Magpies season

Kenzo said:

<snip>

Quoted message said:

My question is, should I be scared, do magpies really hit you, or do they
just give you a scare.
I mean my Giro helmet should protect my coconut, but what about my ears, are
they in any danger of being hit.

<Snip>
Damn straight they're in danger! On a ride last week, a very accurate
maggie took a chunk out of my mate's ear as we approached the Goodwill
Bridge. Advice... ride faster? Dunno.

Tam

Kenzo said:

I think I am a marked man, as I killed a Magpie with a well hit Tshot a gold
a while back.
Anyway on the weekend I got swooped about 4 times at various locations.

My question is, should I be scared, do magpies really hit you, or do they
just give you a scare.
I mean my Giro helmet should protect my coconut, but what about my ears, are
they in any danger of being hit.

If its just a scare, then I will enjoy my ride and not worry about the
buggers.

But on the news yesterday they showed a toddler that was hit on his head and
the poor little bugger was bleeding.

I rekon we should be able to kill these pests.

Anyway, what should I do ? any hints to avoid being hit ?

Cheers,
Kenzo

Ride quietly and carry a big air rifle 😄

"Kenzo" wrote in message ...

Quoted message said:

My question is, should I be scared, do magpies really hit you, or do they
just give you a scare.
I mean my Giro helmet should protect my coconut, but what about my ears,
are they in any danger of being hit.

Yes, I was hit today on the way to work for the first time this season..
I've managed to dodge them up until today..

cheers,
GPL

Kenzo said:

I think I am a marked man, as I killed a Magpie with a well hit Tshot a gold
a while back.
Anyway on the weekend I got swooped about 4 times at various locations.

My question is, should I be scared, do magpies really hit you, or do they
just give you a scare.
I mean my Giro helmet should protect my coconut, but what about my ears, are
they in any danger of being hit.

If its just a scare, then I will enjoy my ride and not worry about the
buggers.

But on the news yesterday they showed a toddler that was hit on his head and
the poor little bugger was bleeding.

I rekon we should be able to kill these pests.

Anyway, what should I do ? any hints to avoid being hit ?

Cheers,
Kenzo

Magpie usually swoop you from behind - they do this by noting which
side of your head your eyes are and going for the opposite side.
Thus, the solution is to pluck the eyes out of your old teddybears
and glue them around your helmet providing a defensive visage of
vision to the magpies. Actually, even hand drawn eyes should do
the trick.

It's true, a bloke in a pub told me.

DeF

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

Quoted message said:

Damn straight they're in danger! On a ride last week, a very accurate
maggie took a chunk out of my mate's ear as we approached the Goodwill
Bridge. Advice... ride faster? Dunno.

Tam

One whacked my helmet at the same spot a couple of days ago, and then today
I was chased and repeatedly dive bombed coming along vulture, I was doing
40km/hr and all over the bike trying to avoid it, watching it's shadow on
the road and praying the red light up ahead would change so I could escape.
It didn't.

Don't kids wear ice cream buckets (perhaps with big eyes drawn on them?) to
ward them off/protect themselves? So the question begs, where can we get CF
ice cream buckets?

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

Quoted message said:

Kenzo said:

<snip>

Quoted message said:

My question is, should I be scared, do magpies really hit you, or do they
just give you a scare.
I mean my Giro helmet should protect my coconut, but what about my ears,
are
they in any danger of being hit.

<Snip>
Damn straight they're in danger! On a ride last week, a very accurate
maggie took a chunk out of my mate's ear as we approached the Goodwill
Bridge. Advice... ride faster? Dunno.

Tam

OR

Try and get some of those large rubber Prince Charles ears slip em over your
own, that'll keep the blighters happy for a while!! When they get too scared
and holey...just chuck em

DJ

Duncan Farrow said:

Magpie usually swoop you from behind - they do this by noting which
side of your head your eyes are and going for the opposite side.
Thus, the solution is to pluck the eyes out of your old teddybears
and glue them around your helmet providing a defensive visage of
vision to the magpies. Actually, even hand drawn eyes should do
the trick.

No need to kill your teddy. You can buy stick-on eyes in your local
haberdashery store in a range of sizes. They even have moving pupils.

Theo

Wrap your helmet in chicken wire then run an electric current through it. Should be good for a laugh........................on many levels:eek:

Tamyka Bell said:

Damn straight they're in danger! On a ride last week, a very accurate
maggie took a chunk out of my mate's ear as we approached the Goodwill
Bridge. Advice... ride faster? Dunno

Bugger. Which side of the bridge? I use that bridge when I cycle, haven't had any issues with Maggies yet.

As well as the painted eyes, it's been recommended to me to put some cable ties on your helmet pointing up in the air. Don't know how well it works, I only did this last night and didn't cycle today. I'll find out tomorrow (or Thur depending on how big a night I have tonight....)

Kenzo said:

I think I am a marked man, as I killed a Magpie with a well hit Tshot a gold
a while back.
Anyway on the weekend I got swooped about 4 times at various locations.

My question is, should I be scared, do magpies really hit you, or do they
just give you a scare.
I mean my Giro helmet should protect my coconut, but what about my ears, are
they in any danger of being hit.

Its the only thing a helmet is likely to actually protect you from.. IMO
, and judging by the number of holes in the back of my helmet.. they
dont do that forever. However on the plus side its at least a reason to
wear the thing.

Quoted message said:

If its just a scare, then I will enjoy my ride and not worry about the
buggers.

But on the news yesterday they showed a toddler that was hit on his head and
the poor little bugger was bleeding.

