Magpie!

An early start to the season, great. They normally mate in late winter and usually lay eggs soon after ie late august and this is when the attacks start.

I nearly got killed when I got nailed a few years ago on a training ride out near Lismore and this bird hit me with such force that it skewed my helmet right off the left side of my headand reefed my sunniesso that they were hanging precariously off my nose and I had to grab them before they hit the deck.

Anyway, was intently watching this vicious suckers every move when I turned around and see that I've drifted onto the wrong side of the road with a ford falcon boring down at me at about 100.
Never take your eyes off the road when under magpie attack. They could cost you your life so just keep pedalling and hack it.

You think that's bad?
At Brisbane airport (popular ride) there's one that starts in June and keeps going till January. It's a real [censored] too. It doesn't just attack near it's nest (if it has one)... it keeps attacking for about a hundred metres or so along a flat where you can be doing about 40km/h. I think it's a bit long long (pigin for mental).

Yeah, we had a different one just outside lismore that would divebomb till mid december. I don't know how he did it coz he only had about 3 flight feathers left, he was that ragged and would flap around for ages trying to swing around for another pass.

Instinct can be a pain in the [censored].

sprocketgrinder said:

I nearly got killed when I got nailed a few years ago on a training ride out near Lismore and this
bird hit me with such force that it skewed my helmet right off the left side of my headand reefed
my sunniesso that they were hanging precariously off my nose and I had to grab them before they hit
the deck.

If only I still had a quick release for my D lock, some magpies need a bit of a clobbering to bring
them a bit of perspective..

PC

It probably is a little early but given the good weather they are probably a little confused.

I know that a couple looked menacingly at me the other day but obviously weren't quite
ready to swoop.

Time to break out the home trainer or look for magpie free routes.

At least here in the ACT the Urban Services people put up signs warning you where known
swoopers are!

Cheers, Rob

"Gordo" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Persistent little *^%& got me late this afternoon riding home from Kinglake to Eltham (coming to a
stop at the first roundabout at the bottom of the hill into Research - it would have been fun if
he'd got me 200 metres earlier at about 75km/h). Quite a surprise and I'm sure very funny for the
Nissan Patrol that was oh so patiently sitting on my [censored] at the time. Got three good whacks on my
helmet and drew blood from my ear on his last go..

I've never been nuked this early, but then again I only moved to this area 8 months ago, is it
unusual to get them in early August? Should I break out the suit of armour already? From the
sounds of the millions of the [censored] who wake me up every morning I'm sure riding in the Yarra
Valley is an interesting pasttime in spring..

There's usually heaps of people riding the same road on the weekend, I wonder if he got them all,
or just saved his vitriol up for me (it was nearly dusk as I got home).

I really really hate magpies.

cheers, Gordo

I've found that the magpies in my street are really tame. I've noticed many of them getting hand fed on alot of peoples balconies and I'd say this has probably been going on for a number of magpie generations. The magpies in the street seem to look you straight in the eye and just sit on the ground as you ride past. It's probably cause they've got absolutely no fear of people what so ever or maybe they're just so full of food that they can't get of the ground. Either way it seems to be working.

Gordo said:

I've never been nuked this early, but then again I only moved to this area 8 months ago, is it
unusual to get them in early August? Should I break out the suit of armour already? From the
sounds of the millions of the [censored] who wake me up every morning I'm sure riding in the Yarra
Valley is an interesting pasttime in spring..

Yes, I would agree that they are a bit early, haven't started their attacks yet in Canberra,
though I noticed the "diffreent" behaviour of a couple the other day that sent the warning tingles
into the mind.

Owen

Hmmm, last year, Darebin Bicycle Users Group were giving away large "eye" stickers to put on the rear of your helmet.

The theory was that the giant eyes would scare off the little winged buggers. Can't remember where DarebinBUG scored the stickers or any feedback on their effectiveness against magpie attacks. Maybe try out a DIY solution via either fridge textas, Adobe Photoshop or QuarkXpress?

Check out DarebinBUG's url:
www.darebinbug.org.au

Read on a previous discussion about magpies about pasting or painting big "eyes" on top of helmet to
scare the birds. Worth a shot IMHO.

Gordo said:

Persistent little *^%& got me late this afternoon riding home from Kinglake to Eltham (coming to a
stop at the first roundabout at the bottom of the hill into Research - it would have been fun if
he'd got me 200 metres earlier at about 75km/h). Quite a surprise and I'm sure very funny for the
Nissan Patrol that was oh so patiently sitting on my [censored] at the time. Got three good whacks on my
helmet and drew blood from my ear on his last go..

I've never been nuked this early, but then again I only moved to this area 8 months ago, is it
unusual to get them in early August? Should I break out the suit of armour already? From the sounds
of the millions of the [censored] who wake me up every morning I'm sure riding in the Yarra Valley is
an interesting pasttime in spring..

There's usually heaps of people riding the same road on the weekend, I wonder if he got them all,
or just saved his vitriol up for me (it was nearly dusk as I got home).

I really really hate magpies.

cheers, Gordo

Not the magpie thread already!!!!

A friend who I see on the ride home most nights told me today that she was knocked off her bike by
one of the monsters at the weekend here in Newcastle.

--
Drop Dead if you want to reply personally

When I lived in BRisbane, the was one at the Rothwell roundabout (between Deception Bay and
Redcliffe) that would chase you down the road. Each time it would crash into your helmet. I counted
once - 11 times!!!

