Magpies know who to visit for food ........

Hello @melinda010100 and fellow #featheredfriday enthusiasts, the theme of my post today is the friendly and at times fierce Australian magpie.

They are highly friendly to people who feed them but are also known for turning into highly aggressive during nesting time. Many innocent unsuspecting walkers and cyclists are regularly attacked by parent magpies. They can inflict very serious wounds on the face and head. Sometimes for the safety of people the highly aggressive culprits get relocated to a more country setting away from people.

So far Ben and I have never been the butt of an attacking magpie. Maybe the word has got out that we are magpie friends!



The postie is zoomed upon by the magpies all year round. Maybe it has to do with the colour of the postie's clothes, helmet and little motorbike's hello flag that gets them going?

Over the last couple of weeks a baby magpie has been accompanying his dad to our house for food. It has been a most entertaining time watching him readily run up to take meat from our hands, scurrying away to eat and then back again over and over. It is one hungry baby bird!

But it is also a very friendly little magpie making himself at home on the furniture.



As opposed to the black and white adult magpie, the large baby magpies are grey with feathers and down. I am calling the parent bird who comes with the baby a 'dad' because male magpies are black and white not the back of the neck. Females are greyish white on the back of their necks. I am noticing more white on the baby's neck so am thinking he is a little male bird.



The magpie's communication is through warbling, because the other day when both dad and baby visited, the dad ate his meat and flew away while the baby became preoccupied with a grasshopper he found in the grass. He persisted with pecking and eating it for a few minutes.



Then I heard the warbling 'where are you' from the dad, which the baby immediately warbled back saying 'I am still eating the grasshopper and I am okay!"



Eventually, the baby left the half eaten grasshopper and came to me for some meat. He had two lots and flew in the direction of his dad, obviously a satisfied little magpie with a full tummy.



The magpie's warbling is beautiful to hear, they start at 4am along with the kookaburras and butcher birds. I have added a youtube clip for anyone who wants to listen to a male and a baby bird warbling.