By Melissa Blewitt

Condobolin and Lachlan Shire residents are being urged to take care around nesting magpies as the spring swooping season gets underway.
Magpies can become protective of their nests during spring and may swoop pedestrians, cyclists and runners who enter their territory.
MagpieAlert, a community-run national database of reported magpie encounters, had recorded 1,168 swoops and 130 injuries across Australia in 2026 as of 3 September.
Residents are advised to avoid known nesting areas where possible and consider changing their route if swooping activity is reported. Cyclists should take extra care and may choose to dismount
and walk through affected areas.
Magpies are protected native wildlife and should not be harmed or deliberately provoked.
Swooping behaviour is generally temporary and subsides after the nesting season. Magpie nesting and defensive swooping typically stop by November.