way back in the eighties my then partner found a baby magpie that had seemingly fallen out of its nest. Being a veterinary nurse she decided to bring it home and care for it until it was strong enough to release back into the wild. The bird's first experience of its new home was to come face to face with our dog, Liza. The magpie immediately took to Liza and bonded as it would have done if Liza was its mother, much to Liza's indifference. After a couple of weeks, the magpie seemed strong enough to release into the garden, and off it flew into the nearest tree. We were sad to see it leave, but much to our surprise later that day when we returned to the house and opened the back door, the magpie swooped down from the tree in the garden, straight into the house and settled down next to Liza on the settee. They remained good friends for quite a while and the magpie would join us when we took Liza for a walk in the local park, much to the astonishment of other people in the park. This lasted for a few weeks before we had to take the magpie in the car to a location some miles away and release it.
And there are no big predators here as such. There are rumours about big cats released into the countryside following a change in exotic pet licensing laws some decades ago, but no definitive proof as yet.
Pigs might thrive there.. They will make any farmers mad tho.. They see it, they'll probably eat it..
You can see the indignation on Liza's face in the first pic. She really did get fed up with the non-stop attention the magpie would demand, although she was amazingly tolerant with the bird.....most of the time.
bodleing2: You can see the indignation on Liza's face in the first pic. She really did get fed up with the non-stop attention the magpie would demand, although she was amazingly tolerant with the bird.....most of the time.
Yeah, the adoration clearly only goes one way.
Both their expressions and body language are a treat to see. That magpie is like an irritating groupie to her rock star who mustn't upset the fans.
PeKaatjeAnkeveen, North Holland Netherlands6,334 posts
Have no animals at home anymore, but if I see a bird in trouble, I always try to help him. One time I found a jackdaw who wasn't able to fly. So I took him home, I had my arm in a mitella, due to an operation I had had. So now we were ill together. His paw was in a bad shape, so he gouldn't use it good, there was a lot of mud around it, so I cleaned it up and did some gymnastics with him, till he was able to fly again. I gave him some meat, some fruits and I went to the forrest to search for insects. After a week he could fly again, zo I sended him out. He never returned to say: Thank you.
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After a couple of weeks, the magpie seemed strong enough to release into the garden, and off it flew into the nearest tree. We were sad to see it leave, but much to our surprise later that day when we returned to the house and opened the back door, the magpie swooped down from the tree in the garden, straight into the house and settled down next to Liza on the settee.
They remained good friends for quite a while and the magpie would join us when we took Liza for a walk in the local park, much to the astonishment of other people in the park. This lasted for a few weeks before we had to take the magpie in the car to a location some miles away and release it.
Liza and her baby....