quidnovis61

Nope I dont think I have written about Maggie and Reggie

They have lived in our garden and the birch forest across the road for the past 5 years.

Maggie and Reggie.

My lovely sweet cheeky naughty crazy noisy intelligent territorial – MAGPIES!

Always together. Happy in each other’s companionship.

I sit in the garden or in the Sun Lounge and watch them as they hop about on both legs, pull fresh earthworms out of the ground a greedily gulp them down – and then suddenly the mild quiet morning is ripped apart by their loud chack-chack-chack and they have instinctively flown off on to the safety of the roof or the trees, disturbed by something or someone...

All those who use “bird-brained” in a derogatory sense ought to come and sit quietly in my garden and observe these diminutive feathered creations – they are everything other than daft, stupid or unintelligent. In fact over the years of watching them I have come to the conclusion that they really are the opposite. It is an amazing lesson in ornithology to just sit and watch them at a distance so as not to threaten them. How cleverly they forage for food, how adept in geography they are, how territorial, how adept at protecting “their patch”. Fellow intruders are certainly NOT welcome. Maggie chacks at them angrily and shrilly and there is quite a fight after that…just look at the pictures!! They tell their own story….

 
The alarm is sounded by a long CHAAAACK!


And here is Mr Intruder and Maggie is NOT pleased!



Mags mutterring with displeasure....

I do not like to “bribe and tame” them with food and seeds. They are quite tame on their own and with very few natural enemies. Man has gained power over their territory and has automatically almost domesticated these creatures whose fore fathers have lived in the wild with their own norms of survival. I like to leave them alone – if they do not feel threatened by us then they are welcome to near us – on their terms and conditions.

Maggie and Reggie are really funny to watch…they both hate the rain! I know this will sound really daft but their faces do change expression! They look so grumpy, their eyes lose their intelligent twinkle, they shiver and shudder – and smart as they are, they fly and take refuge under our picnic table waiting patiently for the rain to cease and looking so miserable….It makes me smile looking at them - they have their own personal traits – and so human…    (or is it we who have these avian traits?????)

And so Maggie and Reggie have kept me company through snow hail rain and shine perching on the window sill looking in cheekily as I work o read, flying away chack-chacking loudly when I scold them for eating the winter bird seeds for the tiny birds, or hopping, endlessly busy in their avian world – and we live amicably side by side going about our daily business.

But this summer Mags and Regs had a HUGE surprise for us!

They had a baby! I have christened her/him Mareg.

I have been watching them and wondering what they have been up to. They have been checking the fir tree in our neighbour’s garden right next to our car port. Flying there with branches and leaves and moss. Magpies make huge untidy nests – I quite like that! They don’t bother keeping up with the Smiths and Joneses! And all summer there has been such loud chacking from the old fir tree an da lot of traffic…

One lovely summer morning as we sat on the front deck outsideI was delighted ot hear Maggie chacking loudly, showing off and trying to get our attention almost! And flying to the cherry tree and on to the fir tree and tehn back again with a cherry in her mouth and on to the roof on and on and back and forth until it dawned on me! THERE it was! Little hungry baby Mareg! Wanting food and more food and chirping loudly, quite a bald head and skinny as the feathers hadn’t grown yet. It was so delightful watching them feed their young and a new generation begins!

I couldn’t stop smiling all evening…......Here are the photos. Look and smile at them, you too!

Maggie getting a cherry from the tree for Mareg...



Little Hungry Mareg ...waiting patiently

WHERE is Mummy mags?


Aaaahhh THERE she is!

Mummy! I want mooooooooore!

CHACK-CHACK-Chack and Bye for now....

CS!