Magpies have been my friends since I first arrived in Australia in 1974. A couple of years later a magpie swooped on my toddler son, drawing a little blood from his scalp. I took him indoors, went back out into the garden armed with a little ball of mincemeat in my hand and waited. Sure enough the bird re-appeared with the warning call. I stood my ground, stretched out my arm and opened my hand to reveal the treat. Watching a bird applying brakes mid flight was quite comical, it was hard not to laugh and remain silent. He gently grabbed the meat and was never a problem again.
Making friends with magpies pays life dividends. We don't need to clash with them, and by showing good will, creating trust, you invest in the future. They can live for decades and they have a social network, meaning good will is inherited from one generation to another. You have found one of the most iconic Australian creatures and in the best way. I find their markings are individual and distinctive too. Some individuals I have known since they got their feathers and for more than ten years. I never lived anywhere longer than that or it would be longer too. Some ravens, (crows) I have known much longer as they have a larger territory, so I've known the same birds at different addresses when the ranges overlapped.
I absolutely love magpies & their warbling. I have lived near them for 21 years & never been swooped. Been swooped by a pee-wee, though. Parents have even been brought their young for introductions- what an honour!
I also love Dr Jones's work. I always click when I see she's made another video. And I love Magpies. Absolutely love them. I have a magpie friend that follows me around in my garden.
I'm surprised it wasn't mentioned that they also have a high degree of social intelligence as well. When a group of researchers tried to track some magpie behaviour by attaching little devices to them, the experiment failed within a couple of days because they quickly figured out how help each other remove the devices. I'd contest that Australian crows and raven would give the magpies a run for their money on intelligence though, with some parrot species not too far behind.
@@mulgerbillI love the formal introduction to the new kids each year. It is like a school play, where the kids get shuffled into the front row while the grown-ups line up proudly behind them
If I ever had to leave Australia, I would miss the magpies the most! Their song is music to my ears. We have one who lives nearby and I wake to it’s song most days. You have to be careful how far you want to take your relationship if you get close to a Maggie. It will peck at all your things, poo on your verandah mercilessly, keep tapping on your window until you give it want it wants and bring all its friends and relos who’ll do the same! But they are lovely birds. (Only wombats are naughtier!)
Well... we actually have Ravens as well, so next time you think that you see a Crow, check the features of the bird... Ravens are larger than the crows too, so thats one way to tell the difference... I use to think that we had crows on our farm for decades... but, after checking them out closely, they are actually ravens
@@xaero76 first, I'm American, so I'd imagine "we" doesn't apply to me. Second, I know full well how to distinguish between crows and ravens, and I know what qualities in crows I find so fascinating in order to rank them as one of the coolest birds on the planet.
Yes, I have frequently been swooped - maggies spotted me and swoop in for food. If you are kind to them, they will accept you as friends. We had one called Cheeky, he called us to the railing one day and introduced us to 8 little brownies. He had four hens and each had two chicks. When I offered food, he gave permission for the chicks to accept. It was such a wonderful moment, these beautiful gawky babies, accepting the food from my hand with no hesitation.
I don't know about being the smartest bird in Australia, but definitely the most admired by many. Once you've had a good relationship with an Australian Magpie, you'll never see them as a threat. They are intelligent and will make friends with you, bring you their young and hang out with you when gardening. All nest building birds use tools. The materials are tools and can include the usual sticks, bits of hurricane wire fencing, wire coat hangers, sheeps wool, spiders web, threads of cotton, bits of packing strap, etcetera, etcetera depending on the type of nest and the spieces of bird building it. I've had many wonderful experiences with the Australian magpie and regard them as my favorite bird.
That snake was just round the corner from where I live in Nedlands, luckily it's just a black headed python. The maggies around this area are really comfortable around people. I sat and watched one of them set up a performance space inside the local shopping centre and proceeded for a good 10 minutes to sing/mimic every sound and tune it knew. Totally fascinating.
Do you ever go for walks in Karrakatta cemetery? There’s a healthy population of kookaburras and magpies there. Lots of large native trees so all of Nedlands has a healthy population of native birds.
@@tdb7992 I'm near UWA campus, yes, this area is full of native birds. Watched a pair of galahs and another pair of white cockies picking the heads of dandelions in my front yard this morning. You're right, a lot of old established trees all around here give the birds reliable homes to return to each year.
