and so magpie season begins
This is what stands between me and the door I have to enter every thursday. A Magpie. An australian spring time savage, vicious magpie.
As you can see it looks like the sort of nest a small flying nesting dinosaur might use.
The magpie who owns this currently sits on the telephone wires sharpening its beak in anticipation of frightening attacks. I was going to say I'd rather be attacked by a shark than a magpie. But when it came down to it, that may not be true. Much less chance of it happening though considering I can't swim.
My mother once told me a story about a woman playing golf who was attacked by a magpie. Apparently the claws became caught in her hair and it FREAKED OUT and kept pulling trying to get away and she FREAKED OUT and was screaming. And it's a vision that has stayed with me.
And is there anything more frightening (and australian) than the sound of that beak clacking around your ears and the flapping of wings as it swoops. And they come from nowhere. And I know people always say to keep your eye on them and they won't attack but I'm always scared of getting my eye pecked out!
Lets just say I don't walk much in spring. But its always funny to drive past the primary schools during magpie season and seeing the little kids running around with icecream buckets on their heads.
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its funny when they swoop the cats and they try to stay low along the ground. My dog hates magpies - they are the only bird she won't let in the backyard. They sit on the neighbours tree and she stands there staring at them. And they sit there staring at her. She caught one once but she was sort of scared of it. it was laying on its back going at her with its claws and she was running around it. All these other magpies were standing on the clothesline making a noise about it. I went and saved the damn thing - even though I hate them and it flew away pretty quickly.
I have no magpie experience. The doves that nest in Boyfriend's garage (two almost-grown babies are fluttering around now) are for the most part shy and calm.
I did get buzzed by a sparrow once - those guys are small and spunky: and they crack me up.
Small birds attacking animals so much larger than themselves - it's amazing.
The geese over here run from you...they are all over the golf course, and they are used to people coming around. I chase them, they don't chase me. It is hilarious to see a gaggle of them running around flapping their wings and honking. (yes I'm sick like that)
My brother had scary geese but I always felt like I could outrun them - no outrunning these suckers, they keep at you until you're out of their territory. Did you know they are doing a remake of The Birds. Naomi Watts is going to be in it.
Take a picture!
oh yes the good old drop bear. I was just thinking about them the other day when I saw the stupid beer ad they "came" from. I always imagine them as some kind of koala with a chronic disease. (even though koalas are just koalas and not koala bears)
I shall try and take a photo but I think by the time the babies arrive that tree will be covered with leaves.
Don't take the pics if it is going to put you in danger! Do they sit on telephone wires or poles?
it was a rum ad featuring the bundy bear who is in all the rum ads
drop bears
lol - yes of course magpies are protected - all those awful things you'd like to kill are. So are brown snakes.
When the geese come - lol again, where the hell do they come from, I'm having weird visuals of packs of geese running down streets
When a goose or its goslings are threatened, the adult goose will often stand erect and hiss. If more severely threatened, the goose tends to lower its head towards the ground and charge at the threat, striking with its wings and attempting to pinch or bite with its beak.
UNCOOL. There's nothing worse than a charging goose that's bigger than the average dog. Smaller birds are way sneaky though. I praise you for not living in fear that they're watching your every move. :D