Hi.
If you remember, or care :-) I posted that our magpies disappeared.
Well, they're back, just as demanding and funny as ever.
Missed 'em

Tony

wrote:
Hi.
If you remember, or care :-) I posted that our magpies disappeared.
Well, they're back, just as demanding and funny as ever.
Missed 'em

Tony
Birds appear to be seasonal. Or maybe go on holidays...

G'day Tony

Great news!! I thought they would return, judging by the family who
live in my area. While they haven't started coming in for handfeeding
just yet, they are wandering around the lawn and garden area, in fact
there are 5 outside the window as I type.

Bronwyn ;-)

wrote:
Hi.
If you remember, or care :-) I posted that our magpies disappeared.
Well, they're back, just as demanding and funny as ever.
Missed 'em

Tony

we have a pair of magpies that will come to the door every day for weeks
and take food from my hand. then we don't see them for maybe a month at
a time. maybe they find another sucker giving better handouts!!

wrote:

jils wrote:
we have a pair of magpies that will come to the door every day for weeks
and take food from my hand. then we don't see them for maybe a month at
a time. maybe they find another sucker giving better handouts!!

wrote:
It seems to have something to do with the dispersion of their
youngsters... They take him/her elsewhere, help him move and then the
parents come back.

oh yes, that makes complete sense. they had a juvenile for a while, went
away and came back without him. thanks for pointing out the obvious!!
smart parents.

Jonno wrote:

It seems to have something to do with the dispersion of their
youngsters... They take him/her elsewhere, help him move and then the
parents come back.

wrote in message
news
Hi.
If you remember, or care :-) I posted that our magpies disappeared.
Well, they're back, just as demanding and funny as ever.
Missed 'em

Tony

In summer we leave out water in a bird-bath
for the many birds that frequent & occasionally
we feed the magpies also.
The magpies must recognise us as they never attack us.
They do attack the neighbours and people walking nearby.

They have almost no fear of me & I can quietly walk
up to many of them, close enough to grab them -
if I wanted to lose their trust.

Some young friends had a talking magpie when I was a kid.
It could say "hello" & whistle - nothing else.


We also have regular visits by a blue wren & his harem,
various types of large native parrots, some galahs,
some willy-wagtails, pee-wees & some really tiny
yellow-green birds that move really, really fast.

If we forget to fill or clean the bird-bath the sparrows
let us know by flying to the bird-bath, looking directly
at us & making a lot of noise, which they don't do
normally. If they are really thirsty they chirp loudly
on the kitchen window sill - clever little buggers!

The weirdest thing I ever saw (re birds/animals) was
the neighbours cat laying on the lawn at midday
closely surrounded by 8 or 9 sparrows and a tiny
orphan wild rabbit that the cat had tried to eat
the day before. The rabbit and birds seemed
completely unconcerned that the cat was
laying less than a foot or so away from
most of them. It was so bizarre.

Any other day they'd stay well clear of the nasty cat yet
that day it was like they'd all been raised together.

A few days later the baby rabbit vanished... Sneaky Cat...

--
They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security,
deserve neither liberty or security.
- Benjamin Franklin
************************

"Mentally Jones II¾" writes:
Any other day they'd stay well clear of the nasty cat yet
that day it was like they'd all been raised together.

A few days later the baby rabbit vanished... Sneaky Cat...

Is the cat named Sylvester??
--
John Savage (my news address is not valid for email)

Good to hear they are back. Most birds seem to be seasonal to some extent
if they have the option of different habitats in the local area. I reckon
magpies can recognise individuals and know who are friends.

Strangely our resident Maggies don't want to become too friendly.
Everywhere else I have been you've only needed to feed them a couple of
times and they are friends for life - the ones here happily eat the dogs
food from the bowl by the back door, and will pick up food thrown out to
them, but won't come closer than about 20ft. In Melbourne they use to come
in to the Kitchen and sit on the bench if we left the door open - despite
two dogs and a cat.

Geoff

wrote in message
news
Hi.
If you remember, or care :-) I posted that our magpies disappeared.
Well, they're back, just as demanding and funny as ever.
Missed 'em

Tony