Postman shares genius trick to stop magpies swooping in spring

A postman has shared his clever trick for befriending local magpies to stop them swooping in spring.

John Kanard has not been swooped once by the protective birds, despite delivering mail in Canberra for two years.

After he was made redundant from his previous job and joined Australia Post, he decided to "educate" the magpies on who he was.

"Really, it's as simple as gaining the animal's trust when it's not spring time and you feed them," he told the Canberra Times.

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Mr Kanard said he feeds the birds "good quality" muesli bars throughout the year so when springtime comes, they only approach him for food.

"There's a little section in Campbell where I can without exaggeration be surrounded by 30 birds," he said.

The postman said people often stop to take photos of him feeding the birds and he has taken a particular liking to a magpie in Reid that can "imitate a cockatoo."

"I'd just say to my colleagues at work 'don't be scared, feed them'," he said.