Swooping Magpies?

Make sure your daughter doesn’t looser her stick… the dogs will live… jeezus!

Snakeman said :

We had one last week and it killed off 2,000 frozen mice and rats in the freezer … ouch!

You keep frozen live mice and rats? Weird…

“VG, you do get a bit worked up about a bird don’t you. It’s scary to think you are allowed to carry a handgun in your day job…….”

What are you talking about?

Funky Claude said :

“Perhaps you should reevaluate living in Australia. If the magpies don`t get your daughter, than the red backs, funnel webs, centipedes, flotilla of snake species, sharks, jellyfish, bees, wasps, mosquitoes, crocodiles, buffaloes and if the Darwin newspapers are to believed, horny kangaroos will.”

tastrojax added
“ch, no dingoes? the seventh day adventists will be on to you about this. and you could add collingwood players…”

Can I add a few things as well.
I am a snake catcher and do kids reptile parties with venomous snakes, crocodiles, etc, for a living and I can tell you that in the real world, they are hardly a risk at all!
Playing with them daily for over 40 years, including world’s five deadliest snakes and I am still here!
Things that ARE dangerous and scare me are bent cops carrying guns, drunken drivers, speed and red-light cameras, ASIO spooks and power cuts!
We had one last week and it killed off 2,000 frozen mice and rats in the freezer … ouch!
PS We’ve used frozen road-killed magpies in the past to feed the snakes, but gave up when my daughter told me she was a “magpies” supporter…
All the best
Snakeman

Funky Claude said :

Perhaps you should reevaluate living in Australia. If the magpies don`t get your daughter, than the red backs, funnel webs, centipedes, flotilla of snake species, sharks, jellyfish, bees, wasps, mosquitoes, crocodiles, buffaloes and if the Darwin newspapers are to believed, horny kangaroos will.

tch, no dingoes? the seventh day adventists will be on to you about this. and you could add collingwood players…

For what it’s worth, I have three hens free-ranging in my backyard, and have no magpies around. So perhaps get some chooks to drive the magpies out?

Other than that, bribery does work – my parents’ place used to have upwards of 20 friendly magpies visiting since people in the neighbourhood were in the habit of offering them treats. One or two would swoop during the worst part of their nesting season, but most of them would bring their fledglings around to visit the nice humans (still extremely protective, but they’d bring them around to the good feeding spots all the same).

DeadlySchnauzer said :

I’m not saying we should go out and kill all magpies, simply that parents worried about the safety of their kids deserve a bit more respect than “ha ha you so stoopid”. It’s all about taking appropriate measures to mitigate potential risks.

Here’s a tip – it’s not about you. Go back and look at the posts by vg and (here’s a tip) the responses to those posts, and you’ll have a better idea of what’s going on.

I think you’ll find that *almost* everyone here actually agrees with your stated position.

This thread is awesome. I’m not saying we should go out and kill all magpies, simply that parents worried about the safety of their kids deserve a bit more respect than “ha ha you so stoopid”. It’s all about taking appropriate measures to mitigate potential risks.
You wouldn’t walk through a dark alley at 2am in civic (well maybe you would) even thou the chances of something actually happening are very small, and likewise you shouldn’t just dismiss magpies swooping kids as all a bit of fun.

So once again for the OP benefit, here is the TAMS link which has actual useful information: http://www.tams.act.gov.au/play/pcl/wildlife/local/livingwithmagpies

Also i don’t like your shoes.

Jethro said :

When I was a child I was regularly attacked by Magpies and Plovers. This was the result of my poorly educated peasants only being able to afford raising me on the suburban rim of Brisbane (present day middle suburbs), where wildlife still had a foothold.

I would rather be attacked by 1000 Magpies than a pair of nesting Plovers…. those evil hell-birds will chase a child until he thinks he is going to pass out from exhaustion and then force him to keep running for another couple of k’s. Most plovers will film their attacks and post them on youtube , so that their Plover friends can laugh at the fearful reaction of the child. These birds are so evil that the mere sound of their war-cry in flight is enough to send a child running for a hidey-hole, in a manner similar to the Vietcong when hearing the Ride of the Valkyries being played from the helicopter of a slightly unhinged Colonel. There are urban legends that these birds are armed with spurs on their wings. Unfortunately, these legends are true.

So, in answer to your question. Take your child for a walk through a field populated by nesting plovers. The terror they experience will be such that the fear-factor of a Magpie attack will be so diminished that they will face their black and white adversary in a manner that can only be described as cocksure.

Jethro! Funniest thing I have read all week! Awesome!!!

p1 said :

sirocco said :

…they’ll put up warning signs a few metres either side of the danger-spot (? swooping zone? whatever)…

Call it the Danger Zone and hum the Topgun theme, then make fighter-plane engine noises as they swoop….