They were all dive bomber pilots in a former life. I swear the one on
Gardiners Creek near Toorak rd jinks after an attack to avoid anti
aircraft fire.

Quoted message said:

I rekon we should be able to kill these pests.

Anyway, what should I do ? any hints to avoid being hit ?

If you figure it out tell me 🙂

Quoted message said:

There's a guy here in Canberra wearing two big ping-pong balls on his helmet
with eyes painted on them. I'll see if I can find out the efficacy next
time I pass him.

--
Bean

Remove "yourfinger" before replying
"Duncan Farrow" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Kenzo said:

I think I am a marked man, as I killed a Magpie with a well hit Tshot a

gold

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

a while back.
Anyway on the weekend I got swooped about 4 times at various locations.

My question is, should I be scared, do magpies really hit you, or do

they

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

just give you a scare.
I mean my Giro helmet should protect my coconut, but what about my ears,

are

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

they in any danger of being hit.

If its just a scare, then I will enjoy my ride and not worry about the
buggers.

But on the news yesterday they showed a toddler that was hit on his head

and

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

the poor little bugger was bleeding.

I rekon we should be able to kill these pests.

Anyway, what should I do ? any hints to avoid being hit ?

Cheers,
Kenzo

Magpie usually swoop you from behind - they do this by noting which
side of your head your eyes are and going for the opposite side.
Thus, the solution is to pluck the eyes out of your old teddybears
and glue them around your helmet providing a defensive visage of
vision to the magpies. Actually, even hand drawn eyes should do
the trick.

It's true, a bloke in a pub told me.

DeF

On 2005-09-20, Kenzo (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

I think I am a marked man, as I killed a Magpie with a well hit Tshot a gold
a while back.
Anyway on the weekend I got swooped about 4 times at various locations.

A whitish grey bird got me this morning. Only a light touch on the
helmet.

Probably my first for the season, if I remember rightly, and the usual
magpie spot was still quiet.

I was doing a big "WTF" when it got me though -- what a strange
looking bird -- or at least, the underside of it.

--
TimC
So y'know, when the girl octopus slaps the boy octopus for being too
forward, he could say it wasn't his fault, the arm just kind of did its
own thing. -- Kasatka in AFAFDA

Thats got plover written all over it, the magpies nastier bigger cousin 😠
Maybe get a dicky seat for Lotte and her shotty 😄

A couple of ways to avoid the damn birds:

a. ride a with a tennis racquet that will teach them or
b. try http://www.bv.com.au/inform.php?a=6&b=28&c=754

A couple of ways to avoid the damn birds:

a. ride a with a tennis racquet that will teach them or
b. try http://www.bv.com.au/inform.php?a=6&b=28&c=754 🙂

TimC said:

A whitish grey bird got me this morning. Only a light touch on the
helmet.

Probably my first for the season, if I remember rightly, and the usual
magpie spot was still quiet.

I was doing a big "WTF" when it got me though -- what a strange
looking bird -- or at least, the underside of it.

Probably a butcherbird - grey coloured and about 2/3 the size of a magpie -
or else a noisy miner - about 1/2 the size of a magpie. Both are quite
territorial and known to swoop.

Best answer is to ride fast and don't stop. You'll soon get out of their
territory.

Cheers
Peter

Duncan Farrow said:

Magpie usually swoop you from behind - they do this by noting which
side of your head your eyes are and going for the opposite side.
Thus, the solution is to pluck the eyes out of your old teddybears
and glue them around your helmet providing a defensive visage of
vision to the magpies. Actually, even hand drawn eyes should do
the trick.

It's true, a bloke in a pub told me.

DeF

The two magpies that have hit me this season have come from behind. I was riding with a guy on Sunday who had eyes on his helmet, they did not work so he was told to put a few cable ties on the helmet, wrapped around the air vents with the stems pointing upwards.

Not every male magpie swoops, only the aggressive ones do. Unfortuantly their is an aggresive one at the end of my street on the way to work. I use a flashing red light on the back of my helmet. The two times I have been hit, the light has not been on the helmet.

Kenzo said:

I think I am a marked man, as I killed a Magpie with a well hit Tshot a gold
a while back.
Anyway on the weekend I got swooped about 4 times at various locations.

My question is, should I be scared, do magpies really hit you, or do they
just give you a scare.
I mean my Giro helmet should protect my coconut, but what about my ears, are
they in any danger of being hit.

If its just a scare, then I will enjoy my ride and not worry about the
buggers.

But on the news yesterday they showed a toddler that was hit on his head and
the poor little bugger was bleeding.

I rekon we should be able to kill these pests.

Anyway, what should I do ? any hints to avoid being hit ?

Cheers,
Kenzo

Greetings,
Magpies are a protected species, though I can't for the life of me
figure out why, they seem to be everywhere.
I have two cable ties attached to the back of my helmet. The theory goes
that when they get close enough this confuses them and causes them to
break off the attack. It doesn't prevent me being bombed though, two of
them came after me yesterday.
But I don't think there is anything you can do to avoid being a target.
As this only affects cyclists and pedestrians, a small percentage of the
overall population, the vast majority don't give a [censored].
Regards,
Ray.

Peka said:

Tamyka Bell said:

Damn straight they're in danger! On a ride last week, a very accurate
maggie took a chunk out of my mate's ear as we approached the Goodwill
Bridge. Advice... ride faster? Dunno

Bugger. Which side of the bridge? I use that bridge when I cycle,
haven't had any issues with Maggies yet.

Southbank side. We turned on from the road, not the path.

Tam