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Maggie at Woodford

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Ken & Stace

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Sep 24, 2009, 8:06:12 AM9/24/09
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For those doing the Oaks Firetrail (Woodford to Glenbrook), There is a
magpie nesting at the junction of the Appian Way and Parker St.
He swoops you as you ride down the hill before the T intersection onto
Taylor Road.
In past years he seemed content to swoop and squark, but I've heard a few
people say he is contacting this year.

Ken


Tony F

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Sep 24, 2009, 7:06:35 PM9/24/09
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Yeah, he's only swooped and sqawked at me, but I know of someone who
came under enough attack that she fell off her bike - not sure if she
actually was hit or not. Mind you, last time I rode through he ignored
me. Maybe you look too much like a postie? ;^P

I posted this one and the really vicious one at the intersection of
Queens Rd and the highaway at Hazelbrook on http://www.magpiepatrol.com/.
That bugger chases and hits - hard, and for a long way.

Tony F

www.thefathippy.com

terryc

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Sep 24, 2009, 8:14:55 PM9/24/09
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On Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:06:35 -0700, Tony F wrote:


> Yeah, he's only swooped and sqawked at me, but I know of someone who
> came under enough attack that she fell off her bike -

Sounds like we need a cheap road/track side sign we can put out for
maggie season to warn people so they are prepared.

Anyone up to composing a swooping maggie over bicyclist design.

suggest A4 size.

There is a brand of drafting film around than can be run through a laser
printer and applied to your surface (steel plate, corflute, etc) which
can then be mounted as a sign. The actual laser film will stay on a sun
exposed steel plate for years.

John Pitts

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Sep 25, 2009, 3:43:01 AM9/25/09
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Meh. I've stopped worrying about magpies. In the town I lived in a
couple of years ago there was one which would swoop from behind, sit on
your shoulders and attack your helmet. If you put zip ties on your
helmet it would fly alongside and attack your ears. Nothing I've
encountered since comes close to that one.

There are a couple of locals that have hit my helmet once or twice this
season. I've just ignored them and kept pedalling, and they've left me
alone since. Maybe the secret is not to react.

--
John
Any plan where you lose your hat is a bad plan. -- Girl Genius

TimC

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Sep 25, 2009, 7:51:53 AM9/25/09
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On 2009-09-25, John Pitts (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

> On 2009-09-24, Tony F <thefa...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> I posted this one and the really vicious one at the intersection of
>> Queens Rd and the highaway at Hazelbrook on http://www.magpiepatrol.com/.
>> That bugger chases and hits - hard, and for a long way.
>
> Meh. I've stopped worrying about magpies.

You've never lost an eye or an ear then, have you?

Personally, my local one didn't attack me today, so on Monday I'm
worried that he's going to have some nuclear arsonal handy for me when
I round the corner, and then I'll be able to do nothing.

> In the town I lived in a
> couple of years ago there was one which would swoop from behind, sit on
> your shoulders and attack your helmet. If you put zip ties on your
> helmet it would fly alongside and attack your ears. Nothing I've
> encountered since comes close to that one.
>
> There are a couple of locals that have hit my helmet once or twice this
> season. I've just ignored them and kept pedalling, and they've left me
> alone since. Maybe the secret is not to react.

By definition, if you kept on riding, you reacted.

Bird trying to keep you away
-> You left
--> therefore, the bird won.

HAW HAW, stupid hu-mans! Birds are smarterer than you!

--
TimC
My mom says you shouldn't encourage me. -- Theresa Willis

John Henderson

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Sep 26, 2009, 2:47:00 AM9/26/09
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John Pitts wrote:

> Meh. I've stopped worrying about magpies. In the town I lived in a
> couple of years ago there was one which would swoop from behind, sit on
> your shoulders and attack your helmet. If you put zip ties on your
> helmet it would fly alongside and attack your ears. Nothing I've
> encountered since comes close to that one.

I have only 2 cable ties fitted - one protruding from each side
to protect my ears. I wear wrap-around sunglasses. The birds
are welcome to go for the top of my helmet as hard as they
like.

