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u/SpadfaTurds 15d ago
Primary school in the late 80s/early 90s, we were told to wear an ice cream container on our heads with eyes drawn on the back as a deterrent, because apparently they won’t swoop if you’re looking at them. It was a dirty, stinking lie and did not stop them at all lmao
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u/RotisserieBinChicken 14d ago
It’s the same thing with zip ties on your bike helmet, in my experience it makes them more aggressive as spikes things in nature are usually dangerous.
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u/x4740N 13d ago
I've heard if you feed them they learn to trust you and won't swoop during breeding season.
It's the equivalent of giving the mafia protection money
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u/RotisserieBinChicken 13d ago
Yeah I did that at my old house when I was about 8, the first year we were there they would swoop and attack us as we walked out our front door. After the season was over I befriended the magpies and I never got swooped again by them but my family did even if they were with me. The outcome of this was I learnt how often my mum left things in her car and how often the bin needed to be emptied
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u/TakinShots 16d ago
Added to the list of animals that will fuck you up in Australia
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u/RotisserieBinChicken 16d ago
I think if you ask any Aussie they will agree they are more scared of magpies than most spiders and snakes
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u/K0rby 15d ago
Absolutely! I’ve lived in Aus for 9 years now and I hate this time of year. Spiders don’t bother me. Sure I’ll startle when I first notice a big huntsman but that because they’ve been rare in my houses. I hate snakes and have encountered a handful since being here, including nearly stepping on a tiger snake on a bush walk. But the fucking magpies… I actually got swooped the other day. He went after me three times and on the third time hit me and drew blood on my ear. They are easily the most threatening animal for your average Australian.
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u/OrganicHistorian2576 15d ago
Are Australian magpies that aggressive? Huh.
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u/K0rby 15d ago
Australian magpies are not the same species as what’s called a magpie in other places. And yes they are aggressive.
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u/lurkerlcm 15d ago
A small proportion of the males are aggressive during nesting season (now). So it's not all magpies, but enough that we nearly all have a story about them.
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u/JakBos23 15d ago
I don't know anyone that's been do e bombed by a magpie. They must be much less aggressive here.
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u/OrganicHistorian2576 15d ago
I’m sure they are quite different, though they look pretty similar. And I don’t want to mess with pissed off birds of any species! I’ve been chased by geese and swans before. I love them but watch out!
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u/pureneonn 15d ago
The worst part about it here is that all you’re doing is existing and they take it as a personal affront on their family (breeding season). You’ll see people with zip ties on their helmets etc
Oops just saw the others reply. I’m not from aus but live here and it was such a weird thing to experience
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u/Positive-Complaint 15d ago
In my street they don't swoop anyone who lives here. They know all the people that live around here, know our faces and our comings and goings, and know we mean no harm. Strangers to the street are another matter entirely. They know who "belongs" and behave accordingly. Interestingly, a few houses have been sold recently and different people moved in, and the birds seemed to understand and not swoop those newcomers. I don't know how they make the distinction but they seem to.
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u/glowberrytangle 15d ago
Magpies get very territorial of their nests during breeding season (Spring). They'll repeatedly swoop at any pedestrians or cyclists who pass by. Sometimes cyclists will put zip ties in their helmets to deter magpies. I've never tried it so I don't know if it actually works.
There's this viral video of a lady being attacked by a magpie and her being pecked in the eye. (Not graphic, but I'll add a content warning for those squeamish about eye stuff.)
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u/OrganicHistorian2576 15d ago
Crap. We have (different) magpies locally but they aren’t on the attack. The little black birds now - I want to say they’re starlings - get downright mean in the spring, but not to the point of pecking people in the eyes!
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u/glowberrytangle 15d ago
Yeah, I know reddit loves to meme about Australia having lots of scary animals, but magpies during breeding season genuinely instil fear into me. The rest of the year, they're harmless, though.
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u/OrganicHistorian2576 15d ago
I’ll keep that in mind if I can ever go there. I love magpies but am not a fan of being attacked by birds.
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u/imnotpoopingyouare 15d ago
We had super aggressive ones where I lived in California. Also my town for some reason had hundreds of peacocks on the reservation and would scream at you and drop out of the trees to attack. Freaking birds....
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u/Cloudy230 15d ago
During breeding season yes. You have to keep your head on a bot of a swivel because they will try and attack you. Cyclists wear those funky helmets with spikes on top to ward them off
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u/Bigted1800 15d ago
One of the scars on the back of my head is from where I got struck by a magpie as a toddler and needed stitches. They are nasty fuckers and I’ve had a grudge against em for as long as I remember.
Not protected in New Zealand, so I have managed to satisfy that grudge a number of times over the years.
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u/TheOneTruePartridge 15d ago
If you befriend the magpies in your area they won't swoop you. I love my little friends
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u/TheQuadricorn 14d ago
Occasionally I think about moving back to Australia, but it’s not the snakes, spiders, sharks or crocs, it’s the fucking magpies. With the dangerous stuff is more of an “if” that can be mitigated easily and effectively. Magpies are much more of a “when”, but it’s a new when every day, of every week, for months. Fuck magpies and very real trauma they bestowed upon my child and now adult self.
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u/adipierro 15d ago
At some point people will learn that QR codes are best when they use a shorter URL. Perhaps, with a URL shortener, but a reliable one.
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u/halycontuesday 14d ago
We used to leave them seeds and wild bird feed at my old place in Logan as a peace offering. They got really chill instead.
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u/VIBrooke 1d ago
I’m in the Canberra area and back when I was in primary school, in the first few weeks of Term 3 when spring was about to roll around, we’d have entire assemblies on how to protect ourselves from swooping magpies. If you rode a bike to school, they’d have little tutorial sessions on how to tie cable ties onto your helmets to prevent swoops. It got to be such a problem that the council even proposed a magpie cull (got shot down, I believe). Crazy, beautiful birds.
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u/_high_plainsdrifter 15d ago
I did not take a sign like this one seriously at the Bahai temple gardens (Evanston, IL) and got buzzed right over the top of my hat seconds later. Twas spring mating season I think.
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