Bloody Magpies

[Grunt]

No this isn't about that crappy footy team.

I am in training for the Great Victorian Bike Ride. (http://www.bv.com.au/inform.php?a=5&b=142&c=128)

Each lunch time I do a quick 20k ride. Along the path that I sometimes ride along a bloody magpie keeps swooping me. They sh!!t me. Just like the footy team.

I'm going to get a set I've eyes to stick on the back of my helmet. I thought I only needed eyes in the back of my head when I was logged on to this BB.

[Zed]

go the magpie - hope he pecks your frikken eyes out! :D

[JDarvall]

Eyes on Helmet,,,,or carry a tennis racket. I killed one with a racket once when I was 10. Took me a good week to get over it.

[bitingmidge]

Eyes don't work.

Riding really really fast doesn't work.

Tennis racquet does work, but only till tomorrow when they seem to get even angrier.

You could try taking off your helmet, and WALKING your bike past the offending tree, but that only works if it's the sort of Maggie that only attacks people on bikes. I've got one of them, the only trouble is that I just get out of his territory and I get one that only attacks people on foot. :eek:

For some stats on the safest thing to be doing check out http://www.nisu.flinders.edu.au/pubs/shortreps/magpies.html (Note that no injuries have been reported by people "working" on their computers, or in a workshop of any description. There is a lesson in there somewhere!

From about Now till the end of next month, I drive to the beach and go for a walk. .... .. . . I hate the little buggers at this time of year.

P (I hate swooping Magpies too!)
:D :D

[Zed]

we have a pet magpie - feed it and it will stop swooping you.

I love my mr and mrs magpie - they come in and have a little feed and a sing and off they go, then they bring thier babies and show them off.... when I get home i'll take photo and post it.

[Termite]

Since our resident Maggie family moved in about 4 years ago we have had no Indian Mynahs in the area. And no Apricotrippers either. :D

[craigb]

Maggies are good. Way better than Currawongs.

Like somebody said, make friends with it. :)

[Zed]

heres mr magpie - the photo doesnt do him justice.

[rod1949]

Just before I was out for lunch sittin on a park wall, munching on a dogs eye. A Maggie came to within about a metre of me looking for a bit of tucker. I was amazed at how close it came.

[MajorPanic]

I run a team of 36 posties, we have about 450 YEARS of combined Magpie experience.

I gotta tell ya Grunt, eyes, different coloured helmet, it's all crap! They get used to changes within 24hrs. We have tried all sorts of weird stuff over the years - everything failed.

A few years ago UQ came out to our office to do a study. Sent a Doctor of something & he reckoned he new all about it. The last I saw or heard of him, he was in casualty having 6 stitches put in his cheek from one of our resident psycho magpies :eek: :eek: :eek: :D

Nothing works except a long stick or racket although a VERY WIDE brimmed hat helps some :p

[bitingmidge]

We have a couple of pet maggies too. They are soooo polite, they land at our front gate and WALK up the driveway about 15 metres or so to the pond, have a bit of a swim, then WALK back to the gate where they take off.

No matter how much they love us for 11 months of the year, one of them just can't abide cyclists at THAT time.

I read heaps of research last year trying to find a way round it, and curiously removal is the only solution (not the right one for us).

It seems that only a small percentage actually swoop, and of those some will attack anything, some attack cyclists only, some attack only pedestrians, and strangely (one for the Major) some seem to confine their attacks to Motorcycle mounted postmen!!

Just enjoy them when they are good!

cheers,

P :D

[kiwigeo]

we have a pet magpie - feed it and it will stop swooping you.

I love my mr and mrs magpie - they come in and have a little feed and a sing and off they go, then they bring thier babies and show them off.... when I get home i'll take photo and post it.

Got two regulars that came with the house...have never seen any babies though. They got as far as building a nest one year but nothing eventuated. Theyre great to have around...except when the female parks herself outside the back sliders at 6.30am and sings untill someone brings her some food. Maggies definitely have US trained.

[Grunt]

I think it goes to show that the magpies are bloody annoying. Isn't that right Gumby?

[ozwinner]

My BIL used to do a lot of jogging, any whooo this maggie use to swoop him all the time.
Sooo one day he took along Mr 12 Gauge for a jog, guess what................
Boom..................
No more Mr Maggie.


Al :D

[kiwigeo]

My BIL used to do a lot of jogging, any whooo this maggie use to swoop him all the time.
Sooo one day he took along Mr 12 Gauge for a jog, guess what................
Boom..................
No more Mr Maggie.