Bwahahahahahaha! I am SO doing that next time it happens – and I’ll imagine it’s Capt RAAF sitting in the magpie’s navigator’s seat :p

I loved it when i was a kid and i got hammered by an angry magpie. My mates and I used to deliberately go out and try and find a particularly disturbed one, one that would attack and keep attacking.

How seriously cool! Heart pumping like a locomotive, fight or flight mechanisms kicking in. Do you risk it and run? Or hit the deck like a marine in Hue? Do you crawl away to safety or make the crazy brave run for a tree or bus shelter or anything? Man, it was so much fun. Scary, oh yeah, but fun.

And great bragging rights if the little bugger drew blood.

🙂

Love it! Scary fun is good for any kid. (BTW “Demagogue”?? I’m still cheezed orf with losing my Veteran status for this second rate sounding classification…)

peterepete said :

I’d like to see Google Maps with a little icon for Magpie swooping zone. Not sure what the icon would like…

Now there’s an iPhone app idea.

I loved it when i was a kid and i got hammered by an angry magpie. My mates and I used to deliberately go out and try and find a particularly disturbed one, one that would attack and keep attacking.

How seriously cool! Heart pumping like a locomotive, fight or flight mechanisms kicking in. Do you risk it and run? Or hit the deck like a marine in Hue? Do you crawl away to safety or make the crazy brave run for a tree or bus shelter or anything? Man, it was so much fun. Scary, oh yeah, but fun.

And great bragging rights if the little bugger drew blood.

🙂

Plus chicks really dig that shit.

Jethro said :

When I was a child I was regularly attacked by Magpies and Plovers. This was the result of my poorly educated peasants only being able to afford raising me on the suburban rim of Brisbane (present day middle suburbs), where wildlife still had a foothold.

I would rather be attacked by 1000 Magpies than a pair of nesting Plovers…. those evil hell-birds will chase a child until he thinks he is going to pass out from exhaustion and then force him to keep running for another couple of k’s. Most plovers will film their attacks and post them on youtube , so that their Plover friends can laugh at the fearful reaction of the child. These birds are so evil that the mere sound of their war-cry in flight is enough to send a child running for a hidey-hole, in a manner similar to the Vietcong when hearing the Ride of the Valkyries being played from the helicopter of a slightly unhinged Colonel. There are urban legends that these birds are armed with spurs on their wings. Unfortunately, these legends are true.

So, in answer to your question. Take your child for a walk through a field populated by nesting plovers. The terror they experience will be such that the fear-factor of a Magpie attack will be so diminished that they will face their black and white adversary in a manner that can only be described as cocksure.

Yep, plovers used to make us dive flat onto the ground to avoid them, and they would attack front on. Although we were deliberately in their territory…

vg said :

Tell that to the parents of kids blinded by magpies. A number of publicly known incidents in this town alone.

What’s the difference between a tennis racquet and a stick? Both will stop the maggie stone dead. Like saying that its more humane to shoot it with a .22 instead of a .38.

If a magpie swooped my daughter in our driveway it wouldn’t need intervention from anyone else but myself, and wouldn’t be a problem for long

Yep, kids blinded by Magpies – must be thousands of those in Canberra! I’m guessing many more kids lose their sight for reasons other than Magpie attacks – and usually probably because of their own stupidity.

VG, you do get a bit worked up about a bird don’t you. It’s scary to think you are allowed to carry a handgun in your day job…….

Anyway, why should Magpies be moved on for being aggressive? Canberra’s full of aggressive humans who can’t be moved on – but bloody well should be.

I’d rather stand beneath a Magpie’s nest during nesting time, than take my chances in Civic on most Friday or Saturday nights.

When I was a child I was regularly attacked by Magpies and Plovers. This was the result of my poorly educated peasants only being able to afford raising me on the suburban rim of Brisbane (present day middle suburbs), where wildlife still had a foothold.

I would rather be attacked by 1000 Magpies than a pair of nesting Plovers…. those evil hell-birds will chase a child until he thinks he is going to pass out from exhaustion and then force him to keep running for another couple of k’s. Most plovers will film their attacks and post them on youtube , so that their Plover friends can laugh at the fearful reaction of the child. These birds are so evil that the mere sound of their war-cry in flight is enough to send a child running for a hidey-hole, in a manner similar to the Vietcong when hearing the Ride of the Valkyries being played from the helicopter of a slightly unhinged Colonel. There are urban legends that these birds are armed with spurs on their wings. Unfortunately, these legends are true.

So, in answer to your question. Take your child for a walk through a field populated by nesting plovers. The terror they experience will be such that the fear-factor of a Magpie attack will be so diminished that they will face their black and white adversary in a manner that can only be described as cocksure.

