Wildlife: Baby Magpie

Rescue team on the job! This lad fell from his tree and somehow made his way to our vege garden area. We picked him up before Molly had the chance to chomp Hello though mum and dad maggie weren't happy and dive bombed us as we prepared a small ice-cream box as a surrogate nest for him. We put him back up in a tree as per the wildlife rescue services recommendation and he proceeded to leap out (luckily we placed him above a nice soft hay pile). The little bugger was determined to fly I think so we left him be and helped keep a lookout for snakes and predators as he walked and flopped around the place.

The boys have been divebombed for the last 4 weeks so they were quite pleased to be able to help out the baby magpie that mum and dad maggie have been working so hard to protect.

The magpie is a very common bird around Australia and you can see them in parks and suburban gardens all year round. In August/September they nest and protect their offspring by divebombing in about 100 meter radius. Their heads, belly and tail tip are all black and they have splashes of white on their wings, lower back and tail, and the back of their head. Their legs are also black.

They certainly are not shy birds and some people coax them into becoming local residents as they enjoy their carolling song. They also have a great appetite for insect pests so are very welcome at our place.

Jayson