21 October 2009

What Magpies Swoop

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In an effort to stop cyclists wearing the silly cable ties on their helmets which have become all the rage for the last 3 years some members of the CSIRO have done an exhaustive study on what magpies will swoop.

But the law says you still have to wear a helmet.

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grunge_hippy said :

that’s bullshit.

back in the day before helmets were law, i got swooped until i bled riding my bike. happened all the time.

scarred me for life!!!

I’ll second that…apart from the being scarred for life bit. I used to get swooped all the time riding to school years ago and it just taught me to ride faster through maggie territory. Hasn’t had any long term…….LOOK OUT! MAGGIE…… effect on me what so ever.

I don’t understand what all the fuss is about anyway. Recently there’s been a heap news stories/articles etc some making out almost like it’s a new phenomenon. It happens the same time every year.

I agree with the feeding comments, I have the local maggie family (now complete with chick) follow me around my yard when I’m digging etc and they get a feast of worms and bugs. Never been swooped in my neighborhood.

Anna Key is right, some maggies are just dickheads.

From bd84:

“That reminds me that they need to do something about the plague of magpies that are living in City Walk area in the City. There are way too many magpies in that area than it can handle due. Their ability to scavange food from the eateries has allowed their numbers to grow, plus they crap absolutely everywhere”.

I would much prefer they leave the magpies alone and concentrate on the ever increasing numbers of the Spare Change franchise who are becoming ever more insistent and aggressive – but who, it must be conceded, go into alley ways for a poop or a pee….

I recently saw a Magpie swoop a Postie riding his motorbike in the middle of heavy traffic on Northbourne Ave in Downer. Pretty sure Anna Key is right about their nature – they like to have fun, and picking fights is fun for some of them.

Head on over to youtube and check out the multiple magpie vids there, particularly one of a couple of kids in their paddock amusing themselve by dodging Plovers (search for “plubbers” I think!) The quality is terrible, but the kids diving onto the deck continuously for several minutes while the cameraman laughs like a Hynea is worth it.

wow – phil – and others involved… your bravery is outstanding !!!

what a great experiment – thanks so much i feel so much safer now xx

Gungahlin Al6:34 am 22 Oct 09

che said :

I think people missed the “exhaustive study” point. It was just people mucking about with a camera in their own time, some of whom happen to work at the CSIRO.

Yes there seems to be a growing trend towards no sense of humour among posters here lately.

Postalgeek said :

I was disappointed that even with two video cameras attached to the helmet at one stage, they failed to provide any ‘slam cam’ action shots of the magpie coming in. I mean, if you’re going to go to the trouble of duct taping two cams to your helmet to ward off a sociopathic bird, you might as well press ‘record’.

And to add to that, the helmet smacks of next-generation Stack Hat. They need to account for a helmet’s dag factor. And any dwib will tell you that you never see anything in nature defend itself with Elmo eyes. Why? Because everything that has tried Elmo eyes has been eaten.

LOL – thanks for countering the humour vacuum. I too wondered about the slam cam footage.

I was disappointed that even with two video cameras attached to the helmet at one stage, they failed to provide any ‘slam cam’ action shots of the magpie coming in. I mean, if you’re going to go to the trouble of duct taping two cams to your helmet to ward off a sociopathic bird, you might as well press ‘record’.

And to add to that, the helmet smacks of next-generation Stack Hat. They need to account for a helmet’s dag factor. And any dwib will tell you that you never see anything in nature defend itself with Elmo eyes. Why? Because everything that has tried Elmo eyes has been eaten.

Use a 2 kiloton nuke. Just to be sure.

It seems to me that the ones in more “used” areas don’t swoop – for example the entire loop around Lake Tuggeranong there are heaps of maggies but they seem to ignore you? I always take a little fold up umbrella just in case though lol

Maybe it’s because they are just used to constant people/dogs/bikes going past all the time??

I have heard of someone who did a study on swooping behaviour and the conclusion was that although there is a territorial aspect to swooping, some magpies are just dickheads who want to pick a fight. Basically the equivalent of Mooseheads at 2am

The so called study can be shot down pretty quickly, the majority of people have been been swooped with and without wearing a helmet.

Also, it is notnatural for a magpie to swoop anything other than animals or other birds and any magpie that does should be either relocated or euthanised. There are plenty of magpies around that do not swoop humans at all.

That reminds me that they need to do something about the plague of magpies that are living in City Walk area in the City. There are way too many magpies in that area than it can handle due. Their ability to scavange food from the eateries has allowed their numbers to grow, plus they crap absolutely everywhere.

old canberran said :

Great video and an unexpected conclusion. It would be nice if they did one on plovers which I reckon are worse than magpies.

