Chilling video reveals beginning of magpie swooping season

A concerning video has revealed magpie swooping season has begun earlier than expected this year after a cyclist was subjected to an “extreme” attack. Cyclist Emma Burnet posted a video of herself being repeatedly attacked by a magpie while biking along a trail in August. “Oh my god this magpie is actually so funny,” she tells the camera while laughing a little. “What a little s***.” The cyclist can be seen wincing every time the magpie made audible contact with the back of her bike helmet, but she appeared to keep her good humour throughout the ride. “You know it’s spring time in Australia when the maggies are out,” she captioned the video. Social media users were quick to point out that the “extreme swooping” had taken place while Australia was technically still in the depths of winter. “My grandson was worried about a magpie in the tree today and I said no it’s too soon. Looks like he was right,” one TikTok user wrote. “I will not be leaving the house now till end of October,” another vowed. Another joked that the likelihood of bird attacks meant this month should be renamed “Swooptember”. Magpies are very territorial and the male birds are known to swoop people during their mating season, which typically occurs from August to November. During those months, the birds are attempting to protect the area surrounding their young and their nests. Magpies are known to swoop from up to 100m away from their nests. The intelligent birds see cyclists as fast moving threats, so they are often targeted in swooping attacks launched by nesting magpies. Experts suggest avoiding any area where magpies are known to be nesting, which is often where they have previously been known to swoop. Another recommended protection strategy is to wear sunglasses and hats in order to avoid any injuries from an overzealous bird. Experts advise against running away quickly or trying to fight attacking magpies, as that will be perceived as aggressive behaviour which could provoke further swooping. Instead, potential targets should walk away slowly with their heads down to avoid exposing their faces or eyes. In a horrifying swooping incident that occurred last year, an Aussie influencer was swooped by a magpie who pecked at her eye and stabbed her eyeball. “This would be one of the most traumatic things to happen to me,” Sarah Jade said in a video uploaded to TikTok. “One, I am scared of birds. Two, it literally went in my eye.” Played back in slow motion, and seen in still photos from the video, the magpie can be seen embedding its beak deep into Ms Jade’s eye socket. Although the irritation in her eye abated, Ms Jade said she was now terrified of birds as a result of the attack.