When magpies attack

Sounds like a horror film, right?
It was.

It was inevitable. The fact that I spend a third of my life outside automatically increased my odds of experiencing the dreaded magpie swoop.

For me, springtime conjures up images of fragrant flowers, green grass, and baby duckies.
Not here. Nope. Springtime is watch-your-back-for-mad-swooping-magpies season.

Magpies bring the definition of child protection to a whole new level.

It's a territorial thing for magpies. They are protecting their nesting area, somewhat over-aggressively, if you ask me. This means if you get swooped in one place, you best warn your friends who will soon be in that one place.

People attempt to trick and ward off attacks in a variety of ways. None are proven effective, but all are proven ridiculous to look at:

1. The porcupine helmet

Find as many zipties as you can and fasten them to your helmet. The more you have the more you'll look like something that belongs in a magpie nest (just my opinion).

2. Full body armor

Aussie postal workers have it tough. Not only do posties deal with dogs in Oz, magpies are an extra treat.
Canadian posties work in "wind, rain, sleet, or snow".
Aussie posties work in "sun, partial cloud, occasional showers, and magpies".

My fabulous city even offers an interactive "swoop map" so people can avoid known swooping areas.
Take a look. Let me know if I'm being pessimistic about my odds of getting swooped every time I walk out the door...
I leave you with this quote from Wikipedia:

"They are opportunistic scavengers and will eat anything once they have discovered it is edible. They are known to attack the nests of other birds and eat their fledglings."

Sweet Dreams.