A magpie attack in central Queensland has left a seven-year-old girl blind in one eye.
The attack occurred last month when Imogen Liddell was bike riding with her mother, Jodi, in North Rockhampton, reports ABC news.
"We were riding along having a great afternoon," Ms Lidell said, "and all of a sudden I saw a magpie sort of coming from behind."
While she initially believed the magpie was going to fly past them, Ms Liddell said the bird "veered abruptly" in front of her daughter's face and pecked her in the eye.
Imogen was flown to Lady Cilento Children's Hospital in Brisbane where she underwent surgery. Most of her iris was removed and her lens and lens sack was badly damaged, reports ABC News.
Ms Liddell explains that currently, her daughter's vision is negligible. "She can tell if someone turns a torch on or off when it's shining directly at her eye."
With Imogen now visiting eye specialists on a weekly basis in Brisbane, Ms Liddell wants to warn others about the dangers of magpie season.
"If she'd been wearing glasses that day, this would be a complete non-event," she says.
It comes as another boy, eight-year-old Cameron Neilsen, also required eye surgery following a magpie attack in Gladstone, 550km north of Brisbane.
Cameron was on his way to school when a magpie swooped, piercing his eyelid and scratching his eyeball, reports ABC News.
After complaining that he was having difficulty seeing, Cameron's mother Skye Neilsen said her son underwent surgery. His eyesight was saved and he is now making a full recovery.
In 2011, four-year-old Seth McInnes was left blind in one eye after a magpie attacked him in a Toowoomba park. And last year, five children sustained eye injuries when they were attacked in a playground in Gosford, NSW.
There have also been three recorded deaths over the past 70 years, including a 12-year-old boy who was killed in 2010 after running into traffic in Ipswich, Queensland, to avoid an attack.
Australian Geographic reports that swooping season begins in September – typically continuing for about six weeks, "until the newly hatched chicks fledge the nest." Male magpies will swoop at perceived threats within 80m of their nests.
Professor Chris Daniels, an expert on urban ecology at the University of South Australia, told Australian Geographic that magpies often pick specific targets based on a previously bad experience. As such, certain dog breeds and male children are often targeted.
While various methods of protection have been suggested, including wearing an ice cream container or carrying an umbrella, Professor Daniels says the best strategy is simply avoiding problem areas for the six weeks when attacks are likely.
You can visit Magpie Alert, a website which allows you to track aggressive magpies – and record attacks – in your local area here.