Magpies are winning the battle to keep me off the road and rail trail. There are swooping birds in every direction.
It used to be safe heading to the golf course, but Juliet and Kathleen have both been swooped there in the past couple of days.
After my bad experience riding to Eurobin, I tried cycling up the Buckland Valley today instead, thinking the open farmland would reduce nesting opportunities.
How wrong I was. Michelini’s vineyard was magpie city, with literally hundreds of birds. These weren’t my problem though. I was attacked by a particularly aggressive creature near Hillside farm. On the way out he came at me five times and wasn’t deterred when I stared to face him. In fact, he changed tactics and came at me from ground level.
On the return leg I carried a big stick and he only swooped me twice. The bad thing is the paranoia these few swoopers create. You begin to fear assault from every bird in the sky. The passing shadow of a sparrow becomes menacing.
Another cyclist spoke to me about the adrenaline rush, which I concur with.
I’ve been reading some government web sites about magpies tonight and it seems they’re likely to carry on this behavior until November, or maybe finish in October if I’m lucky.
I’ll just have to carry a stick on all rides. I’ve mapped out a new run through the town and will avoid the rail trail for a few weeks.
A couple of sites recommend getting off the bike and walking past them, but my instinct is to get out of their territory as quickly as possible!