True. God, that bloodcurdling screech ! I hate the things.

grunge_hippy8:20 pm 21 Oct 09

that’s bullshit.

back in the day before helmets were law, i got swooped until i bled riding my bike. happened all the time.

scarred me for life!!!

I think people missed the “exhaustive study” point. It was just people mucking about with a camera in their own time, some of whom happen to work at the CSIRO.

The problem is not wearing a helmet will only work for the magpies that only attack helmets.

I knew a magpie that would only attack black dogs and no others.

It depends on the bird. That solution will not work everywhere. Trust me, or don’t. 🙂

Regarding the comments about tax dollars and CSIRO: the people involved are a group of friends who did it in their own time on a public holiday, and some are actually from the ANU.

p1 said :

HILARIOUS!!!

Our tax dollars hard at work right there.

Actually, I think CSIRO made a profit last year. I know they made a lot of money from licencing their patent on WLAN technology.

Really? Good for them!

“In which case I would think that rather than pointing straight up (pointless when you think about it – they can’t get you through the helmet), people should mount them sticking out around the fringes to protect from strikes to the back of neck, ears and face…?”

yep your correct, magpies are welcome to smash into my helmet as fast as they can, its ones that come in from the side for my eyes and ears im worried about.

old canberran2:15 pm 21 Oct 09

Great video and an unexpected conclusion. It would be nice if they did one on plovers which I reckon are worse than magpies.

Gungahlin Al2:10 pm 21 Oct 09

AngryHenry said :

Our tax dollars hard at work right there.

Being daylight savings, we do actually have some daylight hours outside work hours during which people can do want they wish, no?

Gungahlin Al2:03 pm 21 Oct 09

NoAddedMSG said :

That is fantastic. Although, I always thought that the point of the cable ties wasn’t to deter the magpie, rather they were to prevent the magpie from getting quite so close to your head.

In which case I would think that rather than pointing straight up (pointless when you think about it – they can’t get you through the helmet), people should mount them sticking out around the fringes to protect from strikes to the back of neck, ears and face…?

Weaselburger12:40 pm 21 Oct 09

ha great timewaster during work hours guys. I can’t have pets where I live so i feed the magpies, (sometimes)and lo and behold they don’t bight the hand that feeds them because this is the 3rd and probably only 3 in 12) season i havn’t been swooped. best solution ever

There is a second video in the sequence where they come up with a solution to the problem of the legal requirement to wear a helmet with their finding that magpies won’t swoop someone with no helmet on.

http://www.youtube.com/user/gib395#p/a/u/0/ES_n4DgJDHs

Some people have way to much time on their hands, but nonetheless research I can actually benefit from. I am scared whitless by them I have to admit. I run the otoehr way if I hear one giving off a warning that it is there.

HILARIOUS!!!

Our tax dollars hard at work right there.

Actually, I think CSIRO made a profit last year. I know they made a lot of money from licencing their patent on WLAN technology.

alternately, walk/cycle with a dog – the maggies swoop my hound when we walk and she seems almost entirely oblivious to them. (which also implies riding while wearing a dog suit might also be the trick..?)

I have a couple of fake fluro eyes stuck on my helmet. I refuse to ride around looking like my head has been in sexual congress with an echidna

Hahaha! Great research!

I’ve found the best deterrent is to have a big red dog (like a ridgeback) with you. The birds totally ignore you and terrorise the dog instead (who has great fun in trying to nip them as they swoop).

Hells_Bells749:42 am 21 Oct 09

HappyDaisy – I’m sure as Hell they kept the boogey man away though! 😉

“I made comment to her that those cable ties were my laugh of the year! Ridiculous to look at lol (although I did of course sympathise with their reasoning).”

No more ridiculous than the painted eyes on the back of the bright yellow helmets from the 90’s. They sure as sure didn’t work.

That is fantastic. Although, I always thought that the point of the cable ties wasn’t to deter the magpie, rather they were to prevent the magpie from getting quite so close to your head.

HILARIOUS!!!

Our tax dollars hard at work right there.

brilliant!

Facinating. So try the experiment with a merkin attached!

Well isn’t that just gold?

I quite like the look of the cable ties. Might catch on worldwide.

Hells_Bells748:05 am 21 Oct 09

Lol.. Good job and most brave!

A friend in facebook was complaining the other day about being attacked by a magpie until her head bled (she was walking I think). So I still wouldn’t trust no helmets as your only defence. I still find a good ole staring match with them has always kept my head safe, I’m not sure how but I doubt I would be able to on a bicycle anyway.

I made comment to her that those cable ties were my laugh of the year! Ridiculous to look at lol (although I did of course sympathise with their reasoning).

Joe Canberran8:03 am 21 Oct 09

That was awesome! 😀

so helmets are obviously a government conspiracy

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