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#11
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dealing with magpies
ross_w wrote:
This is pretty much a question for Australian readers, unless there are other countries with birds that get aggressive during nesting season. My problem is that my route to work takes me past a magpie nesting tree. Last September these magpies attacked me every time I went past this tree, and I have the dents in my helmet to show for it. they tend to fly up and attack from behind your head with their beaks. Going down the hill is OK because I am gone before they notice I'm there. Coming back, I'm climbing in low range and it is more difficult to escape. Does anyone have ways that they discourage these attacks? I have heard of painting large eyes on the back of the helmet and using a visibility pennant higher than your head (they attack they highest point apparently. Do any of these work? Right now the birds are not nesting, but once winter is over they'll be back, and I want to be ready for them... Oh and magpies are protected in NSW, so solutions involving the death or injury of the birds are probably not legal. Cable ties protruding from the helmet seem to work. Make sure that they are protecting your ears as well, and wear glasses. If you've got the time, stop and look at the offending bird. Unlike many other birds, a magpie will never swoop while you're watching it (the theory behind the extra set of eyes glued to the helmet - but they learn fast). Sometimes staring at them for long enough seems to disuade them from swooping when you set off again. They don't seem to realize that pedestrians and cyclists are the same species. Many will attack one but not the other, bringing into question the effectiveness of making friends by feeding them. John |
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#12
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dealing with magpies
On Apr 8, 4:37 pm, John Henderson wrote:
ross_w wrote: This is pretty much a question for Australian readers, unless there are other countries with birds that get aggressive during nesting season. My problem is that my route to work takes me past a magpie nesting tree. Last September these magpies attacked me every time I went past this tree, and I have the dents in my helmet to show for it. they tend to fly up and attack from behind your head with their beaks. Going down the hill is OK because I am gone before they notice I'm there. Coming back, I'm climbing in low range and it is more difficult to escape. Does anyone have ways that they discourage these attacks? I have heard of painting large eyes on the back of the helmet and using a visibility pennant higher than your head (they attack they highest point apparently. Do any of these work? Right now the birds are not nesting, but once winter is over they'll be back, and I want to be ready for them... Oh and magpies are protected in NSW, so solutions involving the death or injury of the birds are probably not legal. Cable ties protruding from the helmet seem to work. Make sure that they are protecting your ears as well, and wear glasses. If you've got the time, stop and look at the offending bird. Unlike many other birds, a magpie will never swoop while you're watching it (the theory behind the extra set of eyes glued to the helmet - but they learn fast). Sometimes staring at them for long enough seems to disuade them from swooping when you set off again. They don't seem to realize that pedestrians and cyclists are the same species. Many will attack one but not the other, bringing into question the effectiveness of making friends by feeding them. John I have seen this too. There are a pair of magpies that nest in the main st of Maitland. The council pruned the trees in spring last year and left this one branch that had magpies nesting in it. I bet they were surprised to have their hidden home exposed for all the world to see... Anyway these magpies have hundreds of people walking past in the mall below every day and don't respond at all. Ride past on a bike though... So the council don't need rangers in the springtime to enforce their "no bikes in high st mall" rule, the magpies do it for them. I think it comes down to the familiar vs the unfamiliar. My parents had a pair of magpies nesting in the big ironbark in their backyard. She would feed them occasionally and they never touched us or anyone emerging from the house. Kids walking past on the path outside the fence were fair game. Thanks to all for your suggestions. I will take a small bag of mince with me now and then and hopefully come September the magpies will know me well enough to leave me alone. If not, I'll try some of the other suggestions. |
#14
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dealing with magpies
'Magpies are omnivores and eat most anything. So soaked cat/dog chow, hard boiled eggs, fruit and insects would provide a decent diet in the meantime.' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corvidae http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_gazza_ladra I'm pleased the magpie is in the jay family. I have a group of jay friends in the backyard calling for peanuts. Jays call, I crack several peanuts, wet and put out on the feeder. Jays are intelligent and conversational in sign/body language like crows. Crows are the bird equivalent of an MLB 3B coach. Today for the first time, I heard the jays talking to each other. Feed the magpie, develop a positive attitude. Magpie are described as commensurate. That attitude is what cycling should cycle thru, a mesh with the environment. |
#15
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dealing with magpies
On Apr 9, 10:11 am, datakoll wrote:
