Cade Lucas
Collingwood might be featuring in this year’s AFL Finals, but Victorians, including those in Wyndham, are being reminded that it’s not just on the football field where they’ll encounter magpies this September.
Spring is breeding time for magpies and that means it’s swooping season too, as they and other native bird species such as plovers, seek to protect their freshly laid eggs and newly hatched chicks.
Katherine Whittaker, Senior Wildlife Officer at the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) said people should be aware of swooping, but not alarmed.
“While swooping is unsettling, it’s normal behaviour for a range of native birds,” Ms Whittaker said.
“Swooping is a warning to people and animals not to come near their young. It’s rare for birds to make contact.”
Native birds swoop near where they are nesting, whether it be rural or urban, with parks, gardens and along bike tracks common locations.
However, Ms Whittaker said this behaviour wasn’t uniform.
“Not all birds swoop during the breeding season, so don’t be concerned simply because there are magpies or other common swooping birds in the area,” she said.
“Remember, the swooping behaviour will only last for a few weeks, normally stopping soon after
the young leave the nest.”
Those worried about being swooped are advised to know their local swooping hotspots and avoid them, wear protective head and eye coverings and to not feed birds or destroy their nests.
If being swooped, people are advised to walk but not run away from the nesting area and to not harass the birds as this can make the swooping worse.
For more information: www.wildlife.vic.gov.au/managing-wildlife/swooping-birds