Paul

Paul J said:

You think that's bad? At Brisbane airport (popular ride) there's one that starts in June and keeps
going till January. It's a real [censored] too. It doesn't just attack near it's nest (if it has
one)... it keeps attacking for about a hundred metres or so along a flat where you can be doing
about 40km/h. I think it's a bit long long (pigin for mental).

--
"Find me a mountain and I'll climb it"

Quoted message said:

--------------------------<

Posted via cyclingforums.com cyclingforums.comcyclingforums.comOpen ↗

You can also buy big "boggle eyes" that stick onto your helmet at Spotlight....

Had some of them on my old motor bike helmet...

"cfsmtb" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hmmm, last year, Darebin Bicycle Users Group were giving away large "eye" stickers to put on the
rear of your helmet.

The theory was that the giant eyes would scare off the little winged buggers. Can't remember where
DarebinBUG scored the stickers or any feedback on their effectiveness against magpie attacks.
Maybe try out a DIY solution via either fridge textas, Adobe Photoshop or QuarkXpress?

Check out DarebinBUG's url: www.darebinbug.org.au

--

Quoted message said:

--------------------------<

Posted via cyclingforums.com cyclingforums.comcyclingforums.comOpen ↗

(Rob Woozle) said:

It probably is a little early but given the good weather they are probably a little confused.

I know that a couple looked menacingly at me the other day but obviously weren't quite ready
to swoop.

What are the fibreglass poles, with flags that stick up above your head, like for thwarting dive
bombing pies?

---
Cheers

PeterC

[Rushing headlong: out of control - and there ain't no stopping]
[and there's nothing you can do about it at all]

Paul J said:

You think that's bad? At Brisbane airport (popular ride) there's one that starts in June and keeps
going till January.

This guy (at Brisbane airport) is the one that keeps my wife off her bike for a few months. He's
a mean bugger. There's a few on the ride out to Pinkenba as well (before we return via the
airport leg).

We had a magpie at our golf club. This magpie took a dislike to one bloke in particular. It's quite unusual for magpies in Tasmania to attack. I lived in Canberra and Melbourne so I know all about aggressive magpies. Anyway, back to the story.

Every week this bloke, Bluey, would hit his drive off the 16th. Sure enough as he walked down the fairway the magpie would swoop out of the large white gum on the left and take off his hat and occaissionally leave a little scratch on his knape. This went on for months with Bluey cursing and swearing revenge.

One bright sunny summer morning, Bluey was particularly chirpy on the 16th tee. His mates were quite surprised, expecting Bluey to come under the usual attack. He launched a magnificent drive down the middle of the fairway. One of Bluey's mates remarked that was the best shot he'd hit in 10 years. Bluey said, "you aint seen nothin yet!"

Well after hitting off they all proceeded down the path. Bluey's mates kept a respectable distance behind him, just in case the magpie was about, and changed it's mind about who to attack. Bluey walked resolutely, not looking left or right. He arrived at his ball and no sign of his enemy. He turned to his bag and rumbled around for his trusty five wood for his next shot. Just as this happened the magpie gave a squark and descended from the tree at a rate of knots. Bluey continued to rumble in his bag unperturbed.

In the meantime his mates begin to tremble with anticipation and some mirth. "Watch out Bluey, the bugger is going to get you again."

Bluey reaches into the depths of his bag, pulls out a shot gun and shoots the magpie at point blank range. He nonchantly puts the gun back in the bag, hits the five wood with the ball finishing less than a foot from the pin. He turns to his mates and says "It's birdie time!"

Bluey gave up golf, not long after that. "The challenge has gone out of the game," he said.

Yep...I admit that it would be nice to pull out a shotgun and blast away at the marauding magpie
swooping me...however, tempting as it may sound, magpies are a protected species.

Rob

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Rob Woozle
Yep...I admit that it would be nice to pull out a shotgun and blast away at the marauding magpie
swooping me...however, tempting as it may sound, magpies are a protected species.

Rob

Rob, If we all pitch and raise our hands to the government, well, you know.................

Yeah, they're out early this year. I got involved with one between Maryborough and Nattie Yallock at
the weekend. Didn't actually make contact, but he certainly made his presence felt.

"Gordo" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Persistent little *^%& got me late this afternoon riding home from

Kinglake

Quoted message said:

to Eltham (coming to a stop at the first roundabout at the bottom of the hill into Research - it
would have been fun if he'd got me 200 metres earlier at about 75km/h). Quite a surprise and I'm
sure very funny for the Nissan Patrol that was oh so patiently sitting on my [censored] at the time.

Got

Quoted message said:

three good whacks on my helmet and drew blood from my ear on his last go..

I've never been nuked this early, but then again I only moved to this area

8

Quoted message said:

months ago, is it unusual to get them in early August? Should I break out the suit of armour
already? From the sounds of the millions of the

[censored]

Quoted message said:

who wake me up every morning I'm sure riding in the Yarra Valley is an interesting pasttime in
spring..

There's usually heaps of people riding the same road on the weekend, I wonder if he got them all,
or just saved his vitriol up for me (it was nearly dusk as I got home).

I really really hate magpies.

I was wondering if anybody had any luck with a water pistol as a deterrent. It seems as though it
may be a reasonable solution.

At the moment I'm getting swooped a couple of times during a 20k loop and would prefer to just zone
out rather than being vigilant for the swoopers. Is it too much to ask?

Cheerz, Lynzz