2018 Magpie thread

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Mububban
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Re: 2018 Magpie thread

Postby Mububban » Mon Oct 01, 2018 10:16 pm

CKinnard wrote:I've posted this here in the distant past, but will again just to remind riders what magpies are capable of.
- 2x penetrating wounds to the (L) eye's sclera several mm lateral of the iris.
- part of eyelid pecked off.
- a few periorbital pecking wounds
This was in one particularly aggressive attack.
The magpie got its beak in between the helmet and sunglasses.
When the rider eventually got his hand up to scare it off, it immediately went to the other eye and wounded that as well.
The Brisbane City Council destroyed the bird within a week.
This was around 2010.

Image

Far out that's some scary stuff. And that's an adult who was wearing glasses. What chance does a young child with maybe a hat but no eye protection have against a really aggressive maggie?

My first memory of swooping magpies was in QLD in year 2 when all us RAAF kids would walk to school. Safety in numbers. One day one poor young guy on our street went ahead alone for whatever reason on the morning walk to school, and came running back home past us, crying, with blood streaming down his scalp. That sort of thing leaves an impression on you :shock:
When you are driving your car, you are not stuck IN traffic - you ARE the traffic!!!

CKinnard
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Re: 2018 Magpie thread

Postby CKinnard » Mon Oct 01, 2018 11:34 pm

Mububban wrote: My first memory of swooping magpies was in QLD in year 2 when all us RAAF kids would walk to school. Safety in numbers. One day one poor young guy on our street went ahead alone for whatever reason on the morning walk to school, and came running back home past us, crying, with blood streaming down his scalp. That sort of thing leaves an impression on you :shock:
Yep. I was about 6 back in the days when we walked a mile to school. My brothers had lagged behind.
Next thing I know my right ear explodes. Total jaw drop. No idea what had happened.
Looked around and could see this magpie with puffed up chest and evil hateful eyes sitting back up on a power pole behind me threatening to go me again.
I was absolutely petrified....as soon as I turned my back to start running away, it launched for me again....I could hear it sqawking and feel the air moving around my head from its wings....one of the scariest memories of my childhood....had no idea how to get away from it....cried my way to school and had blood all over my shirt and ear. my brothers were useless.
I've never underestimated magpies since, in mating season.
Out of it, they can be lovely.

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Ancientflatulence
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Re: 2018 Magpie thread

Postby Ancientflatulence » Tue Oct 02, 2018 12:54 am

Interesting about the magpie going straight for the other eye. A few years ago I watched a pair of magpies attacking a topknot pigeon. They were both going for the eyes of the pigeon and actually blinded it after chasing and attacking repeatedly as it attempted to flee multiple times. They did not have a nest nearby and I didn't see where the pigeon ended up and whether they were trying to kill it to eat it. But is was astounding to see the lengths they went to to get at the pigeon's eyes.

brokenbus
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Re: 2018 Magpie thread

Postby brokenbus » Wed Oct 03, 2018 11:05 am

How is the Brisbane River loop for Magpies at the moment? I am taking the family up next week and its always preferable to avoid where possible.
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nemo57
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Re: 2018 Magpie thread

Postby nemo57 » Wed Oct 03, 2018 11:48 am

There's one that got after me 7 times along the Metropolitan Ring Road path between Edgars Rd and Dalton Rd the other day; it was more persistent than the previous time I was up there, but only swooping at the crown of my head.

RobertL
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Re: 2018 Magpie thread

Postby RobertL » Wed Oct 03, 2018 1:15 pm

brokenbus wrote:How is the Brisbane River loop for Magpies at the moment? I am taking the family up next week and its always preferable to avoid where possible.
I did a riverloop early last Thursday and we had no problems. None of the more regular riverloopers mentioned anything about problem birds either. So, you're now guaranteed to be attacked :wink:

brokenbus
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Re: 2018 Magpie thread

Postby brokenbus » Wed Oct 03, 2018 2:08 pm

RobertL wrote:
brokenbus wrote:How is the Brisbane River loop for Magpies at the moment? I am taking the family up next week and its always preferable to avoid where possible.
I did a riverloop early last Thursday and we had no problems. None of the more regular riverloopers mentioned anything about problem birds either. So, you're now guaranteed to be attacked :wink:
Thanks- they will probably get the wife!!
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Cheesewheel
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Re: 2018 Magpie thread

Postby Cheesewheel » Sun Oct 07, 2018 1:14 am

Just got some wiggle spam peddling (boom, tish) cycling insurance against magpie attacks (amongst other forms of accident and misadventure one may be likely to encounter).
Go!Run!GAH!

Tamiya
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Re: 2018 Magpie thread

Postby Tamiya » Sun Oct 07, 2018 3:02 am

brokenbus wrote: Thanks- they will probably get the wife!!
BYO bait/decoy always good. Effective for mozzies too :D

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outnabike
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Re: 2018 Magpie thread

Postby outnabike » Sun Oct 07, 2018 1:10 pm

I wonder if this is a working solution.

Imagemaggies like eyes. 1 by Paul, on Flickr
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CKinnard
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Re: 2018 Magpie thread

Postby CKinnard » Sun Oct 07, 2018 6:17 pm

outnabike wrote:I wonder if this is a working solution.
Just remember, eyes don't work. (on the back of the helmet).


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Bunged Knee
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Re: 2018 Magpie thread

Postby Bunged Knee » Sun Oct 07, 2018 6:32 pm

Thinking of putting the automatic pop up spikes with sensors built in lids when it fly closer to it.

But it would classify as animal cruelty.
ID please? What ID? My seat tube ID is 27.2mm or 31.6mm depending on what bikes I ride today.thanks...

