Magpie High

The other day Travis was telling me about the aggressive Magpies that were surrounding Bart when he was trying to discretely do his business in the yard. He said he got so mad that they were getting so close to him and making all kinds of noise so he had to go down to the yard and run them off. I told Travis that they did the same thing to my brother's cat that was in the yard slinking around a week or two ago. I couldn't believe the daring of those birds and it put me in mind of the terrifying yet thrilling Alfred Hitchcock movie.

When we had this conversation we were sitting on the deck after a long day of work and it hit me that they must have been protecting a nest or something. Just as I told Travis this I happened to look over the railing and there, right on the ground, was a baby magpie...WHAT? We both got up and looked more closely at it. The darling little thing was just sitting there and then would stumble around a bit.

I am always quite astonished and awed by nature. I can't help it. We continued to watch over the little guy for a few hours and saw the parents come around to feed it now and then. Eventually it stumbled into some tall weeds and we went in for the night. Poor Bart didn't even have a clue there was a tasty little morsel out there (I don't think he would really hurt it, but you never know).

Just last night my sister Keri, her husband Golden and daughter Seerie, came up to share some ribs Travis cooked up for us (so good) and we were telling them the story about the baby magpie and Keri looks over the railing and says "OH, there it is" then "OH, there are two of them"...sure enough there were two of them hanging out this time.

This morning I went out to water my flowers and we saw yet another one out front...how many are there? Who knows, but I took a photo of the one I saw today:

Not the sharpest photos, but you can see how cute they are. I just looked up some information on the magpie to find out more about them. Here is what I copied from the site (I thought it was interesting):

"Pairs form during the fall and winter, and some will mate for life. The pair will engage in a lengthy courtship centered around the male providing food for the female. Both the male and the female will help build the nest, which takes approximately six weeks. The nests of black-billed magpies are sturdy domed structures that are often used in later years by mammals or other birds. The nest consists of a mud anchor in which twigs and sticks are inserted to create a dome-like structure. Then, a mud bowl is constructed atop the mud anchor and lined with grass. The number of eggs incubated varies greatly (between one and nine). The female sits on the eggs for the approximately eighteen day incubation period. The male provides food for the female while she is sitting on the nest. Young are born without down, and their eyes will remain closed for the first week. Both parents feed the young until the young leave the nest at about three to four weeks of age. The young are still dependent on their parents for food for up to two months after leaving the nest."

I am glad to know they didn't just fall out of their nest, but that this seems to be a normal thing for them to wonder around for a bit after they leave as semi-independent 4 week olds. Once everyone seems to have moved on I plan to go nest hunting - it has to be somewhere close by and I bet it is pretty cool. Maybe by then Bart will be able to do his business with some dignity again. 

I Am Grateful,

HB

Diva Quote: "Excuse me, I have to use the toilet. Actually, I have to use the telephone, but I'm too embarrassed to say so." Another great Dorothy Parker quote