Bribery by feeding does the trick. We’ve been feeding the same magpie family for years and they never swoop.

I’d like to see Google Maps with a little icon for Magpie swooping zone. Not sure what the icon would like…

Why don’t you ALL STFU!

DeadlySchnauzer said :

Ah try telling that to the kids who are permanently blind in one eye after a magpie attack (here’s a tip, google “magpie swooping lost eye”). Or the kid who died last month when he panicked during a magpie attack and ran in front of a car.

Don’t forget to ban electricity due to the number of people electrocuted each year. Or ban metal cutlery due to the number of people electrocuted while fiddling in toasters with knives (or kids sticking knives into those cute smiley face slots on the wall).

I had “wonderful” experiences with a magpie that used to swoop people at the pine trees in Latham on the corner of Southern Cross and Kingsford Smith drives. It would go all out, drawing blood from at least one person every day. The local community was up in arms and wanted the magpie removed, until it turned out that it was their children throwing stones at the magpie that had worked it up into such a rage. I’m pretty sure it was removed anyway, since my later highschool years were surprisingly magpie-free.

I’m trying hard to find some reference about people losing eyes to magpies, but I’m only seeing lots of injuries which would include penetrating wounds to the eyelids and sockets. The only story I can find about someone losing their sight was Maddison Hall of Mandurah who was at risk of losing her sight (no follow-up of course, since it’s the horrible attack that gets the news during swooping season, not the victim recovering quite happily afterwards). Can anyone help? My Google-fu is failing me today.

DeadlySchnauzer said :

Jim Jones said :

OMG swooping magpies, won’t someone think of the children!!!

Ah try telling that to the kids who are permanently blind in one eye after a magpie attack (here’s a tip, google “magpie swooping lost eye”). Or the kid who died last month when he panicked during a magpie attack and ran in front of a car.

Magpies can swoop with varying levels of aggressiveness. If you have never experienced one of the really aggressive ones then STFU and stop belittling what can be a genuine issue and danger for kids.

Your childhood must have sucked!

DeadlySchnauzer said :

Magpies can swoop with varying levels of aggressiveness. If you have never experienced one of the really aggressive ones then STFU and stop belittling what can be a genuine issue and danger for kids.

I’ve experienced quite aggressive magpies on a number of occasions, and had one crack my head open and had a whole bunch of stitches.

These experiences have not led me to believe that an appropriate response to being swooped is to “kill any magpie that swoops children” (as my post is directed at – if you missed that, have another look at the post prior to mine).

Really, this is about how to deal with swooping magpies, but yet again we have a representative from the lynch mob squealing: KILL IT KILL IT KILL IT.

I find it a little disturbing that calls to kill native wildlife (an illegal act, buy the way) go by unnoticed, but anyone who takes the piss about this attitude gets told to STFU.

In closing, no – *you* can STFU.

sirocco said :

…they’ll put up warning signs a few metres either side of the danger-spot (? swooping zone? whatever)…

Call it the Danger Zone and hum the Topgun theme, then make fighter-plane engine noises as they swoop….

fgzk said :

Mincemeat applied in the afternoon and morning. If your child helps with the feeding then she too may benefit from the swoop free zone. They generally don’t swoop the hand that feeds. The added bonus is that you get to observe magpie behaviour close up.

Thanks for being the voice of reason in what is turing into a retarded slugfest.

For chrissakes people get a friggin grip. This is ridiculous.

Jim Jones said :

OMG swooping magpies, won’t someone think of the children!!!

Ah try telling that to the kids who are permanently blind in one eye after a magpie attack (here’s a tip, google “magpie swooping lost eye”). Or the kid who died last month when he panicked during a magpie attack and ran in front of a car.

Magpies can swoop with varying levels of aggressiveness. If you have never experienced one of the really aggressive ones then STFU and stop belittling what can be a genuine issue and danger for kids.

Ah. Just re-read the OP. I guess the stick is your only real solution – just swing it about your head, don’t worry about the bird; they’re capable enough to avoid it.

Also, start feeding your magpies bits of meat – by this time next year you won’t be troubled by swooping maggies; I’ve done this and the end up quite friendly, actually bringing their little uns to you to be fed

trickyxr said :

People whio are in fear or who have been injured by a magpie should contact tams and have the magpie Removed, If you are court harming the bird yourself you may be charged. Thats right in it Jim

Jim Jones said :

Actually, trickyxr, I think you’ll find TAMS will do precisely feck-all about requests to remove a magpie.

Actually, when TAMS are notified about a swooping magpie they’ll put up warning signs a few metres either side of the danger-spot (? swooping zone? whatever) on both sides of the road outlining the risks of wandering/riding through, suggesting that pedestrians/riders take an alternative route or if they can’t take an alternative route then to walk (off the bike) briskly through.