I understand Magpies can give people a bit of a fright when it's nesting season, but that's all. If they do make contact with your head they usually don't hurt or do much damage....usually. People screaming & yelling is what causes most of the commotion. Love what you do Ann. 👍
Few greater honours are magpie parents introducing their young to you for the first time. Needless-to-say if magpies see you as “user friendly” you’ll never, ever get swooped by them. I once rescued an injured male magpie with the fearsome nickname as “The Beak”. After that it loved me. Would even perch on my knee when I was seated on a bench. If you help a magpie in need, you end up with a friend for life !!
We have so many amazing birds, but the Magpie is pretty close to the top of my list of favourites. Their carolling early in the morning is just a beautiful way to be woken up.
When the ABC ran their bird of the year poll, I voted for the magpie (kookaburra and fairy wrens are some other favourites of mine). Their song is just beautiful to hear on a crisp morning.
I so want to spend half an hour writing down all my good and bad experiences for your entertainment. However, they started 55 years ago, and there are many. Awesome birds.
I made friends with all the magpies in my local area by stopping and having a chat with any near me. One young bird. (Still some brown feathers ) would drop by close for a chat. And a piece of bacon. And one day, he was singing away to me only feet away, and a wattle bird flew down and swooped him, causing him to fall over in fright. I swear to God his parents. Close by, let out what could be described as a huge belly laugh. From then on, his chats involved lots of looking around and a little less concentrating on me....
I've made friends with around 6 families of magpies where I walk my dogs. Dogs are off the leash and I've taught them not to chase the magpies, or any bird for that matter. One group I've gotten real close too . I've had the male stand side by side with me on numerous occasions and have actually filmed the Maggie standing beside me with a worm in his mouth. The pair have raised a youngen which would be about 1 year old today. This morning the youngen allowed me me to stand within a few feet of him/her. These maggies live in an open area of parkland on the edge of town where the nearest housing is about 500m away. They know my whistle which I try to mimick their calls. In In the 4 years I've walked that area not a single magpie has attacked us. They really are amazing as are the many galahs I've socialised with in that area.
I had the local magpies help me evict a pigeon that nested on my balcony once the very noisy chicks were gone. Whenever it was crappy cold weather I'd feed them, but not otherwise so they wouldn't get dependent. They brought 3 generations of fledglings up to meet me before I had to move. No matter where I go, I look them in the eye and say hello, and I've never been swooped.
Twice I have stopped a magpie attacking someone by throwing food out the car window. It could be they are attacking because they are being interrupted foraging for food for their baby as well as them having it in for Carlton supporters/collaborators.
This was great! The one thing I wish was mentioned is on top of just how FEW magpies actually swoop is that swooping is a learned behavior. Children can learn it from their parents if a parent is a swooper, or if a human is aggressive to them (chasing/yelling/getting close to the nest). They are really the sweetest birds and will let you get extremely close if you're nonthreatening.
I love Maggies and find their warbling very soothing. Maggie family nested in a high tree near our house would come and sit for morning coffee on the back deck and, as usual, I would talk to it and request a song, of course after it obliged I would get some pet mince (bought specially for visiting birds) from the fridge and Maggie would follow me into the kitchen and sit on the stool watching to make sure I didn't renege on the deal. Talk about hilarious! then I took the mince back to the deck where it would take chunks back to the nest to feed the chicks and continue this until that serving of mince was finished. During breeding season this happened many times each day and they would sit on the ensuite window sill to wake me for an early morning brekkie. Such beautiful birds with a great personality.
Thank you Dr Jones for another great video. Magpies have to be my favourite bird. I used to feed them mincemeat and looked forward to them serenading me on the front porch. However, I came to think better of it and now I really miss their concerts every day. I only get swooped by Myna birds and I loathe them
I have a flock of around 30 to 40 magpies that come and visit me everyday I’ve been off work due to an injury for about a year now and they keep me sane . I will go outside and talk to them give them some food when I go out for the day they have scouts at the end of my street and they recognise my wife’s and my cars by the time I’m getting out of the car they’re there waiting for me I love their company.
