Every year it happens. Some call it swooping season, some call it nesting season, others call it breeding season. I call it 'Recent arrivals wonder why they worried about spiders and snakes when they should have worried about the birds' season.

Yes its abit like that Alfred Hitchcock film ' the birds' where all the birds go crazy and start attacking people. Some people have lost eyes in magpie attacks and many get cuts to the head they can be very vicious. Snakes and spiders only bite in self defence when people attack or step on them while magpies will attack you just for walking in their territory.

I was wondering when it was going to start. I've been walking up the road to school for the past few days looking out for them. Time to get the hats out again!

We have a magpie on the 5th hole at the golf course that can get a bit carried away. There are no trees on the hole, so I have never managed to figure out where the nest is, but it has been there for the last 4 years. It is horrible when you are standing over your ball wondering if it is going to swoop.

I was in the bedroom this morning when I heard a flutter and looked up and this brown bird was flying past my head being chased by my two dogsIt banged into the window then sat on the back of my sofa with one of my dogs sitting on the seat in front staring at each other.I shut one of the dogs away and then grabbed hold of the other and with one last flight around my house the bird went out.

I don't know if the bird came in the house chasing the dogs or they chased it!Sue.

In our local park we have this brown speckled birds with big piss off beaks - someone called them 'butcher birds' - dont know if thats the real name for them.

they attack my Rocky without fail, dive bombing him and swooping him when I throw his tennis ball. You can hear my kelpie yelping as he tries to avoid them, he only wants to play with his ball and these bastard birds get him every time.

I swear to god they wear leather jackets and carry flick knives.

I feel your pain. I'm a cyclist and runner and I hate it at this time of year when they attack!

I've got cable ties on my helmet - it doesn't necessarily stop them swooping but it tends to mean they pull up out of the swoop earlier, to avoid the cable ties, as opposed to slamming into your helmet or worse, your neck or ears! (Although to be honest they don't usually get as far as hitting you, normally just swoop close, but I did get hit once last year, and I know people who've had neck and ears hit and drawn blood).

When I go running at this time of year I wear a cap with eyes I've fashioned myself stuck onto the back/top of the cap! Feel like a dick but i don't care, stops them swooping.

If they do swoop you have to turn around and look at them, it stops them attacking - that's why the eyes on your hat help - they think they're being watched already. It's hard to do because natural reaction is to duck down and run away but that seems to make them worse, so turn and look and back away slowly.

And I would recommend always wearing sunnies, just in case (some of them have been known to go for eyes.... which is like something out of a horror film I know...).

PS I went for a swim this morning rather than for a run cos I just couldn't be bothered to be a twitching nervous wreck every time I caught the glimpse of a bird out the corner of my eye!

Yes those brown speckled ones are evil!

It is a good job they don't attack my cattle dog cross as she would be to scared to go out againMy lab cross just looks a bit puzzled at them as they dive bomb her!Sue.

I am not surprised you went for a swim instead!I know what you mean about being a nervous twitching wreckSue

My little black dog (nicknamed 'beetle dog' as he looks like one of those black shiny stag beetles) only loves his tennis ball. It is the only thing that matters to him and what he is focused on.

He is running for his ball, barking with excitement, grabs his ball and then yelps as those bastard birds attack him - still refuses to drop his ball though.

There are a group of galahs that hang out in the park and one of them lifts his crest up, flaps his wings and yells 'go away' - Ive seen him heaps of times and he squares up to my dog. you can see the look on my dogs face, so funny - he is scared of them as well.

It must have been a pet perhaps that has escaped, but he always flaps his wings, lifts his crest up and yells at us.

My cattle dog cross is like that with her ball.It makes walks so much easier as she just wants her ball and will not even see other dogs.The other one though is kept on the lead most of the time as she wants to see everyone and their dogs!

I hope you don't mind me asking you a question about balls but what type do you use?As my dog just breaks the cheap tennis balls in halfI wonder if the more expensive ones will be any different?Sue.

I know what you mean, Rocky can demolish a tennis ball in one bite. I think we get some from Red Dot or spend a bit more and get some from Coles.

If you go to Better Pets and Gardens, for $5 you can get an oversized tennis ball which is too big to chomp in one bite and has alot of bounce, Rocky loves it.

We have tried one of those oversized tennis balls which last a bit longer but I want a ball to fit in the flinger as my throwing is not to good!Sue.

it can be serious - a girl lost part of her eye last year following an attack in mandurah;
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=647319

my kids school had to have an armed guard on the gates in the morning as they nested in a tree on the school entrance - dont worry, it was just the janny armed with large sticks

they are really bad in the parks around perth from usually October until december ie when the weather is the best before it gets too hot to go out - which is a real bummer as you can't get out as much as you would like. our three kids wont go anywhere near the local park when they are attacking so i am stuck with them fighting, i mean playing, in the garden all day!! death to the magpies.