Why not take an alternative route? Most spots I get swooped at are on small, suburban roads with plenty of other options…

Mincemeat applied in the afternoon and morning. If your child helps with the feeding then she too may benefit from the swoop free zone. They generally don’t swoop the hand that feeds. The added bonus is that you get to observe magpie behaviour close up.

“threats to your children” … oh the lolz

OMG swooping magpies, won’t someone think of the children!!!

vg said :

Jim Jones said :

vg said :

Jim Jones said :

Pommy bastard said :

Buy your daughter a tennis racquet.

Perhaps it’s best *not* to teach children that cruelty to animals is appropriate.

But self-defence isn’t?

If the birds are attacking an actual threat then well and good. If they are attacking someone because they are remotely near a nest then they should be destroyed, as we would do to a dog, which is also not an endangered species.

There’s a rather big difference between being swooped by a magpie and attacked by a dog.

There’s also a rather big difference between self-defence (carrying a stick, for example), and whacking a magpie with a tennis racket. It’s completely unnecessary.

Tell that to the parents of kids blinded by magpies. A number of publicly known incidents in this town alone.

What’s the difference between a tennis racquet and a stick? Both will stop the maggie stone dead. Like saying that its more humane to shoot it with a .22 instead of a .38.

If a magpie swooped my daughter in our driveway it wouldn’t need intervention from anyone else b

Jim Jones said :

vg said :

Jim Jones said :

Pommy bastard said :

Buy your daughter a tennis racquet.

Perhaps it’s best *not* to teach children that cruelty to animals is appropriate.

But self-defence isn’t?

If the birds are attacking an actual threat then well and good. If they are attacking someone because they are remotely near a nest then they should be destroyed, as we would do to a dog, which is also not an endangered species.

There’s a rather big difference between being swooped by a magpie and attacked by a dog.

There’s also a rather big difference between self-defence (carrying a stick, for example), and whacking a magpie with a tennis racket. It’s completely unnecessary.

Tell that to the parents of kids blinded by magpies. A number of publicly known incidents in this town alone.

What’s the difference between a tennis racquet and a stick? Both will stop the maggie stone dead. Like saying that its more humane to shoot it with a .22 instead of a .38.

If a magpie swooped my daughter in our driveway it wouldn’t need intervention from anyone else but myself, and wouldn’t be a problem for long

A stick is intended to dissuade the magpie from swooping (or swooping too close), it’s not a weapon.

Killing native wildlife (or any living creature) because of its inconvenience or an exaggerated sense of the threat it poses makes you a piss-poor role model for children.

Listening to someone acting all tough guy about swooping magpies is also quite hilarious.

Says the self-professed hard magpie libertarian himself.

There’s nothing tough about removing threats to your children. Manly, the right thing, logical, but not necessarily tough. Clearly you possess none of those qualities, as its ut myself, and wouldn’t be a problem for long

all about the birds for you. I’ll put my kids first. Farmers have been offing them for decades, no-one bats an eye lid.

Piss poor role model for kids in your assessment, which has proven worthless over the years, so I’ll dry my eyes and deal with it

Not that I condone such illegal actions but a possible solution ?

http://www.aacblog.com/?p=761

I’m Joking ok ….

They just get sick of swooping me as I studiously ignore them and ride on through …

Jim Jones said :

Actually, trickyxr, I think you’ll find TAMS will do precisely feck-all about requests to remove a magpie.

Well, they might put you on the suspect list of a maggie turns up dead….

Why would they do anything, when they can wait a few weeks and the complaints will go away for a year? As people have stated, they are intelligent birds and quite happy to interact when they get to know you;

Helping with motorcycle maintenance.
Helping empty the vacuum cleaner.
Making sure the compost is safe
Helping clean the BBQ
Not enjoying the rain

“I have watched this maggie and I don’t know how to stop him from going after my daughter, (or the dogs).”

Instead of watching tha maggie swoop your daughter, why not walk alongside her and you get swooped instead.

Maybe we could ask the Government to establish a working group to look at establishing a committee to investigate the need for a Government department to look at what needs to be done with the magpies and how they adversly affect society and their positive effects on society. We dont want to have a repeat of the stolen generation with native magpies growing up in families full of european pigeons.

Actually, trickyxr, I think you’ll find TAMS will do precisely feck-all about requests to remove a magpie.

trickyxr said :

Ring the government and they will remove it if it is to aggresive, People also have the right to live without fear of attack from magpies. When i was a kid at school i remember that a school mate died after having some sort of siezure while been attacked from a magpie. just ring canberra connect 132281

People whio are in fear or who have been injured by a magpie should contact tams and have the magpie Removed, If you are court harming the bird yourself you may be charged. Thats right in it Jim

Jim Jones said :

Pommy bastard said :

Buy your daughter a tennis racquet.