They are my favorite bird in Australia. I haven't been swooped by one in a few decades. I always try to befriend any in my local area. When I go for walks and I come across some, I whistle to them as I walk by. If they are in the ground foraging for food, I will often just sit near by an watch them. They have gotten use to me over the years. Their young ones are always curious so they come close to me. The parents usually don't care as they are familiar with me.
got swooped 2 weeks ago at Wivenhoe dam - no warning cries. It's right wing clipped my left ear ole. It then landed in a branch in a tree around 15m in front of me. It was at this point of time that I acknowledged defeat, looked the magpie in the eye and slowly backed away back to my car. I'm now 55 and haven't been swooped since I was like 12 or 13.
Maggie’s aren’t “raised” by their parents! The “child raising” is done by the youngsters of the flock! The nesting sites dictate who/how many pairs in an area can mate, so the juvenile and “young” birds who are waiting for a nesting site to become available, take up the child rearing tasks once the birds leave the nest.
i lived overseas, by coincidence, for 4 years from 2018 to 2022.... i never felt like i was home again until i heard the warble of magpies. so so good.
A friend moved to Canberra in 1979 and he had a magpie swoop several times. He rang the administration wildlife people. The woman on the phone said that she would send him pamphlet, he wondered if something to wave at the maggie. It was 'How To Make Friends With Your Magpie' and was sensible advice. Just give him a little bit of food (not alot), he will then consider you a friend. This was done and never swooped again. On our farm we had a large mob of magpies, they never worried us, but one day a border collie was swooped. This dog being sensible took a short time to look about and find the nest. He then turned away while keeping an eye the bird. Once the swooping stopped. He used the tree as reference point and went around the tree and waited for me. I walked past the tree, no attack. 🎉 But I never did work out how the dog knew that he had to find the nest, and to use that information. Sheepdogs often show amazing knowledge.
Happy birthday, both of you. BUT please don't tell the entire cyber world your birthday. It is one more data point that scammers can use against us. 2 - it sets a bad example for younger people, who can get hunted by predators. Usually the next question is like "oh so how old are you now"......
The early Australian settlers first called them 'flute birds' before they were called magpies - and you can hear why. 'Quardle wardle ordle doodle ardle wardle!'
I've spent some years tracking and video recording lyrebirds at Dorrigo National Park where there are some pretty tame ones, and there is no doubt I am fascinated and more than a bit obsessed by them. But I still regard magpies as the best bird in the history of birds, despite them swooping me on my bike (though grey butcherbirds are worse). As birds go, simply The Best.
You're 100% correct about the magpie facial recognition. One of my mates had a magpie lived near his house and he fed the magpie occasionally and whenever he took his son to the local playground there will be people getting swooped by a magpie but never him and his son, later he found out it might've been the same magpie that he fed before
I once helped a young magpie that fell into a bush in a really awkward way & after that none of the magpies near my house swooped me during swooping season.
I reckon the crow's are smarter for the simple reason you rarely see crow's as road kill but unfortunately I see a lot of magpies dead on the road, and quite often you see crow's eating road kill but are smart enough to get out of the way.
They are too smart for The Block😂😂 Maggie’s, all the Corvids and Raptors are just amazing birds. Not that I have anything against the cute little feathery fluffs, but I find the level of intelligence in the others just breathtaking. Love your work❤❤
I remember when I was riding my bike as a child, I was swooped and the magpie actually grabbed my ear with its beak and drew blood… it didn’t affect my opinion on them though.. I still love the swoopy bois haha
I once watched a magpie give itself a seesaw by starting at the ground end and walking up to the high end at which point it's weight caused the seesaw to go down at which point the magpie turned and did it again and again
I remember coming home from a trip overseas for the first time, but it wasn't until only a street away from home did it actually feel like I was home, when I heard the local magpies singing. Not only can you learn to recognize the local magpies patterns, but their songs change as well.
