Magpie swooping season begins

Those bastard birds are at it again, it's spring and magpie swooping season is in full swing again and no one is immune. We are all a legitimate target in the eyes of magpies - stay away from our nests. We won't be climbing any trees to get anywhere near their nests - but there is no negotiating with an angry magpie.

You are walking down the street or riding a bike and hear the woosh of wings behind you, it's spring and the magpies are protecting their nests from any and all possible intruders. Whatever you do, don't look around, children have lost sight in one eye, those beaks are sharp and the impact is brutal.

With GoPro cameras, we are seeing some pretty decent pics and video footage of attacking magpies. As kids going to school walking across the park, we would carry sticks to wave over our heads to keep the magpies at bay. These days, magpies are photographed and videographed in attack mode and we don't try to whack them with sticks anymore - they are still annoying though.