If you’re living in Australia right now, you’ll be well aware of two things – the weather is heating up and we’re in the thick of swooping season, AKA that one time of year when vicious magpies will terrorise innocent passersby in completely unprovoked attacks. It’s scary stuff and a real problem in many parts of the country. We’ve covered how to survive swooping season in extensive detail here, but for optimal protection against magpies there’s now a handy swooping map.
MagpieAlert.com offers attacks statistics and percentages by state, with Queensland magpies leading the way as the most savage in 2020. It also states that cycling is the most magpie-terrorised activity with a whopping 71.7% of attacks occurring to those on bikes.
Perhaps the most impressive part of MagpieAlert.com is its 2020 swooping map, which can filter magpie attacks by state and territory and click on location points to find out injury and activity details. According to News.com.au, MagpieAlert.com says its aim is to “help others avoid the dangerous birds” by gathering “information on the attack: the position (latitude/longitude), a description, date/time, what activity was taking place and whether an injury resulted.”
News.com.au also references a map released by the Victorian government that similarly displays locations where people were swooped “mainly during the annual Spring breeding season.”The Victorian Government offers a range of tips on protecting yourself against swooping birds, including avoiding the area, moving quickly, covering and drawing a pair of ‘eyes’ at the back of your head to deter birds, travelling with and notifying others of swooping areas.
As much as magpies can be dangerous and their swooping is frustrating to many, the government advises against harassing wildlife, destroying nests or feeding them.
Most importantly, keep calm and stay safe this swooping season.
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