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HelpRe: Oh, yes. Let's.
in reply to a message by guru
Well, okay...but please make sure to associate the name only with the American magpie. I had one too many run-ins with Australian magpies, who, during their mating season, like to swoop down and attack, pecking at the back of your head. And, before they do, they sit on a telephone wire or tree branch and stare at you malevolently, waiting for you to pass them, because they will only attack from behind. Left me with no love for the magpie!
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Never ran accross that! Could I ask, where, (roughly, if you like) did you live, during your time in Australia?
mating season...we used to be told to avoid tiger snakes during their mating season, as they became Agressive!Believe me, I hoped to always avoid tiger snakes! and actually, never saw one, except in captivity.
edited for typo.
mating season...we used to be told to avoid tiger snakes during their mating season, as they became Agressive!Believe me, I hoped to always avoid tiger snakes! and actually, never saw one, except in captivity.
edited for typo.
This message was edited 5/23/2012, 6:57 PM
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We lived in Traralgon, Victoria. The bird attacks weren't constant throughout the year or anything. They happened for a short period of time, during the birds' nesting season. I used to take a five minute walk four times a day, to the bus stop and back again, and that's when it was a problem. One day, my kids and I got off the bus and started walking home, and we noticed a magpie sitting on the telephone wire, staring at us. Knowing that it wanted to attack, my daughter and I took off running and managed to get to the end of the street without it attacking us. But my son was afraid and stayed where he was. My daughter and I began yelling at him, "Run, Will, run!" He hesitated a little, fear on his poor little face, and then finally screwed his courage up and took off running. Sure enough, the bird swooped down and pecked him on the head. It was like something out of the movie "The Birds."
They also attacked me a couple of other times when I was by myself walking from the bus stop. And my daughter told me that one attacked a girl during recess at her school so badly that the girl was sent home. There were hats made and sold to prevent the attacks. They were like a baseball cap, except that they had a flap hanging down the back, which had a face sewn onto it. This would prevent an attack, in that the bird would think it was a real human face, and be fooled into thinking that the human was facing it, and the birds never attacked from the front, only from behind when they couldn't see your face.
I read that it's only a minority of magpies that attack, and it's almost always males. It may have been just one particular bird who hung out at that area who was attacking us, and as I said, it happened for just a short period of time.
They also attacked me a couple of other times when I was by myself walking from the bus stop. And my daughter told me that one attacked a girl during recess at her school so badly that the girl was sent home. There were hats made and sold to prevent the attacks. They were like a baseball cap, except that they had a flap hanging down the back, which had a face sewn onto it. This would prevent an attack, in that the bird would think it was a real human face, and be fooled into thinking that the human was facing it, and the birds never attacked from the front, only from behind when they couldn't see your face.
I read that it's only a minority of magpies that attack, and it's almost always males. It may have been just one particular bird who hung out at that area who was attacking us, and as I said, it happened for just a short period of time.
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Thanks for replying!
We lived in Tasmania. in Hobart, and a smaller town in the north of the state.
I'm happy to have missed magpies.
Sometimes people used to tease us, the innocent Canadians, and warn us to be careful of Tasmanian devils.but you rarely see them, except dead on the road, as they are nocturnal, and anyway not interested in humans. They make a fearsome noise, though, and fight among themselves.
We lived in Tasmania. in Hobart, and a smaller town in the north of the state.
I'm happy to have missed magpies.
Sometimes people used to tease us, the innocent Canadians, and warn us to be careful of Tasmanian devils.but you rarely see them, except dead on the road, as they are nocturnal, and anyway not interested in humans. They make a fearsome noise, though, and fight among themselves.
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The American ones
suck too. They come and eat all the crops that farmers plant and cause massive destruction. They're big and obnoxious and rude and everyone out here hates them. :P I don't think it's a good idea to associate the name with American magpies either!
suck too. They come and eat all the crops that farmers plant and cause massive destruction. They're big and obnoxious and rude and everyone out here hates them. :P I don't think it's a good idea to associate the name with American magpies either!
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Plus here we refer to magpies as "maggies". They are THE WORST. I have been attacked walking to school and swooped on frequently when riding my bike. I think it's when they nest and they're being protective/territorial.
But I still love Maggie. I think it's a great nn.
But I still love Maggie. I think it's a great nn.
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