The Mallee Fowl

[nomadpete]

Our plovers are ground feeders too. They often stand on one leg and prod the ground with the other foot whilst listening for the victim to respond.

 

Magpies have very varied song depending on their locale. The Toowoomba ones have a simple song -  a short warble and three separate notes. But the Taree ones had a long and interesting song that went for half a minute. At other places I have heard long lingering warbling without any separate distinct notes at all.

[rgmwa]

For many years there was a magpie in our neighbourhood that I recognised by his/her distinctive early morning song. Never saw it but every year it was back. Sometimes very close by and other times further away but always obviously the same bird. It had two variations on the melody and the complexity evolved over time. Sadly, I haven’t heard it for the last couple of years. The last time it was sounding rather weak compared to previous fifteen or more years,  so age must have been finally catching up. 
 

[red750]

A group of magpies were swooping and attacking a team playing junior football on the Mornington Peninsula. The team was The Magpies. Tonight's TV News.

[red750]

I often have magpies following me around when I mow the lawn to see what insects, snails, worms, etc., I disturb. Often a male (pure white back) and one or two females (light grey back). They don't seem at all intimidated.

[nomadpete]

Maggies and butcher birds used to turn up whenever I started the bobcat. I had an arrangement with one particular butcher bird that would sit on the bucket, watching for fresh worms as I worked. I'd stop when he dived out of sight, and wait for him to hop back up in the bucket where I could see him whilst he devoured his treat - I didn't want to accidentally bury him.

 

A mallee fowl would never do that

 

Edited August 12, 2022 by nomadpete

[old man emu]

Since magpies are territorial and monogamous, if you befriend them outside the breeding season you will have friends for life. They will even teach their chicks that you are no threat. Obviously, since they are your friends, they won't swoop you during breeding season. It seems that the cock is more likely to come close enough to take food from your hand. The hen seems more reticent. We had a pair on Camden Airport who would come over at smoko to get titbits. The cock would land on the table at which we were sitting, but the hen sat on the nearby fence.

[facthunter]

Yes they are territorial and they only attack during the breeding period and not all of them get so "hormonal" but one occasionally does. and presents a threat. If you are frequently "out and about" and they know you aren't threat it's fine but in pubic places not so reliable.. The LESS white ones are the infants which "mum"( I presume) feeds. If a nest is dislodged from a tree don't interfere as the adults will associate you with the catastrophe.  I like magpies (and DUCKS.). and all the tiny wrens.. Nev

[onetrack]

I made the mistake of picking up a fledging magpie in the back yard once, that had obviously jumped out the nest before it could fly properly. Mama and Papa magpie went ballistic when I picked up the fledging, flapping their wings in my face! Once I put him down again, they settled down. They must have thought I was going to eat him!

The juvenile magpies always amuse me - they're as big as their parents, but they follow them around all the time, squawking continuously for food - and the parents still feed them!

[old man emu]

5 hours ago, onetrack said:

The juvenile magpies always amuse me - they're as big as their parents, but they follow them around all the time, squawking continuously for food - and the parents still feed them!

Thirty-somethings?

[spacesailor]

Thirty something & still at home !.

spacesailor

[Bruce Tuncks]

In the town here, a stupid postie girl talked the council into killing a lot of magpies because" they scared her". I would have given her a bike helmet and a good talking to...  same as those footy kids I saw on the news.

I have never heard of somebody being actually injured by a magpie, but I suppose it must have ( rarely ) happened.

[facthunter]

It can be quite DANGEROUS at times and then  the particular bird HAS to be destroyed if Kids are around. (unfortunately) Not worth risking an eye for. The bird becomes intensely aggressive and you can get attacked as soon as  you exit a door..   Nev

[onetrack]

Yes, a few of the male magpies can become extremely aggressive. When I lived on the farm just N of Perth in the 1950's, one magpie would continually attack me as I waited for the school bus at the front gate. The eldest brother shot it, they weren't protected in those days. 

