Magpie, An Australian Story

How fear turns into violence

Artwork by the author

It’s springtime in Australia so that means the most feared of all Australian wildlife is out — not a deadly snake or a spider, not even the great white shark, but a bird. The magpie.

In my cycling days, I had had my fair share of magpie divebomb attacks. The sight of a magpie sitting on a low branch, scanning the surrounding area would strike…