'Magpies are omnivores and eat most anything. So soaked cat/dog chow, hard boiled eggs, fruit and insects would provide a decent diet in the meantime.'http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corvidaehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_gazza_ladra I'm pleased the magpie is in the jay family. I have a group of jay friends in the backyard calling for peanuts. Jays call, I crack several peanuts, wet and put out on the feeder. Jays are intelligent and conversational in sign/body language like crows. Crows are the bird equivalent of an MLB 3B coach. Today for the first time, I heard the jays talking to each other. Feed the magpie, develop a positive attitude. Magpie are described as commensurate. That attitude is what cycling should cycle thru, a mesh with the environment. Dropping some mince for these ones as I ride past may be a good strategy. The plan is to start now, and hopefully by the time nesting season starts they will not regard me as a threat, which appears to be in line with what you are suggesting. Just a point though, you are referring to a different magpie. The Australian one is Artamidae not Corvidae. Artamidae includes butcherbirds, Australian magpies and currawongs. The Australian Magpie looks similar to the European one, and that's how it got its name. They are also well known for being aggressive during the nesting season, bearing in mind they are only protecting their families the best way they know how. Now the three rottweilers that have been seen loose near the same location in Aberglasslyn Rd... Well it's the contents of the water bottle in the face for them! (and pedal faster) followed by a chat with the owner. |
#16
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dealing with magpies
On Apr 9, 10:11 am, datakoll wrote:
'Magpies are omnivores and eat most anything. So soaked cat/dog chow, hard boiled eggs, fruit and insects would provide a decent diet in the meantime.'http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corvidaehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_gazza_ladra I'm pleased the magpie is in the jay family. I have a group of jay friends in the backyard calling for peanuts. Jays call, I crack several peanuts, wet and put out on the feeder. Jays are intelligent and conversational in sign/body language like crows. Crows are the bird equivalent of an MLB 3B coach. Today for the first time, I heard the jays talking to each other. Feed the magpie, develop a positive attitude. Magpie are described as commensurate. That attitude is what cycling should cycle thru, a mesh with the environment. Dropping some mince for these ones as I ride past may be a good strategy. The plan is to start now, and hopefully by the time nesting season starts they will not regard me as a threat, which appears to be in line with what you are suggesting. Just a point though, you are referring to a different magpie. The Australian one is Artamidae not Corvidae. Artamidae includes butcherbirds, Australian magpies and currawongs. The Australian Magpie looks similar to the European one, and that's how it got its name. They are also well known for being aggressive during the nesting season, bearing in mind they are only protecting their families the best way they know how. Now the three rottweilers that have been seen loose near the same location in Aberglasslyn Rd... Well it's the contents of the water bottle in the face for them! (and pedal faster) followed by a chat with the owner. |
#17
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dealing with magpies
AMAZING INTERNET Google Earth gives a view of your town/road and http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/dse/nrenpa...256C290005F61B try pepper spray on the Rotts |
#18
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dealing with magpies
On Apr 8, 1:21 pm, datakoll wrote:
bad karma? where's your status amung animals ? positive? try feeding the magpie. can you whistle? whistle a tune on your approach. something cheerful. christmas tune does it. do aussies whistle "jingle bells"? a favoirte here at consumerville. what does a magpie sound like? whistle magpie and JB change your smell and helmet color when you start whistling and feeding the birds. Alternatively, stop, look around for animal liberationists, draw a slingshot from your pocket (sustainably built from an old tube), pick up a handful of pebbles, stalk the f*cker and when it stops, nail it up the jacksy. Repeat. "You may take the slingshot from my cold, dead hand". Unfortunately, DK, the psychological/genetic/whatever damage is already done on these rogue birds. The worst need to be removed. Donga |
#19
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dealing with magpies
On Apr 9, 11:41 am, datakoll wrote:
AMAZING INTERNET Google Earth gives a view of your town/road and http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/dse/nrenpa...7C25F04F89BCA2... try pepper spray on the Rotts This is the exact spot http://maps.google.com.au/maps/ms?ie...671661002c 5e |
#20
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dealing with magpies
Mike Elliott wrote:
Gracious me -- I've never been attacked by birds before, walking or riding (I live in SoCal). I imagine it could be quite alarming if unexpected! Is that the main issue, the surprise and pest factor? No actual damage done to one's body? While it's very unusual, and mostly limited to the very young or very old, people have suffered significant damage to eyes in attacks by Australian magpies. They approach silently from behind, and it's reasonably common for them to draw blood from scalp or ears unless fended off. Only certain magpies attack humans (maybe 10% to pluck a figure out of thin air) during nesting season, and cyclists seem more likely to be attacked than pedestrians. I believe I've seen magpie parents instructing near-fully-grown young which targets to attack. On the other hand, magpies which are fed by people also tend to "introduce" their young to these human friends in a very close and trusting manner. John |
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