Perhaps it’s best *not* to teach children that cruelty to animals is appropriate.

Maybe it would be a good idea to teach them the concept of “a joke”, though.

Just a thought.
🙂

Jim Jones said :

trickyxr said :

Jim Jones said :

trickyxr said :

Jim Jones said :

trickyxr said :

People also have the right to live without fear of attack from magpies.

Um … no. That’s just silly – you’ve extended the notion of ‘rights’ beyond the brink of absurdity. Not even the ACT human rights bill covers tripe like this.

UM……YES. Your wrong they have been removed before and will be removed again. Much the same as removing other wildelife that puts humans in danger, such as snakes or do you suggest that is tripe as well

You’re = you are

Go back and read my post – then perhaps use your head and stop bleating about ‘rights’.

Hey Jim What is your Problem, I mentioned Right once and I didnt mean it in terms of the law.I meant it in terms of a little kid not been afraid to walk on her own driveway.

Where did you mention You’re? you mentioned you’ve, so get off what ever it is you are on if you dont like my comments then ignore them, it seems as if you have very little else to do Then to pick apart a simple response to a person who is having a problem with a magpie, Grow up Jim

My problem is people who start banging on about ‘rights’ in the most stupid contexts. Let’s look at your statement again: “People also have the right to live without fear of attack from magpies.”

I can honestly say that’s about the stupidest ‘right’ I’ve ever seen mentioned. Every time you or some other intellectual giant starts banging on about ‘rights’ in this self-evidently moronic fashion, you devalue the *actual* notion of rights.

Let’s get this straight:

No-one has a ‘right’ not to be swooped
No-one has a ‘right’ to well cooked scrambled eggs on crunchy sour-dough bread
No-one has a ‘right’ to anything else you want to dream up

Finally

No-one has the ‘right’ to say stupid things and not be criticised for it … perhaps even lampooned mercilessly by some anonymous internet jerk

I have the right to believe that you are a idiot.
I have the right to believe its this parents right to get rid of the magpie.
I have the right to eat scrambled egg sandwichs.
I have the right to turn right.
RIGHTO Jim now go away.

Funky Claude said :

Perhaps you should reevaluate living in Australia. If the magpies don`t get your daughter, than the red backs, funnel webs, centipedes, flotilla of snake species, sharks, jellyfish, bees, wasps, mosquitoes, crocodiles, buffaloes and if the Darwin newspapers are to believed, horny kangaroos will.

You forgot drop bears.

I used to have a similar problem when I lived in Watson, couldn’t go out my front or back door without being attacked.

So I started feeding them, and they became very curious and eventually friendly, to the point where they would sit at my front door at the same time every day waiting for a feed sometimes they were even confident enought to trot into the house if I left the door open and be hand-fed.

All I gave them was some dog kibble and they loved it.

It only took a week or two, and I never had trouble with them again.

Magpies are pretty intelligent as far as birds go.

john87_no1 said :

And on the third day, God created the Remington bolt-action rifle…..

GOLD!

If the magpie lives in a tree next to the drive way, then it is that birds territory just as much as your daughters. Or are you suggesting that having paid to live there your property rights are greater then the bird’s?

Seriously though, little kids are about the only people I think can justifiably be scared of maggies. They aren’t that big.

The ones that live at my place will swoop people on the path, then land next to me in the garden and eat the bugs next to my feet as a dig…

Perhaps you should reevaluate living in Australia. If the magpies don`t get your daughter, than the red backs, funnel webs, centipedes, flotilla of snake species, sharks, jellyfish, bees, wasps, mosquitoes, crocodiles, buffaloes and if the Darwin newspapers are to believed, horny kangaroos will.

vg said :

Jim Jones said :

vg said :

Jim Jones said :

Pommy bastard said :

Buy your daughter a tennis racquet.

Perhaps it’s best *not* to teach children that cruelty to animals is appropriate.

But self-defence isn’t?

If the birds are attacking an actual threat then well and good. If they are attacking someone because they are remotely near a nest then they should be destroyed, as we would do to a dog, which is also not an endangered species.

There’s a rather big difference between being swooped by a magpie and attacked by a dog.

There’s also a rather big difference between self-defence (carrying a stick, for example), and whacking a magpie with a tennis racket. It’s completely unnecessary.

Tell that to the parents of kids blinded by magpies. A number of publicly known incidents in this town alone.

What’s the difference between a tennis racquet and a stick? Both will stop the maggie stone dead. Like saying that its more humane to shoot it with a .22 instead of a .38.

