LUKE Dignam is one Tamworth victim who can’t work out why but reckons magpies just seem to like him.
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And while he’s got some cuts from being injured by an irate bird he’s a survivor, like so many of the rest of us.
Like thousands of other Aussies, he’s been a victim before and he has some of his own home- grown solutions to surviving the season of swooping magpies.
“I try to wear a hat, but I do think they like me,” he said this week after another run-in.
Magpie swooping season around the region is legend – and so are the stories and the solutions.
Every year we hear the tales of maggies making mincemeat of mere males and moving targets, and there are some seasonal sites that each year seem to attract swooping birds – and around Anzac Park in Brisbane St is a well- known haunt of the black-and-whites.
Just ask teenagers Alex Stuart and Luke Dignam who are just two who’ve been on the wrong end of the rushing birds this week.
Luke even took a selfie of his situation near his school on Moore Creek Rd – but he also copped some winged warrior stuff in town, too.
According to the National Parks and Wildlife, it’s not an uncommon experience to be walking or cycling around this region, when suddenly a black-and-white shadow swoops down on you, sending you ducking for cover.
The experts say magpies often get a bad reputation because of their aggressive swooping behaviour, but scientists have discovered that there is a method to their
madness. These birds mainly swoop people aged between 10 and 30 who are male – which is a clue as to why they do it.
They maintain that Australian magpies are intelligent creatures that recognise and remember individual human faces, even if the person wears different clothes.
If you are one of the unlucky ones that get swooped, it’s likely that you look like someone who once bothered the magpie.
The good news is that most magpies don’t swoop people. Females don’t swoop at all because they are busy sitting on the eggs, and only 12 per cent of male magpies are aggressive.
But, there are old and new tips to take you unscathed through magpie season if you need them.
“It can be very scary getting swooped by a magpie, especially for children,” Susanna Bradshaw, CEO of the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife, said.
“But there are a lot of things you can do to avoid getting swooped, by understanding why magpies behave the way they do.”
September is usually the peak swooping month and then they start to calm down and we can go about our business in peace again.
“The most common targets for magpies are people riding bicycles, young children and males, although each magpie will usually have its own target,” the foundation says.
“These birds are very intelligent and will often approach you from behind, or from the direction of the sun, to try and catch you unawares.
“The worst thing you can do when a magpie is swooping you is to try and fight back.
“Throwing rocks or sticks at a magpie will only further aggravate it and encourage it to swoop more, as it shows the magpie that you really are a threat to its babies.
“Magpies are a protected native species, so harming them can lead to penalties and fines.
“Each magpie tends to have a specific person in mind to target, such as cyclists or young boys.
“There is method to this madness as scientists believe magpies swoop people who look like someone who bothered them in the past.
“All the more reason to never aggravate or attack a magpie, as it will remember what you look like and attack anyone who looks similar to you. Some people believe that feeding magpies will help the birds lose their fear of humans and prevent swooping.
“Unfortunately there is no evidence to support this and, instead, it can artificially grow their populations, make them sick from unsuitable foods and reliant on us.
“Without human interference, magpies are naturally shy.”
The foundation says the best thing to do to avoid a swooping magpie is simple: avoid locations where you know they are. And while we might duck and run for cover when we need to, the bird boffins actually have some fascinating magpie stats and character traits that make them more lovable - see below.
TEN THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE KNOWN ABOUT MAGPIES
* Australian magpies have one of the most complex bird songs in the world – it can range over four octaves.
* They produce a range of sounds, from a soft and pleasant warbling to a group caroling chorus that is considerably louder, reaching up to 100 decibels.
* These birds are very helpful around our gardens and parks as they eat up many garden bugs like the lawn-destroying curl grub, helping protect your plants.
* Magpies are found across Australia, but most states will have their own sub-species with its own unique plumage patterns.
* Magpies take good care of their young and have been known to receive help from other family members when raising their chicks.
* Their diet is varied and includes worms, insects, snails, spiders and sometimes even skinks, mice and other small animals.
* They even do their part to control the cane toad population, having learned a method of consuming the poisonous pest by flipping it over and eating its underside.
* Magpies are excellent mimics that can copy other birds’ calls and even human voices.
* Scientists have discovered that magpies use their beaks, eyes and body language to point out danger to other magpies.
* They are the first species other than humans and chimps to use pointing to communicate – proving they have higher cognitive abilities than previously thought.
