Darren Jolly fronts the media on Wednesday afternoon

Collingwood ruckman Darren Jolly is warning the community that the swooping season has arrived with Australian Magpies and other birds swooping to protect their eggs.

Jolly has joined forces with the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) to launch the Victorian Magpie Map on the DSE website which is available for Victorians to report the locations of swooping birds.

"The magpie is the symbol of our team and so we are keen to do our bit to increase understanding of them in the community," Jolly said from the Carlton Gardens in Melbourne on Wednesday.

 

“Whether we live in the bush or the city, we share our environment with native birds so it’s important to remember not to intentionally hurt them if they’re swooping in the area. The main thing is to avoid the area where the birds are nesting or, if you can’t do that, try to protect your head and eyes and move through the area quickly."

If you want to find out more about the dangers of swooping magpies you can download the 'Swoop Off' kit from www.dse.vic.gov.au/swoop. 

Other measures can include:
• Wearing a hat or bike helmet to protect your head;
• Wearing sunglasses to protect your eyes;
• If you ride a bike, you can have long cable ties protruding from the top of your helmet;
• Put up an umbrella while crossing the swooping area; and
• If the bird targets people riding a bike, get off and walk in the immediate area.