If a magpie swooped my daughter in our driveway it wouldn’t need intervention from anyone else but myself, and wouldn’t be a problem for long

A stick is intended to dissuade the magpie from swooping (or swooping too close), it’s not a weapon.

Killing native wildlife (or any living creature) because of its inconvenience or an exaggerated sense of the threat it poses makes you a piss-poor role model for children.

Listening to someone acting all tough guy about swooping magpies is also quite hilarious.

Using an umbrella is always a good deterent but it won’t last forever…good luck 🙂

Sheesh – “wear”.

“My Daughter catches the bus to and from school every day “

I thought all schools these days have a requirement for students to where a wide brimmed hat as part of their uniform? I know my kids’ school does.

So…problem solved. All the fun and excitement of getting swooped that we all had as Canberra kids, but none of the injury potential.

niftydog said :

I have never had a magpie swoop me while I’ve been watching it. Don’t know what troll-sniffer’s objection is, but it works brilliantly for me.

Same, although I prefer to wear a pair of sunglasses when looking at them.

Jim Jones said :

vg said :

Jim Jones said :

Pommy bastard said :

Buy your daughter a tennis racquet.

Perhaps it’s best *not* to teach children that cruelty to animals is appropriate.

But self-defence isn’t?

If the birds are attacking an actual threat then well and good. If they are attacking someone because they are remotely near a nest then they should be destroyed, as we would do to a dog, which is also not an endangered species.

There’s a rather big difference between being swooped by a magpie and attacked by a dog.

There’s also a rather big difference between self-defence (carrying a stick, for example), and whacking a magpie with a tennis racket. It’s completely unnecessary.

Tell that to the parents of kids blinded by magpies. A number of publicly known incidents in this town alone.

What’s the difference between a tennis racquet and a stick? Both will stop the maggie stone dead. Like saying that its more humane to shoot it with a .22 instead of a .38.

If a magpie swooped my daughter in our driveway it wouldn’t need intervention from anyone else but myself, and wouldn’t be a problem for long

An open ubmrella works better than a stick imho. Just walk along with it as if it were raining (which it sort of is, raining magpie) and she should be fine.

My childhood memories are filled with magpie attacks. We had one up the street that attacked me every morning and afternoon during swooping season.

I found that feeding them in the off-season really helped. They get to know you. 🙂

In the meantime, as long as your daughter protects her eyes (perhaps even sunnies with good coverage) and has her stick – she will be fine…. It’s a part of growing up in Canberra.

As scary as it was, I think the experience was rather character building.

trickyxr said :

Jim Jones said :

trickyxr said :

Jim Jones said :

trickyxr said :

People also have the right to live without fear of attack from magpies.

Um … no. That’s just silly – you’ve extended the notion of ‘rights’ beyond the brink of absurdity. Not even the ACT human rights bill covers tripe like this.

UM……YES. Your wrong they have been removed before and will be removed again. Much the same as removing other wildelife that puts humans in danger, such as snakes or do you suggest that is tripe as well

You’re = you are

Go back and read my post – then perhaps use your head and stop bleating about ‘rights’.

Hey Jim What is your Problem, I mentioned Right once and I didnt mean it in terms of the law.I meant it in terms of a little kid not been afraid to walk on her own driveway.

Where did you mention You’re? you mentioned you’ve, so get off what ever it is you are on if you dont like my comments then ignore them, it seems as if you have very little else to do Then to pick apart a simple response to a person who is having a problem with a magpie, Grow up Jim

My problem is people who start banging on about ‘rights’ in the most stupid contexts. Let’s look at your statement again: “People also have the right to live without fear of attack from magpies.”

I can honestly say that’s about the stupidest ‘right’ I’ve ever seen mentioned. Every time you or some other intellectual giant starts banging on about ‘rights’ in this self-evidently moronic fashion, you devalue the *actual* notion of rights.

Let’s get this straight:

No-one has a ‘right’ not to be swooped
No-one has a ‘right’ to well cooked scrambled eggs on crunchy sour-dough bread
No-one has a ‘right’ to anything else you want to dream up

Finally

No-one has the ‘right’ to say stupid things and not be criticised for it … perhaps even lampooned mercilessly by some anonymous internet jerk

vg said :

Jim Jones said :

Pommy bastard said :

Buy your daughter a tennis racquet.

Perhaps it’s best *not* to teach children that cruelty to animals is appropriate.

But self-defence isn’t?

If the birds are attacking an actual threat then well and good. If they are attacking someone because they are remotely near a nest then they should be destroyed, as we would do to a dog, which is also not an endangered species.

There’s a rather big difference between being swooped by a magpie and attacked by a dog.

There’s also a rather big difference between self-defence (carrying a stick, for example), and whacking a magpie with a tennis racket. It’s completely unnecessary.

