I know, this is a Baby Currawong. I really would have liked to get some photos of the Australian Magpie Babies in the top of my tree. “They are extremely shy birds”.
Does that come as a surprise to you? I wonder about the fact, that Magpies in Parks and the City are so aggressive and attack people. There is only one couple on my property, they have young every year. The mainly come down at horse feeding time, hang around the feeders to pick up what the horses spill, and to drink from the horse bath. They climb down the stick we put in the water, to make sure the birds don’t drown. They have never been aggressive towards us, even when they have young. I have tried many times to get close to take photos, but they fly off long before I get close enough. I’m almost certain, it is the pressure of living in Cities that makes them behave the way they do anywhere else. At my place there is plenty of room and they don’t have to compete for food. They get along with the other birds, and mainly walk across the paddocks to eat bugs.
I might have posted this in the wrong place? I'm interested in your ideas why the Magpies in my garden are shy and non-aggressive, while the ones in Parks and the city are? Are you with me , thinking it's because there is no competition for food or space at my place?
M-L
Maybe people are busy at the moment?
Anyway here are some points from me. Many years ago i lived in a house in the city and i had a large gumtree in my backyard that had a pair of maggies nesting there every year.
They would never swoop me but they would my visitors. When the young ones left the nest the mother and young would follow me as i mowed the lawn (not shy at all).
Second instance was at Talbingo where i rented a house while fishing the mountain lakes, after a days fishing i was sitting on the back lawn having a refreshing ale
and a mother maggie and a young one just walked around me getting grubs out of the ground.
So in conclusion i am not sure why they are shy around you (maybe they are camera shy
)
Shorty......Canon gear
Canberra
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/
My experience with magpies is a little different. They're increasingly bold when I'm walking around the place & will allow me to walk quite close to them before they move off to a safer position. This especially applies to the young magpies which, perhaps, don't have the smarts that the adults have.
Neither Ms Woko or I have ever been swooped by a breeding magpie in the nearly 26 years we've lived where we live. I suspect magpies quickly determine who/what is a threat & who/what isn't & behave accordingly. I've been attacked while cycling (thank goodness for my cycle helmet) but I suspect the swooping magpies had been subjected to threats & taunts by people living near their nests, perhaps over a number of breeding seasons.