'Magpie attacks to soar due to facemasks in 'swooping capital' Canberra'

[Mark Clayton <>]

David,

There are many "white-backed" magpies locally. Canberra is in the middle where several  different races overlap hence the many mixed looking birds. The true White-backed Magpie Gymnorhina tibicen hypoleuca is a Tasmanian race. See Schodde and Mason 1999 - The Directory of Australian Birds.

Mark

On 24/08/2021 11:06 am, Martin Butterfield via Canberrabirds wrote:

Prof Jones is quoted as saying "“They almost never attack from the front, they’re stealth bombers they’ll come from behind,” Professor Jones says."  He obviously never rides a bicycle. When I used to ride between South Bruce and Cameron Offices there were some that used the Scud missile approach: front-on  and aiming straight for your face.  A couple of them in Mallacoota have the same approach: I call one of them, in our street, Hannibal (after Dr Lector) and what I call the other, with a territory close to the Shady Gully CP, is not usable on a family-oriented chatline.

I suspect that the increase in swooping during the Melbourne lock-down last year was less about masks, and more to do with folk being home in the Magpie enhanced 'burbs  all day rather than working in the concrete canyons with few Magpies.

Martin Butterfield

http://franmart.blogspot.com.au/

https://mallacootaweatherwildlife.blogspot.com/

On Tue, 24 Aug 2021 at 10:47, David McDonald (Personal) <> wrote:

A 22 August 2021 article in RIOTACT! https://the-riotact.com/magpie-attacks-to-soar-due-to-facemasks-in-swooping-capital-canberra/487691

Bit of a shame that the photo is of a White-backed Magpie.

David

 

 

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David McDonald

1004 Norton Road, Wamboin NSW 2620, Australia

Tel: (02) 6238 3706 | Mobile: 0416 231 890

E-mail: m("dnmcdonald.id.au","david");" target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">

 

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