Department warns of swooping season

With the weather warming up and trees blooming and the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, or DELWP, are reminding everyone of another emerging seasonal trend.

With spring comes breeding season for native birds such as magpies, laughing kookaburras and masked lapwings, which means swooping season will follow as they attempt to protect their young.

DELWP’s senior wildlife projects officer Belinda Cant said swooping is generally a natural defence mechanism.

“Swooping can catch us by surprise, but it is normal behaviour for some territorial birds,” she said.

“Swooping is basically a scare tactic to warn people and animals not to come near their nesting young. Birds may swoop people or animals, so be mindful of your dogs too.

“However, not all birds swoop to protect their eggs and young during the breeding season, so don’t be concerned simply because there are magpies or other common swooping birds in the area.

“During this time of year less than 10 per cent of birds from just a few species will swoop and even fewer make contact.

“If you are worried about being swooped, you can do a few things to protect yourself.”

DELWP has released tips in avoid swooping, such as being aware of and avoiding swooping hotspots, covering your head with a hat, umbrella or helmet, and not feeding birds.

Some native birds will swoop to defend their nest for up to six to eight weeks before stopping.

An interactive map depicting reported swooping hotspots is also available at DELWP’s website.