Fun at school!

[fireheart]

So we had two interesting issues of note:

1) We currently have a butcherbird that is breeding in the trees around near the school. It also swoops if you are on your own. So far we managed to avoid any attacks in the last few weeks of last term and the school holidays.
Cue the first week back and we had THREE bird attacks over 2 days. Two were of children I'd worked with, the third was a child I was unfamiliar with. It got especially interesting as one of those children was attacked near the eye . (none of those children were in our care at the time, one of them was walking IN though)
We're planning on contacting WIRES ASAP since it's now started attacking children who have not been doing anything to annoy it. (It only seems to attack individuals, not groups)

2) It appears that there is now a ritual for the boys who attend the elite private school up the road from us. That ritual is to climb up the playground near the school and go through a hole in the shadecloth before jumping OFF the shadecloth to somewhere nearby. Normally this wouldn't be so much of an issue (to us) if nobody was there, but there is a military-grade level of stupid present when you do it with CHILDREN nearby.
Apparently the last instance was done in FRONT of the parents and the police were called. They'd also been abusing the children nearby as well and it's not the first time according to other children. So now the police have the elite private school on their radar . (The school fees for this school are between $17k-$30k per year)

[Gilhelmi]

Ya, that Private school is looking at a lawsuit if they do not get their students under control.

[fireheart]

Ya, that Private school is looking at a lawsuit if they do not get their students under control.

This isn't a regular thing, it's a semi-regular thing (like every few weeks or so). We've been told by the cops to contact them again if it happens again.

And sadly checking the WIRES site, it turns out that because butcherbirds are related to the magpies, we can't actually remove them or have them removed. It's not so much that they're a protected species, it's for two main reasons:

1) removing them without removing the chicks leaves them without a mum.

2) if you remove them, another one will move in.

So now we're having to move out of the way entirely.

[TopEndDave]

And sadly checking the WIRES site, it turns out that because butcherbirds are related to the magpies, we can't actually remove them or have them removed. It's not so much that they're a protected species, it's for two main reasons:

1) removing them without removing the chicks leaves them without a mum.

2) if you remove them, another one will move in.

So now we're having to move out of the way entirely.

Is it time for the kids to make ice cream helmets with eyes on the back?

That is point 6 in the linked page and something that I used to do as a kid in Melbourne.

[fireheart]

Is it time for the kids to make ice cream helmets with eyes on the back?

That is point 6 in the linked page and something that I used to do as a kid in Melbourne.

Actually, that would be a fun idea! I might run this past the school.

[Orgaloth]

Is it time for the kids to make ice cream helmets with eyes on the back?

That is point 6 in the linked page and something that I used to do as a kid in Melbourne.

I use to do that when I was living in Toowoomba. When I was younger we had a magpie removed (with eggs) as it was extremely aggressive and no one could go outside. We had the council remove them.

[fireheart]

I use to do that when I was living in Toowoomba. When I was younger we had a magpie removed (with eggs) as it was extremely aggressive and no one could go outside. We had the council remove them.

OK, so they CAN be moved if possible.

So far we haven't had any attacks this week. Although there was a dead bird found outside the school after a particularly nasty storm.

The school's admin lady and I joked that it was the bird who had been swooping everyone