There’s nothing quite like a close encounter with a swooping magpie to alert you to the breeding habits of native bird species.
The Department of Environment and Primary Industries is reminding the community that swooping season is upon us again as magpies and other bird species start breeding.
DEPI has put together a “Swoop Off” kit to help people avoid being swooped. It can be downloaded from the DEPI website.
The 2014 Victorian Magpie Map is another helpful tool to check where people have been ‘swooped’ this season.
According to the map, there have been swoops in Sunshine Avenue, St Albans; Mt Derrimut Road, Derrimut; Clarian Street Reserve, Cairnlea; the corner of Cairnlea Drive and Ballarat Road, Parkwood; Green Reserve in Hillside; and opposite Springside College in Caroline Springs.
DEPI’s regional manager for environment natural resources and fisheries, Bram Mason, encouraged people to report any swooping incidents via the Magpie Map on the department’s website at www.depi.vic.gov.au so others could check for swooping hotspots.
“If you do end up in an area where there’s a swooping bird, try to protect your head and eyes and move quickly through the area.”
