blue_neon

I was out for a bit of a ride in the hills the other day, and i had just started off down the track.....i didn't make it around the first corner before getting swooped by a magpie! There are lots of Magpies around my area, and i shortly found out, around my bike track. And it really spoilt my ride with at least one maggy swooping around me at a time. It was really scary, and it sort of put me off riding that track again. But you see its the perfect season for Mountain biking where i am. Just spring and the ground is nice, but not too wet and everything is fresh. But its 'swooping' season, so thats a real dissapoinment. Has anyone ever come across 'animal' problems like this when riding up high in the mountains?

Dannihilator

There were probably nests in the trees, magpies are known to defend their nest.

monolith

There was a maggie nest in a big gum tree on our property years ago and they swooped all the time around spring.
It looks stupid but we used to tape sunglasses to the back of our helmet and that seemed to stop them.

anthonaut

Yeah, down here in Australia, we are heading into the magpie swooping season. Ask Hopper, he reckons there's a technique that you can do with your helmet that uhh.. "stops" it happening. Ever Again. If you know what i mean...

Hopper

I heard that if you time it right and you flick your helmet back just as they hit, you can actually brake their necks (never tried it so I'm not totally sure, but it could work). That taping your sunglasses to the back of the head also works. The idea is that magpies won't swoop if you look at them, and they think that sunglasses are eyes so they don't swoop.

That doesn't always work, I was on a school camp last week, and we were doing a ride. One of the leaders was going along and got swooped, when he saw it coming back he looked at it. The magpie however kept coming, and the guy protected his face with his arm and got hit.

nepaMTBer

What exactly is a magpie?

hooligan

Tis a black bird wit attitude.

nepaMTBer

Could you bring a lighter and a bottle of aeresol spray?

nepaMTBer

Or are they to fast?

rasheed

damn man... bikers get no love from anyone. not even birds

hooligan

You don't use a flame thrower against magpies.
1) You kill them which isn't often good
2) They could just go right throught he flame w/out damage like when your finger goes thorugh a flame with no damage
3) How fast are you going to whip that combo out? If magpies were that slow bikers could pass them long before the magpies would reach the bikers.

littleriderdave

Ive had an uh experience with dogs.
I was in France passing a farmhouse and three dogs came running out and nearly knocked me off my bike, then when i rode away fast, they followed, until their owner called them off!
There are no magpies in england really, so ive not experienced any, although there has been the odd pigeon and crow!

brandon14295

tie 30 razor blades to your helmet. that will teach them.

cryptid01

Has anyone actually ever been hurt by a swooping magpie?

Are these measures necessary?

(silicone caulk would probably hold the razor blades upright pretty well)

rios

sounds like fun

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blue_neon

Well, magpies and any other swooping bird is just protecting its nest and is just trying to scare you off, not even touch you. but it is quite scary because you dont know what its intensions are and you are trying to keep up with its location as it prepares from another swoop. Still as i said it is scary and they can hit you. Apparently putting 'eyes' on the back of your helmet will stop them. Becasue they only swoop from the back (apparently).

Aus_MTB

Well from my experience with magpies i have never actually sustained any damage. Most of them time they dont even make contact with you, they just swoop within a few cm and click their beaks. I have had a couple of small glances to my helmet but nothing major.

Just ride on, it will be over soon but arent the riding conditions awesome at the moment : D

Hitchy

G'day,

aaahh the joys of cycling in Oz in spring!......yep folks, its magpie city out there at the moment. i don't mind the swooping so much, its the ones that connect that scare the crap out of you. I had 2 going simultanously at me on the weekend...both big buggers, bashing into my 'lid'....still it gets the cadence & the HR up!,

cheers,

Hitchy

Funkychicken

no way man, i remember a news story a couple years back about a magpie that had to be put down by wildlife services b/c it was quite viciously attacking a little girl - somewhere in a town around NSW, cant remember where. Although that was an isloated incident (as in i dont think magpies often get that vicious), One actually smacked me on the side of my face with its wing as it flew past and left a nasty cut. i was WALKING at the time (i.e. slow), so it couldn't have misjudged its flight and "accidentally" hit me. having said that, drastic measures (like flamethrowers and razor blades) are hardly necessary, best is to be very careful and ride on out of the area.

blue_neon

Isn't is FANTASTIC!!! its the perfect time for MB riding. The trails are perfect, winter just finished, love it!!! And the temperature is alright aswell, well where i am anyway. Better make the most of it, without getting side tracked by maggies!

anthonaut

Yeah i know what you mean. The dirt is still moist and you can still build stuff with it without getting rained on or boiling to death.

Hopper

On school camp, the guy who was hit (while riding) had pretty bad cuts on their arm. But the bad part is not expecting it, I have nearly come to grief with the shock of getting swooped. It is just totally random and you hardly ever expect it to happen. Also when your not riding (therefore no helmet) it hurts quite a bit if they make contact.

Reggie

been hurt by a kookaburra but not magpies, yeah over in oz magpies are pretty crazy they're always in our front yard lookin for worms and if they can't find any, they start hunting you. You step back one step and they start closin on you like a prey.

newby

dont get me started on maggies, Australias pest. do they live in other countrys apart from Aus cause im a Aussie and i got swooped at the bike track near my joint and that put me off. one day at school last year i throw a piece of wood that 40 cm long at one and almost hit it and i got a lunchtime detention for doing it.

grom05

MAGPIES SUCK : just the other day when i was goin for a ride i got a puncher and so i had too walk my bike all the way back home because i didnt bring a puncher kit, so on my way home i was walking threw a suburbian street and a magpie swooped me so i thought no big deal its happened before. So as i keept walking the magpie keept swooping me then it landed right next too me on a fence and as i keept looking at it it didnt swoop me but kept squarkin at me and when i looked down the magpie swooped me soo i just hid behind my bike until this guy came out of his house and was just looking at it then he told me too run for it so i di and it didnt come back too swoop me !