Jim Jones said :

Pommy bastard said :

Buy your daughter a tennis racquet.

Perhaps it’s best *not* to teach children that cruelty to animals is appropriate.

But self-defence isn’t?

If the birds are attacking an actual threat then well and good. If they are attacking someone because they are remotely near a nest then they should be destroyed, as we would do to a dog, which is also not an endangered species.

PBO said :

I’m afraid homeschool is the only solution if your child is that soft, I would recommend some cotton wool but apparently that is a gateway object to becoming a junkie.

+1 🙂

Captain RAAF said :

An air-rifle pellet, deftly delivered at considerable fps, will stop a swooping magpie in it’s tracks.

Best to knock the troublesome ones off so they don’t pass the swooping gene onto too many baby maggies!

There’s lots of Magpie’s out there so don’t be too concerned about the odd one getting a high velocity lead injection, they won’t be missed.

Hey I like this idea do you Jim

And on the third day, God created the Remington bolt-action rifle…..

Jim Jones said :

trickyxr said :

Jim Jones said :

trickyxr said :

People also have the right to live without fear of attack from magpies.

Um … no. That’s just silly – you’ve extended the notion of ‘rights’ beyond the brink of absurdity. Not even the ACT human rights bill covers tripe like this.

UM……YES. Your wrong they have been removed before and will be removed again. Much the same as removing other wildelife that puts humans in danger, such as snakes or do you suggest that is tripe as well

You’re = you are

Go back and read my post – then perhaps use your head and stop bleating about ‘rights’.

Hey Jim What is your Problem, I mentioned Right once and I didnt mean it in terms of the law.I meant it in terms of a little kid not been afraid to walk on her own driveway.

Where did you mention You’re? you mentioned you’ve, so get off what ever it is you are on if you dont like my comments then ignore them, it seems as if you have very little else to do Then to pick apart a simple response to a person who is having a problem with a magpie, Grow up Jim

Captain RAAF said :

An air-rifle pellet, deftly delivered at considerable fps, will stop a swooping magpie in it’s tracks.

Best to knock the troublesome ones off so they don’t pass the swooping gene onto too many baby maggies!

There’s lots of Magpie’s out there so don’t be too concerned about the odd one getting a high velocity lead injection, they won’t be missed.

can’t see if the tongue is firmly in cheek or not, or if the good captain is maintaining his role as the village curmudgeon.

Captain RAAF said :

An air-rifle pellet, deftly delivered at considerable fps, will stop a swooping magpie in it’s tracks.

Best to knock the troublesome ones off so they don’t pass the swooping gene onto too many baby maggies!

There’s lots of Magpie’s out there so don’t be too concerned about the odd one getting a high velocity lead injection, they won’t be missed.

Maybe. I prefer to use a flame-thrower.

trickyxr said :

Jim Jones said :

trickyxr said :

People also have the right to live without fear of attack from magpies.

Um … no. That’s just silly – you’ve extended the notion of ‘rights’ beyond the brink of absurdity. Not even the ACT human rights bill covers tripe like this.

UM……YES. Your wrong they have been removed before and will be removed again. Much the same as removing other wildelife that puts humans in danger, such as snakes or do you suggest that is tripe as well

You’re = you are

Go back and read my post – then perhaps use your head and stop bleating about ‘rights’.

Empty ice cream bucket inverted on the head. Make sure you draw eyes at the back of the container.

They swoop, you panic and run away. They learn that swooping you go away. So stand there, and they lose interest.

An air-rifle pellet, deftly delivered at considerable fps, will stop a swooping magpie in it’s tracks.

Best to knock the troublesome ones off so they don’t pass the swooping gene onto too many baby maggies!

There’s lots of Magpie’s out there so don’t be too concerned about the odd one getting a high velocity lead injection, they won’t be missed.

Jim Jones said :

Pommy bastard said :

Buy your daughter a tennis racquet.

Perhaps it’s best *not* to teach children that cruelty to animals is appropriate.

+1

Can’t say it works for all magpies but it seems to work for the aggressive one stalking me on my bike at the moment. Magpies aren’t the bravest of birds; they tend to swoop from behind. So raise your hand head high and work it like you would a sock puppet, the snapping ‘mouth’ facing to the rear.

Whether the magpie sees some snapping snake or a mentally unbalanced target doesn’t really matter. The main thing is that it tends to back off a bit when I do that.

Do you look a bit of a dork doing it? Yes. As dorky as cable ties? I don’t think so. The trade-off is your choice.

http://www.tams.gov.au

Are Swooping Magpies Dangerous?

Yes they can be. When magpies swoop they beat their wings, clack their beaks and occasionally peck or scratch. Accidents can occur because people, particularly children, panic. Remember magpies are simply trying to protect their territory.

