It’s that time of year when we don bike helmets – whether we own a bike or not – and carry umbrellas or sticks on every walk. It’s swooping season.

Australian magpies, or ‘maggies’ to you and I, bear the brunt of the bad press. These black and white warblers are a favourite amongst bird lovers for most of the year. But for 4-6 weeks each spring, humans and birds become more foe than friend. 

And it’s not just magpies. You can add plovers, butcherbirds, magpie-larks and the occasional kookaburra to the list of potential swoopers. And they’re all swooping for one reason: to protect their nests.

Masked Lapwings, aka plovers, take nesting duties seriously. Just not seriously enough to choose a safe space to hatch their babies. They’re always nesting in the middle of sports ovals, on roundabouts and on the verge of busy roads. 

Their nest isn’t a nest in the traditional sense but rather it’s just a scrape in the earth. It makes sense then that they become very defensive when they have eggs or hatchlings nearby, as they are literally often in harm's way. 

The first sign of trouble, which might just be you walking past, and the lapwings will call loudly and have their pointed yellow wing spurs at the ready.

While it’s only for a few weeks each season, being swooped is no fun. Here are our tips to keep both humans and birds safe during this time.

Try to avoid the area

Birds tend to be territorial in a radius of 100-200 metres around their nest. The best way to avoid being swooped is to avoid the area. 

Take a wide berth or better still an alternative route where possible. 

Let other community members know of nesting areas so they can also avoid the area.

Safety in numbers

Birds tend to target individuals so if you can’t avoid the area, grab a friend or three and walk together. And a coffee. Coffee makes everything better. 

Don’t run and get off your bike

It can be tempting to run through an area when you’re getting swooped but this can be seen as a threat so get off your bike and calmly walk past.

Protect your head

Generally swooping is a bluff and contact is rarely made. They want you to move past their young, not engage in mortal combat. 

However, it’s always a good idea to protect your eyes and head. Think: helmets, hats, umbrellas and sunglasses and if you do carry a stick, don’t preemptively wave it around, as tempting as this might be. Yes, sticks are fun but it could be seen as a threat to nesting birds. 

And hang in there, in a few short weeks you’ll have your favourite park back and some new birds to enjoy.