Friday, September 28, 2012

When Magpies Swoop!

I love Spring! Flowers are blooming and the weather is warming up. There is a light breezy feel in the air.....and the magpies are swooping.

I have never been swooped by a magpie. I remember at school a boy was constantly swooped, I always thought it was because of his extremely curly hair and the magpies wanted to nest on his head.

However, my husband has been swooped several times this season as he has riden his bike to work! Clearly I was wrong about nesting in curly hair.

Apparently the male magpie is only trying to protect his nest in a 10-20 metre radius so the female can incubate the eggs and if he doesnt do a good enough job she will kick him out.

My husband did research ideas to deter the magpies, which included:
  • putting cable ties on his helmet and looking like a porcupine - I had always wondered about why cyclists had cable ties sticking out of their helmets and was hoping it wasn't to make a fashion statement,
  • sticking fake eyeballs on his helmet,
  • don't wear a helmet at all, and
  • waving his arm in the air
Apparently none of these are conclusive and maybe the best thing to do is to choose a different route.

[image from here]
Have you ever been swooped? How did you minimise the attacks?

2 comments:

  1. You're husband must be a strong looking man as I hear magpies swoop the most masculine of men to impress their mate

    ReplyDelete
  2. HI Ellen,
    *chuckles* I will have to tell him that, he will be very impressed!!
    SAM (A life on Venus)

    ReplyDelete