After fifty odd years of cycling for both leisure and commuting I can say that cable ties only serve to make you look like a porcupine and do not prevent swooping, only contact. Beak snaps are still prevalent and dangerously distracting.
I can concur with the behavioural ecologist however who stated recently that maggies will avoid direct eye contact and immediately curtail their desire to swoop if they think they are being looked at. I have employed a LARGE pair of plastic moving eyes on successive helmets for many years and can say that I have not been swooped in that time, I have noted their shadow as they begin their swoop out of the sun but they immediately turn tail and fly away. If I think they may be more aggressive than usual I shake my head, the eyes move and again, no swoop.
I would not argue that to a magpie's perception, this looks like a fairly intimidating face.
No Picture
Salman S - August 18th, 2023
Chris Jackson - September 12th, 2019
Robbo - October 1st, 2015
MagpieAlert Editor - September 19th, 2015
Saw a man cycling with no word of a lie, a small scrub sticking out of his helmet! Well if it works...
Michael Fisher - September 16th, 2015
Nikki Gillies - September 13th, 2015
MagpieAlert Editor - September 5th, 2015
The MagpieAlert Editor - September 4th, 2015
Sign up to add comments!