Al :D

Al,

I wouldnt try going jogging carrying a shottie with Mr Howard's new anti terroism measures in place. The shottie and the foilie will definitely attract attention.

[kiwigeo]

No this isn't about that crappy footy team.

I am in training for the Great Victorian Bike Ride. (http://www.bv.com.au/inform.php?a=5&b=142&c=128)

Each lunch time I do a quick 20k ride. Along the path that I sometimes ride along a bloody magpie keeps swooping me. They sh!!t me. Just like the footy team.



Look at the postive side.....if you can outrun a swopping magpie then youve got fair chance of winning the Great Bike Ride...we could be looking at Australias answer to Lance Armstrong

[ozwinner]

we could be looking at Australias answer to Lance Armstrong

Or Grunt Legweak.:D :D :D

Al :D

[Grunt]

Or Grunt Legweak.

Al

They are after my 20k rides. :(



Look at the postive side.....if you can outrun a swopping magpie then youve got fair chance of winning the Great Bike Ride...we could be looking at Australias answer to Lance Armstrong


On the way out the Maggie is on a downhill stretch. :) On the way back it's uphill. :(

[doug the slug]

and here i was thinking magpies were soooooooooo far down the ladder that nobody was worried about them any morehttp://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/images/icons/icon10.gifhttp://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/images/icons/icon10.gifhttp://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/images/icons/icon10.gif

[ozwinner]

Do you think a 12 gauge will slow you down any?
If not...........................

Al :rolleyes:

[MajorPanic]

and here i was thinking magpies were soooooooooo far down the ladder that nobody was worried about them any morehttp://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/images/icons/icon10.gifhttp://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/images/icons/icon10.gifhttp://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/images/icons/icon10.gif

Well, I'll introduce you to a former postie that now has only one eye due to a magpie attack. http://www.ubeaut.biz/uhoh.gif

[Landseka]

Here is one of 3 maggies that come visit us every couple days for a feed.

They really enjoy semi-matured cheese (in moderation) and give us beautiful songs as payment.

Good deal for us I reckon.

This one looks as though he has been on the recieving end of the tennis raquet or stick treatment, :eek: or more likely a cat or perhaps even he (she??) was a victim of our recent tornado that went through town.

[Zed]

landseka,

its a she and she looks like she's old. you can tell shes a she as if you look at the the nape behind the neck on a female its a dirty grey- if you look at a male its a brilliant white. easy. BTW - yours is a western white backed magpie. mine (In my previous post is a eastern black backed - also a male you can see the brilliant white on the back of his neck and the grub in his beak!

if your nice to her you'll probably be able to tame her where she'll land on your hand!

[Grunt]

Zed, your love for Magpies is as bad as Gumby's.


Actually, we've got quite a few magpies around our house and no india minor birds. Quite like them here. It's just that bastard that swoops me when I'm on the bike that annoys me.

[echnidna]

Landseka , Blue Wrens love cheese too.
Zed, thanks for the info about sexing the magpies

[Grunt]

Zed, thanks for the info about sexing the magpies


Apparently Zed can sex quite a few animals.


:D

[RETIRED]

Oh Dear. :rolleyes:

[RufflyRustic]

When we moved into our house about 3 years ago, we had myriads of mynahs, a few peewees and the crows, currawongs and magpies were about 4 blocks away. The mynahs even visited us inside the house a few times - via the chimney!!!! until Mum Mynah finally taught the Mynah Junior that getting covered in ash was a bad idea.

Now, 3 years later, we have currawongs, crows, maybe a couple of peewees, magpies and mynahs.

At least the mynahs don't visit anymore....

cheers
RufflyRustic

[Andy Mac]

[QUOTE=craigb]Maggies are good. Way better than Currawongs.

In Toowoomba the currawong population is a bit out of control, seasonal though, and I agreed with your sentiments Craig. Aggressive, noisy and eating chicks of other birds, but then I read that they are specialist predators on stick insects! Apparently stick insects, which seem harmless enough, can reach plague proportions. They have a voracious appetite for Eucalypt leaves, and can strip and damage trees, so currawongs balance this out.
BTW, we have a family of magpies at home, and even though they come quite close in the garden they leave us alone, with no swooping so far. I tend to move slowly, and try to whistle at them...a small attempt to show I'm not a risk to them.
Cheers,

[MurrayD99]

Give them a feed. Dog sausage will make them friendly and full of fun.

[Daddles]

Had a family of them in a tree outside me place at Coobowie - I can assure you that mapies never sleep :( . Good think I like listening to them. :D

Richard

welcome to the asylum MurrayD99