CKinnard
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Re: 2018 Magpie thread

Postby CKinnard » Sun Oct 07, 2018 11:12 pm

What could be worse than getting hit by a magpie?
Hit by a flying deer.

edited to update url changed by uploader
Last edited by CKinnard on Mon Oct 08, 2018 3:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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kb
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Re: 2018 Magpie thread

Postby kb » Mon Oct 08, 2018 12:37 pm

CKinnard wrote:What could be worse than getting hit by a magpie?
Hit by a flying deer
Indeed. Happened right in front of me at L’Etape a couple of years ago.
Image

JohnAng
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Re: 2018 Magpie thread

Postby JohnAng » Mon Oct 08, 2018 2:40 pm

nemo57 wrote:There's one that got after me 7 times along the Metropolitan Ring Road path between Edgars Rd and Dalton Rd the other day; it was more persistent than the previous time I was up there, but only swooping at the crown of my head.
road that path all the way to craigieburn on Sunday with no issues, though there was one close to the end of the path at craigieburn that did swoop some riders but not others?????????

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Mububban
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Re: 2018 Magpie thread

Postby Mububban » Mon Oct 08, 2018 4:05 pm

Does the cable tie hedgehog approach work?
When you are driving your car, you are not stuck IN traffic - you ARE the traffic!!!

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outnabike
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Re: 2018 Magpie thread

Postby outnabike » Mon Oct 08, 2018 4:17 pm

I rode through a park and got the beak snapping beside my ear. I have no Problems with that.

There was one a morning ride right beside the Princes high way ...on a bike path. This Maggie grazed my left cheek but didn't draw blood.
I thought great now I have a sword fighters honorable scar, but fortunately no blood appeared.

I reckon if these aggressive birds have the right to attempt to blind me I have the right to defend my self.

So I watch the shadow of the beastie as it comes in for a swoop and give it a good blast on the Airzound. This has two effects...It scares the bird and creates the belief in the passers by...(that haven't seen my assailant), that the bloody cyclist is completely crazy.

There may be some truth in that thought. :D
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trailgumby
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Re: 2018 Magpie thread

Postby trailgumby » Mon Oct 08, 2018 9:37 pm


enduro2
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Re: 2018 Magpie thread

Postby enduro2 » Thu Oct 11, 2018 10:40 pm

I've been swooped many times in my years cycling, never any real contacts. Mostly they are from behind as maggies just don't seem to be able to catch up with me cycling at ~30km. They are also reactionary so leave the perch as I am passing them.

Where I live, there is a lot of bushland and parks and it is quite unfortunate that there is a lot less magpie numbers about than there were some years ago.

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g-boaf
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Re: 2018 Magpie thread

Postby g-boaf » Fri Oct 12, 2018 6:23 am

enduro2 wrote:I've been swooped many times in my years cycling, never any real contacts. Mostly they are from behind as maggies just don't seem to be able to catch up with me cycling at ~30km. They are also reactionary so leave the perch as I am passing them.

Where I live, there is a lot of bushland and parks and it is quite unfortunate that there is a lot less magpie numbers about than there were some years ago.
They certainly can catch people at high speeds. I've been doing 55km/h and those things can catch you, even at those speeds!

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K2
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Re: 2018 Magpie thread

Postby K2 » Sat Oct 13, 2018 3:00 am

enduro2 wrote:I've been swooped many times in my years cycling, never any real contacts.
Chin up and just keep putting yourself out there. There are plenty more magpies in the sea. :)
enduro2 wrote:Mostly they are from behind as maggies just don't seem to be able to catch up with me cycling at ~30km.
Or...do they just not want to? :wink:
enduro2 wrote:They are also reactionary so leave the perch as I am passing them.
Hmmm. It's starting to sound political.

Magpies are pretty quick to start with, when they want to be, and dropping in from tall trees or off street lighting gives them a very easy start. I've regularly been continuously harried by one over several hundred metres for the last handful of years that has no trouble catching up, stalling to drop back when I raise an arm, and then diving back in on the other side, repeatedly, sometimes whilst I'm managing to maintain around 40kph. In fact most bird species I observe down the local park don't seem to have any trouble exceeding 40ish [judging by the ease with which they overtake whilst I'm sitting around 30ish], even bigger, not quite as agile aviators like ibis and egrets.

One of my favourite cycling memories was a yellow tailed black cockatoo [not known for any great speed] dropping out of a tree next to the road just in front of me down near Pimpama. It was only a few feet above my head and maintained a heading directly in front of me as it slowly flapped away whilst I was travelling along in the high 30s. From behind it looked very much like one of those toy bird mobiles that hang from kid's ceilings. Just brilliant.

The reason magpies generally don't leave their perch until passing is that they're smart, can work out trajectories on the fly, as it where, and are usually just going to hurry you on your way from behind anyway. You're clearly going to pass them, or their nesting site. Why waste energy rushing to meet you just to do a u-turn? And they might be aggressive, but they're not that mad as to think that shirtfronting you is going to end well for them.

If those in your area have difficulty catching up, they're either lazy, too well fed, or possibly feeling the effects of pesticides, which may account for the decreasing numbers. And on that cheery note, there are a lot more magpies around than those few that decide to add swooping to their skillset. Perhaps those in your area just don't see you as a threat....or attractive. :)

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g-boaf
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Re: 2018 Magpie thread

Postby g-boaf » Mon Oct 22, 2018 7:42 pm

Grown men afraid of harmless little birds:

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal ... 50b6d.html

I've been wanting to roll out that line, it was conspicuous by its absence from this magpie season.

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