Swooping magpies
Visiting Canadians Rob and Janet Weeks, from Ontario, were bemused by the “swooping magpies” sign in Cambridge’s Victoria Square this week. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.
Senior writer Mary Anne Gill stands next to the warning sign installed after she was hit by a swooping magpie while walking along the footpath beside Victoria Square.
Rob and Janet Weeks were visiting Cambridge this week and did a double take when they saw a sign advising them to be cautious of swooping magpies.
It was a new one for the Canadian couple, who were visiting their daughter in Hamilton, as in Ontario the black-billed magpie is a different bird to the Australian invader here.
It doesn’t have a reputation for swooping on people.
See: Mind your head
Waipā District Council has installed magpie warning signs next to Victoria Square in Cambridge.
