Australia where everything that moves tries to kill you, well, it's really not that bad
It's a bit of a running joke
We have with tourists
Except when it comes to Magpies and this time of year as you saw there in the intro things get a bit nasty out there on the road
Between the end of August and mid-October these birds are nesting and they get very, very territorial and very, very aggressive.
Yesterday's ride, I had about three or four direct head strikes. So on today's ride
I put a few cameras on the bike to show everyone what it's all about. Now, this was no provocation of these birds whatsoever.
But, being a cyclist is just cause for a lot of people to attack us
But these are just us trying to coexist in the same spot with a little bit of incompatibility. Let's have a closer look at today's action.
Ok close look at today's attacks out on the road out of nowhere within a few seconds... one, two...
Three
Four
and
finishing off with the fifth.
Super aggressive actions there before he gave up and headed to the trees. Just a quick scrub through the slow-mo here
To show you that they're not photoshopped photos
Looking super mean coming in
Just before the strike on the left ear
they love the left ear and what you can see there and the claws that scratch you.
A little bit further down the road. Open field. Out of nowhere!
Did have a long range, but I was saved by the car
Behind, there's another car that's passing me
So this one didn't quite get to me before giving up. A bit of a slow-mo at this one.
So you can see here this is looking behind me, you have absolutely no idea these attacks are coming. You can't hear them
It's a little bit of wind or if you're moving a little quicker on the bike
You can see here gliding in and pulling out
before
Any nastiness takes place. So that's that's a polite Magpie. No problems at all with those ones
Little further down the road here. This gets really interesting. This is double-teamed
Did have a squawk coming in there. You think, "Okay. Here's the one he's the attack coming"
Surprise surprise. They work in pairs. Out of nowhere
Comes the second one and this one finishes the job off very harshly. So we've got one
Two, three.
Pulls out because the car there. Comes back another long-range attack.
Leaves it with four for the day.
A Couple of scrub throughs on these ones of just how quickly these birds do come in
It's a
Magnificent looking shot. So you might see a few of these out on the internet. They're not photoshopped
These are real and these birds can hit you on the head
Magnificent. okay a bit of sporting fun. They're out on the bike trying to coexist with those birds.
It can get a bit nasty. But if we come away unscathed happy days
So my six tips on dealing with Magpies if you're an Australian or coming over to Australia and riding during this period these just might
Save your head. My first tip is if you're in a bunch ride stay on the front or mid pack
Don't sit at the back! Let that rider take the direct hit.
Tip number two is to protect your ears those Magpies love things that stick out and typically their ears on cyclists even under a helmet
they can get their beaks right in. So this time of year is pretty cool still here in Australia, so
Ear warmer is really handy to tuck those ears away or a buff or a scarf something like this
Which I wear over my head and tucking my ears away that also protects your neck
Which is number three those claws, they will get in the way. I have had a few bleeding scratches from those birds
Yes, they do try and kill us
So having that sort of hanging down like a bit of a I guess a fabric mullet also protects you
On to tip number four for dealing with Magpies out on the road
Sunglasses make by is typically attacked from the back
So what the sunglasses do is stop everyone else seeing the fear in your eyes when the birds are attacking
Just kidding! if things do get a bit nasty and the Magpies are known to get tied up and get caught
Protecting your eyes is probably number one because if things do get a bit crazy out there
You want something you cross your eyes. Always wear Sunnies out on the road.
Number five: And if you do have time make eye contact with the bird. These birds are very, very smart
And they know if you're looking at them, they will not come down and swoop
So if you maintain eye contact for the few hundred meters perimeter that you need to keep an eye on those bird
They will not swoop even with Sunnies on they'll know that you're looking at them
They won't come near you.
And finally tip number six that I use all the time is just simply
extending your hand and putting it to the side of your head making a bit of a rooster crest and
Riding along. So you've got one hand control of the bike. You've got your hand up
The bird will not swoop anywhere near things sticking up like that and away you go
It's going to be it probably 30 seconds to a minute of riding with one hand
You can swap hands the Magpie doesn't really care and away you go
And of course, there's always these zip ties and Google eyes solutions for your helmet
But it depends how much money you want to spend on your echidna or porcupine cosplay. For me I'll just stick to my hands
So there's my six friendly tips on dealing with Magpies this time of year. It can be a bit of a nervous time there out on the road.
But if you listen for them, put your hand up away you go.
Just shooting them on getting rid of the birds isn't going to be a solution. They're not going anywhere, neither are we.
We need to coexist and enjoy the road together. Well, they're in the trees, but you know what I'm saying?
Today's video was shot with a GoPro Hero session on the back of my helmet and a GoPro Hero
6 on my back with the chest strap reversed. The GoPro Hero 7 is on order
So we'll see if we need some high-res versions of these bombing raids soon
If you're an Aussie
Let us know below your tips on dealing with these birds in a friendly way or if you're not from Australia
Let us know how scared you would be coming up against those things outside
Just remember everything in Australia isn't out to kill you except those birds. Thanks for watching
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