Magpie attacking cyclist

Continuing on my cycling theme from yesterday, I was reminded that winter is a great time to ride because the Magpies aren't out yet! Usually around August the Magpies have prepared their nests and perhaps have some young, depending on the weather. They become aggressive, protecting their territory fiercely.

This is my mate Pat. He loves the magpie and calls it his mate. Apparently magpies have a great memory and can remember particular cyclists. So if you give them a hard time, they will remember you!

My mate Wayne doesn't enjoy the magpies so much. When you know it's there, there's this anticipation of "when will he be here". You can see the magpie in this video coming from some height ready to swoop Wayne.

I've had my helmet hit numerous times, which is off-setting. Of course your balance is lost a little in these situations so there's a chance you can fall off your bike. I've also had my ear clipped by a magpie's beak. It drew blood!

This is me. You can see I try to use my arm above my head to protect my head. This magpie would usually make 4 or 5 swoops. You can see it sits on the light post watching me, before it takes another swoop.

Magpies are protected in Australia. under the conservation act to preserve biodiversity. There's a great little article from the ABC here on Magpies.