magpie photos
a little blurry except for the fourth photo which is more blurry, I took these through the screen door and the birds were moving about a lot. Adults are black and white, young birds still have some grey/black colour in the wings.
one adult, one junior
adult finishing the bit of bread he'd picked up
coming back for another piece
this is the blurrier one, the adult had just placed a piece of bread in the junior's beak, or was just about to.
the first adult, he has more white on his (her?) wings
junior and dad, or maybe it's mum.
junior looking at bread chunks,
and walking off with one, you can just make it out at the end of his beak.
I would have liked to open the door and take the photos, but by the time I got the camera, Angel was on the doormat and I didn't want him chasing this little family away.
Here is Angel's method of coping with the recent heatwave:
sleeping,
sleeping,
and sprawled on my unmade bed, sleeping.
What a life!
I would have liked to open the door and take the photos, but by the time I got the camera, Angel was on the doormat and I didn't want him chasing this little family away.
Here is Angel's method of coping with the recent heatwave:
What a life!
.png)
We used to have a number of magpies come to our place in recent years and they would come onto the verandah and almost eat our of our hands. Having been told not to give bird bread I used to give them grated low fat cheese and they seemed to love it. They would sometimes bring their babies along as well. There have been a couple around this year but not nearly so close.
ReplyDeleteYears ago when I worked at the Forests Dept our office looked out on the car park (we were also surrounded on two sides by huge pine trees) the magpies would come with their babies and sometimes the babies were as big as the parents but would still beg for food. They make quite a loud noise but if the parents ignore them they soon find food for themselves. (like lots of youngsters I guess who still expect mum and dad to care for them).
Thanks for sharing such delightful photos.
Angel must hate all that fur when it's hot but then perhaps it insulates him somewhat. They always find the best places in summer and winter.
Smart cat, Angel...that's the way to deal with that heat you had!
ReplyDeleteYour feathered mates will be back...they know when they're on to a good thing. :)
Don't often see a magpie these days. Interesting bird.
ReplyDeleteYour Angel, how lovely, but with your heat I'm not sure how being at the door would be any benefit...maybe there was a breeze?
I do love magpies. I read somewhere that the young ones beg for a considerable period of time because their beaks while fully grown have not completely hardened so that they can't jab them into the sun-hardened soil searching for insects as their parents do.
ReplyDeleteIn my next life I want to be a pampered house cat.
My mother was given the most wonderful card for Christmas. It has a blackbird on the front and when it's opened out fully, there is blackbird song. It took her two days to find that out.
ReplyDeleteMimsie; I heard about the 'no bread' too, but if my brother doesn't have enough mince or none at all, he'll give them bread, just not very often. So I have mince in the fridge now, ready for the morning. I bought a larger packet than usual, so I have beef burgers for two days (just now cooked them) and mince for the maggies.
ReplyDeleteLee; he's a bit too smart for me I think. He likes to get outside now after dark and lie on the ground where someone has been watering, to cool down.
Margaret-whiteangel; there's lots of magpies around here still. I open the door a few minutes a couple of times a day just to get a bit of fresh air and Angel is quick to take advantage. I shoo him away when I'm ready to close the door again.
Elephant's Child; I didn't know that about their beaks, that explains why the babies stay with mum and dad so long. I think a pampered house cat would be a fine idea.
JahTeh; that's sad, she could have been enjoying the song for two days longer than she has.
The maggies know there's food at your place, so they'll be regulars now.
ReplyDeleteSometimes, they may not arrive every day, but they will return.
The parents will begin to bring their future babes to you as well each year.
Special birds they are.
Beautiful Angel is a very chill, comfy cat :)
Interesting birds. They look the size of our crows, but have so much more beak.
ReplyDeleteThe higher the temperature, the longer the cat.
I like the way Angel handles life...reminds me of someone...oh yeah, me.
ReplyDeleteI too was wondering about quite grown birds still being fed and EC gave us an answer. Is there a breeze coming in under the door to cool Angel?
ReplyDeleteVicki; I haven't seen the magpies since the first day and I can't always keep fresh mince in the fridge just in case. Frozen mince wouldn't be good for them and I don't think they'd wait around while it thawed. What else could I feed them?
ReplyDeleteJoanne; they're smaller than our crows, this particular family anyway. I have seen bigger magpies, but still, our crows (ravens?) are much heavier birds. Cheeky too.
I've noticed Angel spreading himself really long in the heat, I suppose it's a cooling method, like curling up in the winter keeps him warmer.
Delores; reminds me of myself too :)
Andrew; any breeze coming in there would be hot, he didn't stay long, moved to the back porch onto the cooler concrete floor.