There's a few occasional reports of magpie attacks, they can do some damage, and they're surprisingly accurate with their attacks. The ones that attack your eyes are especially dangerous.

 

https://www.magpiealert.com/

 

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/oct/15/australian-man-suffers-double-eye-injury-after-conversation-with-magpie-turns-ugly

[willedoo]

On 13/08/2022 at 1:26 PM, onetrack said:

The juvenile magpies always amuse me - they're as big as their parents, but they follow them around all the time, squawking continuously for food - and the parents still feed them!

I think the magpie young often stick with the family group for a while after the following year's brood arrive, to give mum and dad a hand. The young crows seem to be gone before next year's lot hatch.

 

The young crow at my place is the same. He's been able to feed independently for quite a while now, but will put on the beggar act sometimes if the parents are there. I think mum is the sucker and feeds him, whereas dad tries to ignore him to encourage independence. I've known humans like that.

[facthunter]

IF you catch them in the early stages of learning to fly It's quite amusing. (magpies).. Nev

[octave]

This was the result of an encounter with an angry magpie the other day during my bike ride.

 

 

Edited September 10, 2022 by octave

[facthunter]

He probably wouldn't have the guts to try that again. nev

[octave]

15 minutes ago, facthunter said:

He probably wouldn't have the guts to try that again. nev

It had about 5 or 6 goes at me.   It was not interested in my wife who was about 50 metres behind me.  I  am thinking it was deterred by her loud laughter at my predicament.

[facthunter]

Maybe Magpie thought she was a kookaburra. . Nev

[octave]

Well it is still very much swooping season and it seems worse than usual.      A couple of weeks ago my wife and I were riding the Great Victorian Rail Trail.  My wife set off from a different point and we had organized to meet at a predetermined spot.   Whilst riding I had the occasional half hearted swoop which didn't bother me too much.   I came to a Y intersection on the trail and I took the left hand fork and immediately wondered whether I should have taken the right fork.  I decided I should stop and check the map. At this point I came under attack from 3 magpies at once and they seemed pretty aggressive.  I kept my head down and kept riding until I was out of their territory.  At this point I felt safe enough to stop and check the map.   I had the grim realization that I indeed should have taken the other trail at the Y intersection.  This meant I had to ride back the way I had just come and I can say that these magpie f*****s were just as angry the second time.

 

I just went for a local ride and there is a area with and angry noisy miner bird that has a habit of actually colliding with the back of my helmet. This little b******d  had a go at my ear.

[onetrack]

Octave, you've obviously got a bird bullseye target on your back! I've read about how aggressive the Eastern States magpies are - the ones here in the West are not anywhere near as aggressive, athough there is the occasional swooping report - unlike the magpie swooping websites for the East Coast, that list a large number of "attack sites".

 

We went along to the Perth Royal Show and stood and watched the log-chopping event in a small stadium that surrounded by trees. I only became aware after about 10 minutes (when I saw the magpies), that they had a nest only about 4 metres above the stadium rear seats!

 

They weren't in the least concerned by all the noise and people, the parents were flying regular trips back and forth to the young, and nary a swooping effort anywhere.

 

They would've built the nest and hatched the young long before Show Week started, and there would've been only small numbers of people in their nest region, then.

 

Edited October 17, 2022 by onetrack

[Jerry_Atrick]

Every time I see a magpie here, I almost duck for cover and everyone thinks I am weird (well, they have that bit right).

[octave]

Another encounter with wildlife. this time I had the GoPro running.

 

 

[red750]

Story on this morning's news about plovers swooping players on an oval somewhere, didn't catch the location.

[onetrack]

The experts reckon if you paint eyes on the back of your helmet, or attach a face mask of some kind to the rear of it, it puts bombing magpies right off - they're dirty fighters and will rarely go directly for a face showing eyes, that makes it appear the magpie is being watched.