John

Kathy and Steve

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Sep 28, 2009, 4:33:41 AM9/28/09
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Gee John - I had a bit of my ear removed by a Maggie - ever since any talk
of Magpies and I can feel my heart start going into overtime. Last year I
painted 2 eyes on my helmet and they didnt come near me after that but I
could see them and that was enough for me to find other routes to work, even
if they were 10/15 kms longer. I just cant ride with Magpies swooping. They
scare me to death.
Kathy

ray

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Sep 29, 2009, 2:10:53 AM9/29/09
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I don't think `scared' quite covers it. `Wary' would be more appropriate
in all but the most aggro cases. What you really have cause to be scared
of is those out there year round with brain the size of magpie's,
aggressive intent and in charge of two tonnes of metal. Just don't let
them scare you off the road completely, and/or adopt basic self-defence
measures.
Cheers,
Ray

--
Posted at www.usenet.com.au

John Pitts

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Sep 29, 2009, 1:43:35 PM9/29/09
to
On 2009-09-25, TimC <tcon...@no.spam.accepted.here-astro.swin.edu.au> wrote:
> On 2009-09-25, John Pitts (aka Bruce)
> was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
>> On 2009-09-24, Tony F <thefa...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> I posted this one and the really vicious one at the intersection of
>>> Queens Rd and the highaway at Hazelbrook on http://www.magpiepatrol.com/.
>>> That bugger chases and hits - hard, and for a long way.
>>
>> Meh. I've stopped worrying about magpies.
>
> You've never lost an eye or an ear then, have you?

I've had a scratched cornea courtesy of a maggie. The wing brushed
across my eye as it flew past from behind. Hurt like hell.

The one in Dubbo bloodied my ear a couple of times.


> By definition, if you kept on riding, you reacted.
>
> Bird trying to keep you away
> -> You left
> --> therefore, the bird won.
>
> HAW HAW, stupid hu-mans! Birds are smarterer than you!

Heh. That's probably what the bird thinks, and that's fine.

--
John
ALL CAPS TALK LEADS TO B1FF T4LK. B1FF T4LK LE4D$ 2 W4r37_t4LK. W4r3Zt/\1k
L34d$ 2 31337 \/\//\r37_ |>0o|) 7/\|_|<, 4|\||) 7|¬3|23 7!¬3 |)/\|2|( 51|)3
|_13$ -- Charles Cooke

ray

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Oct 9, 2009, 5:13:21 PM10/9/09
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ray wrote:
>
> Kathy and Steve wrote:
> >
> > Gee John - I had a bit of my ear removed by a Maggie - ever since any talk
> > of Magpies and I can feel my heart start going into overtime. Last year I
> > painted 2 eyes on my helmet and they didnt come near me after that but I
> > could see them and that was enough for me to find other routes to work,
even
> > if they were 10/15 kms longer. I just cant ride with Magpies swooping.
They
> > scare me to death.
> > Kathy
> >
> >
> >
>Seems to be a late season this year. Two have come after me in the past week,
both in suburban shopping centres. Yesterday's kept after me for 100 metres
and was also bombing pedestrians. To quote an old saying, must be the
weather...

ray

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Oct 26, 2009, 1:04:30 AM10/26/09
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ray wrote:
>
> ray wrote:
> >
> > Kathy and Steve wrote:
> > >
> > > Gee John - I had a bit of my ear removed by a Maggie - ever since any
talk
> > > of Magpies and I can feel my heart start going into overtime. Last year
I
> > > painted 2 eyes on my helmet and they didnt come near me after that but I
> > > could see them and that was enough for me to find other routes to work,
> even
> > > if they were 10/15 kms longer. I just cant ride with Magpies swooping.
> They
> > > scare me to death.
> > > Kathy
Shite!!!! You'd really like it here, now the nearest one after me is
directly outside my front door (!) I can't come in or out of my own
frigging driveway without being bombed. Must be a new one in the area,
I've lived here for five years and that's never happened before. 26
October is pretty late in the season as well. Little bastard.
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