Magpie babies

[mariko buszynski <>]

Hi all,

Thank you for your responses to my previous mail.  I want to share my bird caring experience to let you know that not all babies in my care died.

My first Magpie babies were lying in our garden when a female resident Magpie came. She started to swoop on them three times and I had to protect them by waving my arms around.  The following morning a male resident Magpie came to collect food (yes, I am guilty of feeding them) and heard one baby begging loudly and he went to it with beak-full of food.  I ran to protect the baby and I saw he was feeding it.  He repeated it for a few days and one day that baby decided to follow him and flew away.  I did not see him for 2-3 days.  He came back with the male, who did not feed it any more but expect him to feed itself.  When I gave food out on a feeding table, the male Magpie called the orphan Magpie and when he came to the table he took some food and flew away.

The female Magpie does not attack him now but when he tried to feed with them she sharply taught him table manners for Magpies. Later it turned out that they have a chick about the size of the orphan.  He was in a tree waiting to be fed by parents.

The male continues to come and feed begging orphans including the survivor of yesterday's attack.  I have known them for about 5 years and they usually allowed juvenile birds to stay with them for two years and I thought it was a norm for Magpie until I read otherwise in the chat-line.  Normally it is the female bird to chase away grown-up children.

Mariko