking people from the front so this method could fool them. But, said Mr Kettle, “I wouldn’t be surprised if the magpie was smart enough to work out it’s not real.”

Helmets festooned with cable ties

The theory here is the spiky plastic stops the magpies from making contact. However, the sheer number you’d need to protect you whole head means, “you end looking like a weird Martian,” said Mr Rice.

Linda Pinches was attacked on her bicycle by a magpie during her ride to work at Coorparoo, Brisbane — Picture: Richard Walker

Don’t wear a helmet

There is some evidence helmets themselves may attract the ire of magpies and simply removing it may lessen the bird’s anger. Safety issues aside, there’s no guarantees and Mr Rice said, “if I’m going to be attacked, I’d rather a helmet on.”

Cyclist Kristina Bannister was left with beak holes and claw marks to the stuffing of her helmet after the worst magpie attack she's ever had. Photo By Patria Jannides

Leave the birds be

OK, so it seems like rewarding bad behaviour, but sometimes you have to let it slide. “It’s a short term problem, so for two months avoid the little strip of land if you can avoid,” said Mr Kettle.

In this Brisbane park, the birds are top dog. Picture: Peter Cronin