Does darkness / night time riding decrease swooping risk??

August 12th, 2016 By Andy Ryan McArdle

Any thoughts or knowledge around when swooping is worst??? As in time of day. I have read some articles saying they're a roosting bird so (in theory) would be asleep in the dark.

Does anybody have any experience on this??

Also i have found the stopping and hopping off your bicycle and walking the bike / maintain eye contact whilst theyre swooping, they actually do stop and leave.

9 Comments

Ash - September 26th, 2019

I was walking past a magpie hotspot early in the morning and I haven't been swooped. Which is good and it was about 5am that time

Norm Notnoe - October 17th, 2017

I thought they wouldn't swoop at night, but I did just get swooped although it seemed to be a fair distance away. I thought it was a bat at first but it's presence lingered until I turned around and saw the all too familiar black and white menace

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Kaisson - August 6th, 2017

My tormentor wakes before dawn. I've tested the darkness theory and never been swooped, but I have been followed a couple of times, with the silent assassin tailing me closely but not committing to the hit. Unfortunately, if I start early then I also finish early, so he just hammers me twice has hard on the way home...

tman - September 30th, 2016

imo, worst time of day would be midday and after (12 - 3 pm) a kilometer route I take cycling for the train @ 10 am - no swoops at all, @ 2 pm, 4 swoops within a block. I dont think they were even nesting, they were just 'passing by'.

tman - September 30th, 2016

Jodie - September 22nd, 2016

I get swooped every morning on my way to work, EXCEPT when it is before dawn. I've gone through there at 5:30am on 3 different occasions in the last 3 weeks. No swoop! I am swooped every other morning when I go through around 7am.

FD - September 18th, 2016

I wish you were right. I got attacked by one in London Circuit, Canberra. It was past 10pm, October 2014, and the flying monster chased three different people, me being one of them.

Raymonde - September 14th, 2016

As with other day birds, Magpies sleep at night and should not be a problem after sunset.

Ronnie - August 27th, 2016

Yes I've had no trouble riding my bike home after dark through the spot I'm being attacked daily during the day by multiple magpies. They sleep as soon as night falls.

Does darkness / night time riding decrease swooping risk??

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