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Bird kills Cyclist

Old 09-16-19, 11:43 AM
  #1  
CliffordK
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Bird kills Cyclist

Australian man, 76, dies in swooping magpie incident, police say

An elderly Australian man was killed Sunday after he crashed into a fence while riding his bike — with the fatal collision reportedly a result of his efforts to avoid a swooping magpie.

The unidentified 76-year-old was riding his bike on a path in Nicholson Park in Woonona, New South Wales, around 8 a.m. when he started to ride outside the path to get away from the bird, witnesses told police.

"The man then collided with a fence post, causing him to be thrown to the ground, sustaining serious head injuries," authorities said in a press release on Monday.
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Old 09-16-19, 12:28 PM
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Oh, great! Now we have to worry about birds!?😨

Condolences to the man's family.
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Old 09-16-19, 12:38 PM
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Wow! Killer magpies! R.I.P.
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Old 09-16-19, 01:35 PM
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An eagle once did a sneak attack buzz at my head from behind. That was exciting.

I was climbing "the wall" of Calaveras Road in the hills east of Silicon Valley. As I approached the top, I felt a loud "whoosh" blast by my left ear. I looked up straight ahead to see the eagle, in a 90-degree bank, with talons extended, flying away.

Turned out it had a nest nearby. Had those talons made contact with my head, things would have gotten messy.
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Old 09-16-19, 01:55 PM
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Sorry for the outcome, but it seems Alfred Hitchcock had it right all along.
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Old 09-16-19, 02:17 PM
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There are magpies in Australia?

Edit... I'll be darned. Wiki:
A member of the Artamidae, the Australian magpie is placed in its own genus Gymnorhina and is most closely related to the black butcherbird (Melloria quoyi). It is not, however, closely related to the European magpie, which is a corvid.
...

In Denis Glover's poem "The Magpies", the mature magpie's call is described as quardle oodle ardle wardle doodle,[45] one of the most famous lines in New Zealand poetry, and as waddle giggle gargle paddle poodle, in the children's book Waddle Giggle Gargle by Pamela Allen.[
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Old 09-16-19, 02:33 PM
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how to survive magpie swooping season. painting eyes on the back of your helmet doesn't work ...

https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2018/0...ooping-season/
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Old 09-16-19, 04:23 PM
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Originally Posted by rumrunn6
how to survive magpie swooping season. painting eyes on the back of your helmet doesn't work ...

https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2018/0...ooping-season/
Interesting article.



So, some of the magpies specifically target cyclists, and those are more likely to attack riders wearing helmets than without helmets. They look like absolutely vicious birds.

And, they have a learning curve. The more cyclists they chase away, the more aggressive they become.
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Old 09-16-19, 04:24 PM
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I have had little birds chase me, but nothing like those Aussie Magpies.
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Old 09-16-19, 04:45 PM
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I would call that "Cyclist kills cyclist."
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Old 09-16-19, 05:08 PM
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Originally Posted by Paul Barnard
I would call that "Cyclist kills cyclist."
Of course the self-proclaimed “expert” would. “Instructive and educational.”

You ever ride a bike around an Australian Magpie?

-mr. bill
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Old 09-17-19, 09:50 AM
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"Collided with a fence post"
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Old 09-18-19, 12:38 PM
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A woman I know got hit in head by a Canadian goose. She crashed and suffered a concussion and shoulder injury. The force of the impact ruptured the bird's abdomen. It fell to the ground and literally spilled it's guts on the road.
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Old 09-18-19, 02:38 PM
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I think Lazy people feed the Geese on the bike paths around the University Campus. I take it slow around them.

There have been places with aggressive turkeys, but I to leave them alone.
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Old 09-19-19, 09:32 AM
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Our neighborhood turkeys will walk out in the road and stand there oblivious to cars. But when I come on my bike they scuttle out of the way. Maybe it’s the way I click my tongue or maybe something else. I do think it’s fun to ride past a car that’s stopped wondering what to do and have the turkeys scatter. Bike for the win!
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Old 09-19-19, 05:45 PM
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I wouldn't put anything past Hekyll & Jekyll. A bicyclist ran into a deer, which proved fatal for him, on his way to work @ JPL in that little arm of the Angeles National Forest.
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Old 09-20-19, 07:09 AM
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I cant believe our politicians are sitting by idle. Obviously this calls for an all out ban of birds!
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Old 09-20-19, 07:49 AM
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A buddy with a 20 gauge pump, sitting in a bike trailer facing rearward.
A few passes along the offending route and the birds will get the message..... they remember.
But these Maggies in Australia know there is strict firearm control and are free to do their dirty deed where they please.
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Old 09-20-19, 09:12 AM
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Originally Posted by Arthur P*****y
A bicyclist ran into a deer, which proved fatal for him, on his way to work @ JPL in that little arm of the Angeles National Forest.
Deer are a menace to cycling, they jump out into the road with no warning. Our local hills are full of them.

Here's a video of one of these long-legged rats
.
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Old 09-20-19, 11:06 AM
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Originally Posted by terrymorse
Deer are a menace to cycling, they jump out into the road with no warning. Our local hills are full of them.
In Montana they are almost as numerous as pigeons are in NYC. Back in June I had three different groups run into the road while descending a mountain pass in the rain. If I am in an area where a "surprise attack" seems possible I yell "Yo, deer!" I would rather get them moving so I can see them ahead of time than wait until they spring out of the woods at the last second. The next day of that trip a heard of elk stampeded across the road. At least I knew they were coming because I spooked them when I stopped to take a photo as they were grazing in a field. Started riding again and they took off en masse across my path.
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Old 09-20-19, 11:17 AM
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Originally Posted by CliffordK
I think Lazy people feed the Geese on the bike paths around the University Campus. I take it slow around them.

There have been places with aggressive turkeys, but I to leave them alone.
What you do depends on how tall the aggressive turkeys are, and if they too are on a bike or foot.
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Old 09-20-19, 11:20 AM
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Originally Posted by terrymorse
Deer are a menace to cycling, they jump out into the road with no warning. Our local hills are full of them.

Here's a video of one of these long-legged rats taking out a cyclist near Sausalito.
You do realize that they are trying to cross the road, are watching for autos and cannot see you well. You just don't register.
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Old 09-20-19, 11:23 AM
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Originally Posted by Arthur P*****y
I wouldn't put anything past Hekyll & Jekyll. A bicyclist ran into a deer, which proved fatal for him, on his way to work @ JPL in that little arm of the Angeles National Forest.
I'd watch out for these two as well.


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Old 09-20-19, 11:33 AM
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Originally Posted by terrymorse
Our local hills are full of them.
My yard is full of them too. My wife and I like to see them as they take R&R in our yard almost every day.
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Old 09-20-19, 11:40 AM
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Originally Posted by trailangel

A buddy with a 20 gauge pump, sitting in a bike trailer facing rearward.
A few passes along the offending route and the birds will get the message..... they remember.
But these Maggies in Australia know there is strict firearm control and are free to do their dirty deed where they please.
I don't believe the flying saucers, but those buzzards must be tired of waiting.
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