WingedHearts.org More love than you thought possible

Our magpies have been late this year with their babies. We understand why for Vicky's family, because after Maggie's passing it was July before Vicky settled on a new husband, a magpie from a long way away called Bertie. They then took a while to settle in and for Bertie to get to know the local situation. (We know Bertie is not a local magpie because he has a radically different pattern on his back than any birds we have seen, even as far as 120km away in Brisbane.) But our neighbour's magpies Billy and Polly are also late, then finally, ten days ago, a little bub landed in our yard squarking loudly (as all Billy's kids tend to do) demanding his share of the pickings on offer. read more »

Vicky and her new fellow, Bertie, have settled in and Vicky is now tending her nest. We are not sure whether she has hatched eggs, and we haven't been able to bring out our telescope due to the excessive wind and the big dust storms, which have been reported around the world. (We have to put the telescope in our breakfast room with the door wide open.) read more »

Vicky, Bertie, and Mindy are having trouble right now visiting our yard because the 'teenage' magpie crew think they own our front yard. I suspect this is only temporary because Bertie will eventually take charge and reclaim their territory. But for now, Vicky is nesting and, I suspect, is also is ambivalent about being stern with the teenage gang because her only son Monty is a member of it. So we have been walking along the road each day to say hello to Vicky's family and give them some bread and cheese. But yesterday when I went, something odd was going on.

I called the gang, but things were strangely quiet. Then I heard a horse's neigh - coming from above me. I looked up and there was Mindy, who promptly produced another neigh to make sure I didn't mistake who was imitating a horse. Why? Good question, but then Bertie explained it all to me in a way that was both unmistakeable and remarkable. read more »

Our queen Vicky magpie has been free of flu symptoms for a week now, so we are cautiously optimistic that she has beaten the illness that took our pied butcherbirds Gerry and Teddles. But the visits to the nest seem to have been a flase alarm; no one has been sitting on any eggs this week as far as we can tell. So we took a walk up the road yesterday and asked our magpies what's up this year.

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Yesterday I looked out towards Vicky's area, and I saw her immediately drop from her nest and fly towards me. This is the first time this year she has used her nest. (She didn't build this one, she got it in a trade with a crow two years ago, so it is really tough and strong.) read more »

Bertie (below), the new male magpie has successfully won Vicky's heart.

He is a big strong male with plumage patterns that are distincltly different from Maggie, but like Maggie he has a beautiful voice. read more »

I told you about the male magpie Richie, who has been wooing Vicky since Maggie's passing. Well Tuesday morning, four birds (instead of three) landed to say hello to us. Vicky and her adult kids Mindy and Monty were there, as was a large handsome male magpie, all four loudly carolling out their territorial ownership. Who was the new male magpie? read more »

Vicky's suitor, whom we are calling Ritchie, suffered the embarrassments I told you about last time, but it seems he hasn't been entirely crushed by it all. He's back again now trying his best to woo and win Vicky's heart. read more »

Last week there was a new, nervous young male magpie paying us a visit. He was doing his best to show us he was brave and intelligent, and he came right up to our glass back door, and when we went outside, he would hold his ground and try to show how he was not going to be frightened, but equally he wanted to say hello and get to know the humans. read more »