Next time Fiona Rayner goes for a walk, she is going to wear a hat.
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The Dubbo amateur photographer was walking through the reserve near Eastridge Estate earlier this week when a magpie decided to swoop.
Mrs Rayner said she was only talking about the magpies earlier that morning with some friends, who had been swooped near the Serisier Bridge.
"I was walking along the reserve, right near Buninyong Road and Myall Street. It was a miserable day and I thought I would go and take some photos of the water down there," she said.
"I was walking along and I saw him first and I knew he was going to swoop, I wanted to get it on video."
"I felt him get very close to me, I could hear the 'woosh' as he went past my head."
The magpie left her alone as she walked further along, but surprised her on the other side of the reserve as she was heading back.
"He's got a strip of land down there. I didn't see him or realise he was coming the second time so that scared me a bit when he started swooping."
Mrs Rayner said she has been swooped before, but luckily hadn't been hit.
"I've been attacked while I've been on the bike, and I have heard a few people say they have been hit and caught on the ear."
"Next time I'll make sure I've got a hat on. They are hard to avoid around here, so putting a hat on at least protects me a bit."
Several runners and walkers have reported magpies swooping near Bunnings, along Erskine Street near the service station and along the Tracker Riley near the Railway Bridge.
CSU Lecturer in Ornithology Dr Melanie Massaro said while magpies defend their territories all year round, they will only swoop humans when they are nesting, with their intent to encourage people to move further away from their nest.
"Australian magpies can live up to 25 years, so if you encounter a swooping male during one breeding season, it is likely that he will still occupy the same territory the following year," she said.
"The most simple and obvious tactic is to avoid the magpie's territory during the breeding season."
Dr Massaro said if residents found themselves under attack from a magpie they should raise their arms over their head to protect themselves and move as quickly as possible out of their territory, as the magpie will not swoop if you are not in their territory.
"Magpies are very aware of people's eyes, and therefore they often attack from behind. A study conducted on masked lapwings found that fake eyes on the back of hats protected pedestrians from swooping attacks, but this little trick didn't work for cyclists."
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