A man has died while trying to avoid a swooping magpie in a park near Wollongong which has a history of attacks.
The 76-year-old was riding his bicycle in Woonona yesterday morning when the bird started to swoop so he rode off the path in an effort to escape.
He then crashed into a fence post, was thrown to the ground and suffered serious head injuries.
Locals performed CPR on him until an ambulance arrived, before he was airlifted to St George Hospital in a critical condition.
Despite medical efforts he died last night.
Local resident Jason Crosskey saw the accident and said the man looked to be in a "pretty bad way".
"There was quite a lot of blood," he said.
"I feel sorry for him, for something like that to happen is pretty alarming actually."
NSW Police are investigating the incident and a report will be prepared for the NSW coroner.
The man had been riding alongside Nicholson Park where locals say a particularly aggressive magpie has been a repeat offender.
The Magpie Alert website, which tracks swooping magpies across Australia, shows around eight attacks in the area.
