New Friends.

It was clear the bird  was having some difficulties when it had remained motionless on top of the netting of the chook enclosure for over six hours.A magpie is a relatively large bird and not one to linger alone. They generally move as a raucous group, warbling and carrying on, noisy neighbours of the best kind that always lift the spirits with their presence.

Although exposed it had chosen a difficult place to rest, virtually unreachable to land bound creatures. There was something quite wrong as the bird did not make any attempt to move or fly as two long lengths of wood I had bound together prodded beneath it's feet. After checking it's claws were not caught in the netting, I managed to get the pole under it's feet and gently began the process of bringing the sick bird towards me.

Marjie my wife was ready to carefully handle the bird and place it within a box she had lined with towels. This was a wild independent avian but had no fight. All expectations of flapping and clawing and biting did not eventuate gladly.The box was carefully placed in an open area in the safety of our deck and water and some food pushed towards it. It sat motionless but did not stumble or waiver. There was no obvious trauma, it was as if it had seen something horrific and was in shock. We retreated and left it in peace not wanting to add to its distress.Some twenty four hours later it was still there unchanged and as motionless as a statue.

Two days later and our sick companion was still acting as if shell shocked, oblivious to everything and anything going on around it. The water and food we had left for it appeared untouched and we were left waiting for the sad moment when it had had enough. It was still upright, it's eyes open staring into an unknown dimension.

Mid morning on the third day it was gone. We looked high and low to ensure it was not hiding elsewhere. The bird had definitely vanished. How strange?

Our sick bird with it's distinctive flat top sitting trance like.

 An hour or so later we walked onto the deck to get on with the day and get cracking in the garden.It was then they appeared.

Our sick magpie flew passed in formation with another adult and two smaller birds. They flew passed us again quite close and then returned and repeated the exercise. Uncanny! It was like an RAF flypast as if we were being thanked and our sick bird now well was showing us the family and its gratitude. Humans are funny and frail. They always put their emotions onto the animal kingdom as if they had none of their own.

The very next day two small young magpies were sitting on the railing of the deck outside the kitchen. Our rescue bird sat in a nearby tree keeping watch. Marjie sliced some cheese into very small pieces and carefully placed it on the railing and retreated. The two birds, a male and female we later discovered, polished that off and flew away.

Two juvenile magpies, one male, one female become regular morning visitors

The same ritual was repeated the next day, and the next until the watcher did not bother keeping tabs on his charges. By now we were feeding by hand if we wished and all barriers were lost between us. We only provided enough for a treat not a life style option. Laziness can be adopted by animals just as in humans if the living is made too easy.

We named these two Marvina and BB, short for broken beak as its beak has been malformed resulting in a large under bite. They have in turn brought their children to us but so much more. We were new here finding a life in the country after years within concrete and asphalt. New friends had found us and a window to the natural world was opened. What a wonderful window it has been.

"You are a bit slow this morning mate! Where's me damn cheese?" Do we train animals or do they train us?