Wheelchair user stops magpie swoops with 53 cable ties on his helmet
A Bendigo wheelchair user fastened 53 cable ties to his helmet and says magpies no longer swoop him.
Norman Goetz, a wheelchair user in Kennington, Victoria, wears a helmet bristling with 53 long cable ties that he says stops magpies from swooping him. Norman Goetz bought the helmet about three years ago after a magpie hit his head, but added the ties after more attacks.
On his first outing with them, a magpie tried to swoop and backed off. Goetz thinks the noise and feel of the plastic strands unsettle the birds.
Behavioural ecologist Bill Bateman from Curtin University said cable ties probably do not work because magpies attack from the side. He acknowledged that Goetz's extra-long ties jutting out sideways might be an exception.
A small percentage of male magpies swoop passers-by to protect springtime nests. Goetz is happy with his solution: people smile and laugh at the goofy helmet, and he has noticed other riders copying the idea.
- 53
- Cable ties attached
- Kennington, Victoria
- Resident location
- about three years ago
- Helmet purchased
- Curtin University
- Expert affiliation
Why it mattersA creative, low-cost solution that actually might work challenges the conventional wisdom about magpie defence and gives nervous commuters an option to try.
AustraliaDuring swooping season, Australians dealing with aggressive magpies now have an oddball but potentially effective helmet hack to consider when standard advice fails.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 2 h ago
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