Mark, Please Confirm: Swooping Season in Australia

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Apparently in Australia there is a time of year where magpies attack and they call it swooping season. Is this everywhere in Australia?

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Testing two ways of keeping magpies from messing your shit up: branches in helmet (please Mark, do this next season and gopro it), and eyes on the back of the helmet

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[Padd]

Never heard of such. Time to bring out the shotgun!

[Darth Turbogeek]

Yes, confirmed! This occurs everywhere Australian Magpies are between late August and early October - approx 5% of male Magpies are seriously aggressive and have in fact killed children. Two cyclists I am aware of got surprised attacked and fell off in front of traffic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ahW9308f7A

This is someone from one of the cycling groups I'm with. The first bird shown on another ride attacked a group of thirty riders and caused a major crash

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wHreVKgOT4

CSIRO reseach into Magpie attacks.

I cant count the number of overseas people who just look incredulous and dont believe Magpies are such feathery balls of human hate in spring that strike fear into even the late Steve Irwin. Everything you have heard or seen about Aussie Magpies is completely true.

(While most animals in Australia will kill you given the chance, they dont go out of their way to do it. Magpies however are fucking bastards)

[Halajiin Rabeak]

In that case, for those months should magpies be re-named to "drop birds?"

[Darth Turbogeek]

The McGraths Hill Mauler aka Osama Bin Magpie is once again actie and out for blood. But this year the bastard has worked out the alt routes cyclists take to avoid it and is bombing them too.

That birs is truly extraordinary for it's hate for cyclists.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"Survival of the fittest" ~ the magpie, probably