magpie hell

[cylegoddess]

Im going to start commuting, two days a week( or more!) when it warms up( about another month) from frosty.
BUT....
The magpie breeding season starts. Ive only been attacked once, and it was scary.
The whole route is along side a canal, lied with gum trees. So maggies galore.
The only way to avoid it, is to ride in the street along other routes, filled with cars, buses and not so safe ways to go. I dont usually ride in the street, as people are not nice to cyclists here.

I know I can put plastic thingies on helmet,but what scares me is they come seemingly out of nowhere and I dont want to crash.
If I go slower, they attack more( it seems.)
Any ideas?
I HAVE to commute! Dont want to lose two months of riding.
Im to tired at end of day, to ride unless I have to.

[crazycanuck]

According to the guys over at BNA, putting eyes on the top of your helmet works. You can also put cable ties in the vents of your helmet to frighten them off.

One other option is to carry a long stick & wave it in the air Don't try that at home...

Be careful! I would hate for you to end up like the poor girl last year that had her eye gouged by the stupid magpie

[Ana]

Be careful! I would hate for you to end up like the poor girl last year that had her eye gouged by the stupid magpie

Whoa, that is frightening!!

[crazycanuck]

Magpies are nasty nasty creatures during spring

A ride in the hills in Perth (roadie one) can be very dangerous as not only is the road twisty, you have to deal with these annoying birds!!!

Much safer on the dirt but the birds still scare the crap out of me!!!

[jobob]

bird attacks? yikes.

[sfa]

Birds scare me. I was attacked by a mockingbird when I was about 9 or 10 years old and I still shy away from those horrible creatures. You don't realize how dangerous they can be until you see their claws and beaks coming at you. Ugh.

Sarah

[nic.naunton]

I know I can put plastic thingies on helmet...

Hiya,

Those plastic things are cable ties and you loop them around the gaps in your helmet. You can find them at hardware shops (you will get a packet of a hundred for a few dollars) - or ask your IT team at work. They'll probably just give you a handful to take home.

The cable ties give the magpie the illusion that you are bigger than you are so if they swoop they won't get so close to your head (or make contact!) because they'll think your head is at the end of the cable ties - if that makes sense??

School kids wearing ice-cream containers on their heads are just getting the protection of the plastic container. It doesn't stop the magpie either unfortunately.

There are many old wives tales about magpie season and who knows which ones are most effective...I am definitely paranoid of them during breeding season so I understand where you are coming from.

Some people disagree about the sense in painting eyes on the back of your helmet because magpies target the eyes so it might be seen as an act of aggression and provoke an attack. On the other hand, if the magpie believes that they're your eyes they won't go for your real eyes.

One my commute there is a miner bird who likes to swoop in fast from behind (in my blindspot so I have to keep my head swivelling to spot him). The impact will knock my helmet out of place and scare me half to death - even when I know it's coming!!! When it gets really aggressive - in the middle of the season i guess?? - I furiously wave a branch at it while I'm peddling as fast as I can to get away. So far that's worked to stop it reaching my helmet.

On some of the local message boards people give warnings if they come across a nasty bird that needs to be avoided. We have a particularly nasty one in Manly - "The Pine St Psycho" - who has been known to take chunks out of human ears and cheeks. Everyone avoids this street but I don't know how the residents exist.

The other amazing thing is that magpies are a protected species in NSW - not sure about other states - so we can't do anything about them!!!

Anyway, good luck to you during magpie season, my friend!!!!

[deeaimond]

Hiya,

I furiously wave a branch at it while I'm peddling as fast as I can to get away.

We have a particularly nasty one in Manly - "The Pine St Psycho" - who has been known to take chunks out of human ears and cheeks.

OK, i know its a serious issue but it really cracked me up to imagine waving a branch like mad behind you while pedalling...