STAY CALM, protect your face and walk away quickly.
Aggressive Magpies

A magpie may become aggressive towards people because it has been harassed in the past. Please do not throw things at magpies or chase them. Stay away from their nests and young, especially birds that are learning to fly. This will help reduce magpie swooping.

Magpies usually swoop from behind, just clearing the top of your head. Some may strike the top of your head or ears with their beak or claws.

Particularly aggressive magpies can attack from any angle and should be reported to Territory and Municipal Services as soon as possible.

TAMS Can Help By:

* Giving more detailed advice about how you can live with magpies.
* Providing swooping bird warning signs.
* In extreme cases, and as a last resort, removing problem birds.

Call an Urban Wildlife Ranger

* Mitchell Depot (Northside) (02) 6207 2113
* Athllon Depot (Southside) (02) 6207 2087

Jim Jones said :

trickyxr said :

People also have the right to live without fear of attack from magpies.

Um … no. That’s just silly – you’ve extended the notion of ‘rights’ beyond the brink of absurdity. Not even the ACT human rights bill covers tripe like this.

UM……YES. Your wrong they have been removed before and will be removed again. Much the same as removing other wildelife that puts humans in danger, such as snakes or do you suggest that is tripe as well

I have never had a magpie swoop me while I’ve been watching it. Don’t know what troll-sniffer’s objection is, but it works brilliantly for me.

I know it’s not always possible, but ideally you spy them before they go on the attack and just keep an eye on them as you walk through their territory; if they look like making a move, wave your arms above your head. Usually only the rabidly aggressive birds will take a chance at launching an attack whilst their target is watching them.

Pommy bastard said :

Buy your daughter a tennis racquet.

Perhaps it’s best *not* to teach children that cruelty to animals is appropriate.

The guberment will only remove a magpie if it is deemed aggressive. From what I can tell it has to be packing a couple of uzis to be deemed agressive, because behaviour such as “striking the top of your head or ears with their beak or claws” is deemed perfectly normal and not grounds for removal. (see http://www.tams.act.gov.au/play/pcl/wildlife/local/livingwithmagpies ).

We have a local one in a heavy foot traffic area that terrorises the local neighbourhood and goes straight for the head of anyone and everyone (seriously, we can hear the screams from our house throughout the day… it makes beefy defence personnel cower and scuttle past in fear). The guberment deemed that all that was needed was a couple of signs (it still attacks you well away from these).

Let us know if you have any luck getting one removed.

Ahh yes, as a child I had many a war story of magpie attacks. The anticipation of being swooped is exciting!

I’m afraid homeschool is the only solution if your child is that soft, I would recommend some cotton wool but apparently that is a gateway object to becoming a junkie.

trickyxr said :

People also have the right to live without fear of attack from magpies.

People have the right to diddly squat when it comes to nature.

trickyxr said :

People also have the right to live without fear of attack from magpies.

Um … no. That’s just silly – you’ve extended the notion of ‘rights’ beyond the brink of absurdity. Not even the ACT human rights bill covers tripe like this.

But anyways – I’m afraid there’s not much you can do to stop the magpie going after your daughter. They’re strange creatures, and if they swoop a person once, they’ll continue to target that person until their swooping is over. Probably a good idea to get your daughter to try feeding the magpies (in the swooping off-season) to build up a good relation and hope it holds over into swooping season.

I used to get swooped by 2 or 3 separate magpies while walking to school when I was a little tike, and I remember how scary it can be. On the positive side, you do learn how to deal with it and become somewhat inured.

Timely post. A mate of mine told me on the weekend that he cured a couple of swooping magpies by yelling at them (and I mean yelling top of his voice) as they swooped. They now sit in the tree and watch him pass by apparently.

I was hoping my local swooper would be in attendance yesterday to test the method but it was nowhere to be seen, so I will have to wait until it has another go to try this out.

Sounds like it’s worth a try. If not, I find just walking or riding head down twirling a stick above the head keeps them at bay. There’s only a couple of weeks left in the swooping season in most cases anyway.

The absolute worst thing you can do is acknowledge, stare down, or throw anything at a magpie. Ignore them and keep a stick handy to discourage swooping.

And if there’s a dog you can take, all the better, the magpie will normally go the dog in preference and few dogs mind too much.

Buy your daughter a tennis racquet.

It’s only for a couple of months each year. The dogs will survive…and so will your daughter if she remembers to take her stick each day. It’s really no biggie…we all have stories from our younger days of how we survived the attacks of the local magpies..let your daughter have her own stories too.

Ring the government and they will remove it if it is to aggresive, People also have the right to live without fear of attack from magpies. When i was a kid at school i remember that a school mate died after having some sort of siezure while been attacked from a magpie. just ring canberra connect 132281