And with the season comes the perennial problem of magpies. All jokes about footy finals aside, for many people especially children the vernal season can  become a nightmare of avoiding this seasonally aggressive birds. 

While it might seem like nothing for those who have not experienced it, there is also the significant safety factor for unsuspecting children in playgrouns or cyclists on busy roads.

Even postmen on their mopeds are familiar in Ballarat with the more daring and aggresive of the birds 

Injuries caused by swooping magpies can be severe and in one instance in Queensland in 2011 it led to the death of a 12-year-old boy, who ran into the path of a car while trying to flee the bird.

Some people might suggest simply exterminating the bird is a viable option if public safety is the primary concern but regulations dictate the birds must not be harmed. Many people resort to a variety of contrivances to keep them away from umbrellas to the barbed protuberances from bicycle helmets all of which work with a variety of success.  Some people advocate simply avoiding known areas altoghether but this may not be practical. 

In the north east tourist town of Bright where the Department of Environment, Land and Water (DELWP) appears to have green-lighted the call to kill a magpie who has created havoc in a popular Ovens riverside park. The magpie in question has been particularly aggressive and striking people, many of them youngsters, over a wide area.

But also in Queensland  in 2012 authorities baulked at killing a similarly aggressive magpie tormenting members of the public.

Swooping generally occurs when people come within 100 metres of a nesting tree and magpies defend their eggs and if they perceive a potential threat, they may swoop. Menacing magpies strike fear into those who find themselves in their path each spring.

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One alternative is relocation, but it comes with no guarantee the magpie won’t return.

t is just normal bird behaviour.

Fortunately in this instance commonsense has prevailed and authorities need to be commended in a no-win situation.