Or the nest may still be in the tree but the chick has left the nest prematurely. My guess would be, some person has then put the basket where you found it
and the chick in it.
From: Canberrabirds [
On Behalf Of Fleur Leary via Canberrabirds
Sent: Tuesday, 21 September, 2021 5:07 PM
To:
Subject: [Canberrabirds] Baby magpie Commonwealth Park
Walking in Commonwealth Park today I came across a baby magpie in an artificial nest placed in a very low fork of a tree - only 1.8 - 2 m above the ground. The tree is also very close to a foot path. The artificial nest is a small cane
basket (complete with handle). Presumably the original nest fell or was blown out of the tree.
The calling baby of course attracts attention from passers-by and because it is so close to the ground I wondered how tolerant the parents would be of people getting too close and taking photos. From a short distance away I saw a man walking
a little dog get very close to the nest - he was swooped by one of the parents, but the swooping seemed to be more directed at the dog than the man. The man walked away and the magpie swooped the dog another 4 or 5 times until they were far enough away to
satisfy the magpie.
