Magpie swooping season

[Tigers!]

On Sat a few fellows from our church cycling group started to ride to Geelong, the next regional city from Melbourne, Victoria heading along the north western edge of Port Philip.I was never going to Geelong but rather to Lara to see my daughter Laura. Lara is the town before Geelong. I had never done this ride before. Made it to my daughter's. Spent some time with her and headed back to Melbourne. I was rather pleased with my effort. I had not done a ride this long since Mar. 2022. The picture shows the Strava record of the ride.

One of the joys of the great outdoors in southern Aust. during Sept-Oct is the swooping of the Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen). During this time the magpies are mating, nesting and laying their eggs. The males are extremely territorial and will swoop and attack any perceived threat with cyclists, dogs, prams and strollers etc. being favourite targets. I have been swooped in the past, pretty well every year, as have my friends. This ride was no exception. The brown dot on the picture above shows where a most ferocious magpie swooped me on the way home.
When the male (90% of the time) attacks they come from the rear quadrant and are usually very silent. This one was was very quiet. When they crash they beat you with their wings and use their claws to hold onto your ears and rip at you. Occasionally its large bill will peck your helmet. I have never had that happen but have seen the finish of a helmet with magpie pecks. Eight (8) times the magpie crashed into me. I was forced to get off my bike and walk backwards facing the magpie till out if its territory. Usually the magpies will defend a 120-150m stretch of ground. This one was> 200m.
Here is the result on the right ear after a quick clean up at home. The left was just as bad. I had blood inside both ears, down my neck and onto the right shoulder on my jersey. The worse ever swoop I have experienced.

The one that attacked me was not quite as large as the sculpture shown earlier (but close to it).
The spot was a known attack point and I have been swooped there twice before. Was tired and not alert.
The magpie has a most melodious warble and hearing this tune is one of the best parts of dawn/dusk on a nice spring or autumnal day.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

I've never had much bird trouble, but I'm thinking of one day long ago with my mother's cat. I think it was a mockingbird rather than a magpie, but whatever it was it most certainly didn't approve of cats and would swoop from behind. Bird strikes, the cat jumps to try to catch it and of course failed. But it certainly looked like the bird strike flipped over the whole cat. Unfortunately, that was in the era of film where you wouldn't think of having a camera running in the hope of catching something.