Major warning as cyclist, 76, dies while trying to avoid a swooping magpie

A man has died from serious head injuries after he was thrown from his bike while trying to escape a swooping magpie. The 76-year-old man was riding his bicycle on an off-road path alongside Nicholson Park at Woonona near Wollongong on Sunday morning when an aggressive magpie targeted him.

Witnesses told police they saw the man ride off the path – in an attempt to dodge the swooping bird – and hit a fence post before being thrown to the ground, sustaining serious head injuries.

“He was treated on-scene before being airlifted to St George Hospital in a critical condition,” NSW police said in a statement. “Despite medical efforts, the man died yesterday evening (Sunday 15 September 2019).

“Officers from Wollongong Police District are investigating the incident and a report will be prepared for the Coroner.”

Magpie swooping season has started early this year as the number of bird-related attacks has begun to rack up all over the country. Magpie Alert, a website designed to track and record attacks Australia-wide, has mapped out magpie hotspots around the country and Queensland has seen the most attacks so far this year, making up 34.4 per cent of all in 2019.

Areas across the state that have recorded swooping magpies include Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Meanwhile, New South Wales isn’t far behind on 19.8 per cent, with recent attacks occurring in Sydney, Wollongong and Bathurst. Victoria has made up 21.1 cent of all attacks, with recent attacks occurring in Melbourne.

There’s only been a small number in the ACT (15.6 per cent), with areas including Canberra, Gordon, Curtin and Ngunnawal all noticing magpies have started swooping, while South Australia (6.4 per cent) and Western Australia (2.6 per cent) have only recorded a small number of attacks so far. There have been no recorded attacks yet in the Northern Territory.

While magpies are generally innocent creatures for most of the year, most Australians know that the birds can become particularly vicious when protecting their young. Many people do their best to protect themselves by walking different routes, wearing helmets and goggles and staying away from swooping birds during Spring.

To date, 1,487 attacks have already occurred, while 175 people have reported injuries after being swooped by a magpie. According to the site, magpies are actually protected in Australia, meaning it’s against the law for anyone to intentionally harm or kill a magpie, their young or to collect their eggs.

The website recommends keeping alert, travelling in groups and to wear sun glasses and a hat to stay protected throughout the magpie swooping season. 

Meanwhile, the tragic incident comes after a brave bystander captured the moment an aggressive magpie attacked and chased off a brown snake in an impressive dual.

In the 50-second video, which was shared to YouTube last week, the magpie can been seen repeatedly swooping the large snake. The reptile doesn’t put up much of a fight and is then chased into some nearby bushes by the magpie.