Magpie swooping season starting early, going for longer

Magpie season is starting earlier and going for longer, experts say, as reports of pedestrians being attacked on the streets begin to flood in.

Magpie season has started early this year and is expected to last until November, experts warn.

Reports of swooping have begun to trickle in from cyclists and pedestrians in Sydney’s inner west over the past week, while a pedestrian in Chipping Norton claims they were injured after walking past a nest.

In Victoria, a Bendigo mother said her son was walking alone when multiple swoops from one bird left multiple lacerations on his head, and in Fullham Gardens, near Adelaide Airport, a man was forced to seek refuge from a particularly protective magpie in a bus shelter.

A man in the Barossa Valley claimed local magpies had been active “for a few weeks” and shared pictures of himself being swooped as he rode his bike.

Yep, they’ve been active for a few weeks in the Barossa Valley pic.twitter.com/IcVfgC6AA8

— atzimm (@atzimm) August 11, 2020

Dr Deb Kelly, from South Australia’s Department of Environment, told 7 News the birds usually began calling for a mate at the last full moon in August, and should not typically have a nest to protect at this point.

“I guess they don’t check their dates very well, maybe it’s the change in the weather,” she said.

Griffith University behavioural ecologist Darryl Jones told The New Daily the early swooping likely meant warmer winters and erratic weather had tricked some magpies into nesting early.

“Swooping only happens when there’s chicks in the nest,” he said.

“That means that the eggs got laid a while back … it all had to happen a lot earlier than normal.

“The weather is changing, the climate is changing so much that everything’s all over the place.”

Alarmingly, Dr Kelly said the early mating could lead to a double swooping season.

“Magpies, if their young are killed, will re-nest,” she said.

The early magpie swooping season is thought to have been caused by warmer winters and erratic weather, which has tricked the birds into mating early. Picture: Matt Turner

The South Australian Government advises anyone wishing to avoid the pain of a magpie swooping to try to avoid their nests – with many aggressive magpies marked out on Magpie Alert.

“Magpies only swoop within 50 metres of their nests so stay away from known magpie nesting areas. Also, magpies usually go back to the same spot every year, so if there was a swooping danger zone on your route last year, it is likely to be there again this year,” the advice reads.

Additionally, authorities recommend you:

• Travel in groups, as swooping birds usually only target individuals
• Carry an open umbrella above your head
• Wear sunglasses and a broad-brimmed hat
• If you ride a bike, walk it through magpie territory or have a flag on the back of the bike that is higher than your head
• Do not act aggressively. If you wave your arms about or shout, the magpies will see you as a threat to the nest – and not just this year, but for up to five years to come
• Walk, don’t run
• Avoid making eye contact with the birds
• If you know of an area that has swooping magpies, put a sign up to warn passers-by.