App assists in swwoping season

Baw Baw residents are reminded with the arrival of spring today, it also is swooping season.
During this time of year, magpies, plovers, miners, and butcherbirds are known to defend their nests by flying close to passers-by for about four months, in an attempt to protect hatchlings. This is a behaviour dictated by animal instinct rather than aggression, usually only acting to ward off perceived threats, although injuries to pedestrians can sometimes occur.
Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) wildlife emergencies and welfare services manager Tony English said swooping occurred during the breeding season for some native birds.
"Swooping is a natural and temporary behaviour that some native birds use to protect their eggs and chicks during the breeding season," Mr English said. "Swooping is their way of telling you to keep your distance."
DEECA advised residents can reduce the risk of being swooped by:
Avoiding known swooping hotspots
Moving quickly and calmly through the area rather than running
Wearing protective head and eye coverings when needed
Avoid harassing birds, which can increase defensive behaviour
Not feeding birds or disturbing nests.
Avoiding hotpots can be now efficiently achieved by use of the free Magpie Radar app available on Android and IOS. It allows users to view reported hotspots in their area, check travel routes for level of risk, and receive proximity alerts with entering active swooping zones. A similar map is also maintained by DEECA, but does not possess the feature for residents to add their own reports that Magpie Radar is built around.
The app was developed by Melbourne couple Naz and Burak Kaye after Naz was struck on the back of her head by a magpie while taking her three-year-old daughter to a park last spring.
As an academic with the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, Ms Kaye had seen first-hand the injuries that can result from bird attacks, including cases requiring stitches. According to the app's creators, magpies account for about 40 per cent of bird-related injuries in Australia.
For some residents, this year's season has already begun, with reports logged along Lardner Rd, Drouin, as early as mid-July.
To download the app visit https://magpieradar.com/, or to find out more visit DEECA's website https://www.wildlife.vic.gov.au/managing-wildlife/swooping-birds.