Marauding, diving magpies plague Timaru park
Mountain bikers are being dive bombed by over-protective magpie parents in Timaru’s Scenic Reserve.
The incidents have mostly occurred on the top track along a 200 metre stretch of the eastern fence over the foot bridge heading north-west from the BMX track.
Magpies were particularly aggressive during the nesting season which begins in June/ July. The season can run into January.
Cyclist Nigel Mobberley thought someone was throwing stones at him when he rode the track last week.
‘‘One (magpie) swooped a couple of times and almost hit me on the head . . . they can be quite vicious and scary.’’
He would either put up with the birds’ behaviour or stay away from that area as there were not any other alternatives.
Mobberley did not think it would be fair to get rid of the magpies as he understood they were just protecting their young.
And, after all, he was in their habitat.
Park user Matthew Milne wondered if eradication might work. He has been dive bombed once, last month, in his 10 years of weekly cycling through the reserve.
‘‘They’re an annoyance and personally I’d rather have native birds than the Australian (magpies) ones chasing them away.’’
He was concerned a child on a bike faced with a volatile magpie may get a fright and fall off.
Simon Hitchcock said a magpie swooped on him, recently, on the same stretch of track.
‘‘It never made contact but it flicked its wings together giving me a fright.’’
It sounded said.
Hitchcock said he and his mates were terrorised by magpies when playing soccer as a youngster at Pleasant Point, so had become used to them.
The birds used to fly down from poplars growing along the edges of the sports field, he said.
He was far from phobic about like a clap, he the birds.
‘‘I’ve never seen blood drawn (in a real magpie attack). It won’t stop me riding.’’
A Timaru District Council spokesman said the council had not received any complaints about the birds, while Environment Canterbury had some advice for worried sky watchers.
‘‘If you get in this situation or are nervous about having to walk through a magpie area, it pays to hold an object above your head (for example a tall stick) as they tend to swoop for the highest point.’’