After the worst of the frost the corgi and I headed out on
one of our regular beats around Hawker ovals. We enjoyed a few somewhat unusual
sightings for the area, namely a pair of Scarlet Robins and a male Golden
Whistler, saw a magpie putting the finishing touches to its nest, enjoyed
watching the “regulars” and socialising with other dogs and dog-walkers. Then
all hell broke loose. A fox swaggered its way up the path and was set upon by a
posse of magpies, currawongs and miners. Encouraged by the bedlam, one of the
dogs gave chase. The fox was last seen beating a decidedly rapid retreat up
Delamere St. The thing that particularly interested me in this episode was the
birds’ ability to differentiate between a fox and the domestic dogs, who were
quite ignored by the angry mob. b
