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Out walking with the pram and one of those delightful (sense the sarcasm) maggies swooped us.
When I moved to Aus, all I was worried about were snakes, spiders, sharks and jelly fish. Turns out the pretty birds are savage too.
Hehehe, missy was in her pram just staring at mummy swearing her head off. :lol:
*must keep language to a minimum in front of baby*
I realised it was crazy magpie season when I got home from walking the dog yesterday and found the cat under siege. The poor thing looked so confused.
I still love them despite their annual insanity - it's the warbling that wins my heart. Imagine the Australian bush without magpies singing.
LOL, Onyx, the first time I got swooped 4 years ago when we moved here, I was so upset and confused. Back home, they sing the most beautiful songs - here we get attacked!!!! Hehe.
They are gorgeous but scary!!!!! I see them attacking people all the time, relentlessly!
Oh no!! Did it get you?
I hate Magpie season.
When we were kids we used to go outside with our bike helmets on during magpie season lol.
LOL, no it didn't get us thank goodness. I could feel the flapping and hear the screeching though, so ran for cover whilst flapping my arms, swearing a whole lot and trying to push the pram at the same time. :ROFL:
OMG me too!!!! We had to change walking paths this week ;) I take a blanket and wave it over my head too, must look a right fool but at least they dont get too close :)
Onyx....you are so right, what would spring be with out ducking and weaving away after the sounds of beautiful warbling :)
Yeugh I hate magpies!
You'll have to get one of those bike helmets with all the straws sticking out of them :rofl:
Apparently if you draw eyes on the top of a hat they leave you alone.....
Might just walk with an umbrella for the next few weeks. Will look like an idiot but rather that than have my head split open!!
On the news the other night they were saying that there are some particularly aggressive ones somewhere in Brisbane (I forget where) and one woman said that kids walk past her house with bleeding heads!!! OMG!:o
You can buy glue on eyes at Riot Art. I'm thinking of putting them on the boys' hats.
LOL, the first year I was attacked was when I rode my bike to work. Someone told me about the eye thing so I got a magazine and cut out Britney Spears' eyes (when she shaved her head and looked a bit mental) and put them on the back of my helmet. Never got attacked again.
If I ever see Britney in person I will thank her. She is very good at scaring maggies. :ROFL:
PMSL. Pfft to all those naysayers out there that said Britney had no talent.
ETA - The cable ties on the helmet are for magpies? Because I saw a guy like that today and I thought that he was maybe a bit touched in the head or perhaps trying to attract an alien lady.
Oh yeah - the cable ties are for magpies - and they work - but you have to use the really big ones.
I was swooped today too - and had the pram top up and I am sure that the blasted thing almost ended up in there with DD!
It just seems to be a way of life here. When I got to work that day I first got swooped I was a nervous wreck and everyone was all concerned about me when i said I'd been "attacked" and when I told them what did it, they all laughed and said "oh yeah, it's maggie season" - like i should have known what the heck that meant!!!!!
I remember the first time I got swooped, I was a blubbering mess I was so scared :lol:
rotten magpies! I've luckily never been swooped, but I remember as a kid being so frightened of them!
In all seriousness though, I am terrified now. :(
They can be scary things.
Regards,
Dianne
Ah that time of year again! Must do as a PP said & change my walking path! I got swooped when I was a teenager so badly my head bled! I've never forgotten it.
At least while you may feel silly waving your arms & yelling, passers by will have nothing but sympathy for you.
Bring on the end of the season, that's all I can say!! :)
Its scary hey...but they are just protecting thier young....I bet if we felt threatend someone was going to hurt our babies we would swoop them too lol!
:hug: Hope your not to shaken xx
Not only do i have to watch out for magpies but we have a lovely pluvver who loves to fly over my head screeching.. DP told me to take the umbrella and try and whack them :lol:
couldnt you just picture a lady pushing a pram down a path and then all of a sudden pull out an umbrella and start runing around chasing birds! :rofl:
My sisters took my brother out to the park when he was 3 and he returned bleeding from the head. Apparently he went near a baby magpie and the mother attacked him! :o hes now petrified of them.
Any cable ties work on bike helmets. Sparkly pipe cleaners are good too, and, you know, a touch more glam than the other two wheeled commuters.
A friend insists that if you're familiar in their territory, they won't swoop. The ones round here don't swoop, but one has followed me into the house looking for food.
Wearing sunglasses on top of your head also apparently works. Alternatively, go the Britney idea, but with a hat - maybe get an op shop or old hat and do up a special maggie season piece?
It is scary. I hate it so much, have only just recovered from my fear after my last swoop two years ago.
That is SUCH a good point Boomba!!:
I hate Magpies and Pluvver's!! As if I want to steal their babies!!! Darn things!!!:
I was going to suggest wearing sunglasses on top of your head too. Here in Adelaide we have magpies that swoop in the main street. I used to walk through their territory on the way to work. I only ever got swooped when I was wearing black - nearly lost an eye the last time. It's a shame 'cause it's so nice walking through the parklands this time of year, but I was always too alert for magpies to really enjoy it.
Up until 1980 (yes you read it right!) I lived in woop woop, literally and NEVER got swooped. Within 2 yrs of living in suburbia, I was swooped to the point it had me laying on the ground! A man came out and threw pebbles at it..........he later turned out to be a high school teacher of mine! lol I am also scared of Maggies!
There are also other birds that swoop.....smaller version of a Maggie....PeeWee???????????
xxxx
Aww I dont think they want to be hit for protecting their babies :( I love the pluvvers in our area they have the cutest little babies running around atm.
We know your not going to hurt them but they dont...instinctive parenting at its best! But its scary when they come at you hey!
I remember being a kid and a magpie nearly took out my brothers eye...we didnt go near that tree again till the bird had moved on...scared the life out of my little brother.
do you remember those hats that came out...one had dame ednas face on the top of it! they were hillarious!
Agree take an umbrella or wear a helmet with some eyes. They have a right to be here too. I think people forget how much territory humans have invaded. The animals shouldn't always have to be the ones to make way.
Not all magpies swoop. They swoop because they feel threatened. If you hit out at them they will feel more threatened. Protect yourself passively.
Goodness, yeah, I totally agree krysalyss - as Boomba mentioned before, we'd do the same if someone was trying to hurt our babies!! They are scary, is all!
I have my umbrella at the ready to put up when we are walking today! LOL
This thread has me in stitches...I know bad humour but swooping magpies always make me laugh. Last year I got my karma though, I was waiting for a tram and watching all these people get swooped across the road and silently giggling and then it came and swooped me! I wasn't laughing then!!
My parents have a shocking one on their property. It sees you in the front garden and comes across the paddock (like 150 metres or more) to swoop us. So much for being famiar in their territory. Also, how are we anywhere near their nest???
DP almost just got swooped about 10 mins ago.
For some reason this magpie hates him (might be the one he drenched the hose back in january) but we were walking up the path near our house and i could see this bird coming towards us and it was going for his head! i screamed "watch out!" and he ducked and it did a weird thing over his head then landed about 2 meters away. he gave me his drink and was going to get it but i told him not to because if he thought someone was after our DD he would 'swoop' them too and he then he starts ranting :lol: :rofl:
Arrrh there is a really aggressive one at the end of our street that is swooping, Might have to try the eyes on the top of our hats. We live in a col-der-sac so no other way out if we want to go for a walk. They are so scary at this time of year.