I always say hello to magpies and mimic their song. Never been swooped. The family at the local dog park fly over when they see me and land on my arm or shoulder. They are so beautiful, smart and all have very distinct personalities. They also love to pay. I was sitting on the ground with my legs stretched out and picked up a twig and went tap tap tap on the ground with it. Then I put the twig on my leg. One of the magpies jumped up on my leg, picked up the twig and went tap tap tap with it on my leg. ❤❤❤
Not only Magpies I remember diving Sydney harbour with a group of about 15 and one guy tweaked the tail of a Wobbygong Shark, Well that shark knew exactly who grabbed it's tail and headbutted him for the rest of the dive. About 40 minutes later when we got out of the water that goose was covered in bruises from the Wobbygong getting it's revenge
I love magpies. I had one that used to come to me for feeding. She would land at the front of the house then wander right through the house to the fridge and stand there and wait to be fed. lol. I thought she was a male till she brought her baby to meet me. She would answer to her name too.
I've lived on my 20 acres, for 25 years. I have one magpie that hates me! Out of about 20 here. Only nesting season. He has connected twice. He then lands within a metre of me and swears at me. While he waits for his breakfast! LOL Have a wonderful day. Greetings from the Little DESERT region of Victoria, Australia. 😊
Outside videos like this, I've never seen a Magpie swoop on anyone. There's a pair whose territory includes my garden. They watch when I'm gardening in the hope I turn up something for them. One day, three young ones raced up to me and stood in a neat line thinking I had food for them. I didn't so they just trotted off and went back to their foraging. I don't feed the Magpies - certainly wouldn't give them minced meat. Like all our native species, they're a joy to have around.
I have 3 magpies out the front of my house that come into my garage to visit and get food. They never swoop us or most adults, but there are a few of the kids from the local school who they really have it in for during nesting season.
Magpies are the best. They're not always the most friendly, but it's clear that they're wary of me which is entirely understandable given that they are very small and I am, relatively speaking, very large and usually have a dog with me. I treat them pretty much like I do any random person on the street (except that I'm probably more likely to talk to the bird), and they treat me better than any person (usually they avoid me, but sometimes, if I'm very lucky, they'll ignore me and continue going about their birdy business).
one story I heard about them was some researchers put location tracking devices on them that they couldn't remove themselves. So the birds removed each others harnesses
Not all magpies give a warning before attacking. With some they are quite deliberately silent, give no warning swoop and the first thing you know is that you've been given a heavy wack. What warning they give is highly variable, it depends on the magpie, though for most magpies there is a particular chortle that they give.
I really like Magpies. They walk into my home from the deck, Every year they bring their new famalies and introduce them, They land and sit on me and often just sit down and chortle to me for quite some time. I have a big Standard Poodle, She is very gentle, often the maggies just walk under her when coming to get a wee munchie. Too far to walk round her I guess? When you get accepted as their frend, it's for life. They become so gentle and love to play.
I love watching you! You have the most awesome sense of humour to add the how the animal react, keep it up cause the info you show is worth all you and your colleagues spend on these videos
Magpies in the morning have been my alarm clock most of my life. With rabbits as companion animals and they free range as well, I see the world through their eyes, and also become acquainted with birds, invariably magpies and ravens, wherever I live because of it. I always befriend the local magpies and crows. I pay attention to them, address them cordially and make a point of providing food scraps. They approve of the rabbits, and actually keep an eye out for predators on their behalf and notably never bother me when I walk past the trees in which they nest. Despite they will swoop on everyone else who passes by. I also give them clumps of rabbit fur and other nesting materials at nesting time, deliberately putting them on the fence after I noticed them collecting it. They will actually pull loose clumps right off the rabbit's back when they're molting. It startles the rabbit but nobody gets hurt and everyone wins. Magpies are my favorite bird besides Ravens. The two species do not like each other, competing for the same food sources more often than not but neither needs to clash with humans or rabbits as we're complimentary to each other.
I made friends with my local magpies this year. Wow.. they started recognising me very quickly. I saw one in the tree out front using a stick to dig out insects under the bark. I have tried everything to drive out Indian Myna's... it turns out making friends with magpies has finally done the trick!
I am in New Zealand. Magpies are often despised here. People are always going on about them swooping on them. I have never been swooped by a magpie, ever. I love them. Tenacious buggers. Not scared of anything.
The street I live on has a family of around 10 magpies and they are quite friendly. When anyone mowes their lawn, they will follow them to get the bugs that are exposed. They regularly go around my garage feeding the spiders to their young. They do acknowledge that I am there but don't seem to care.
The maggies at my place have been at war with the guineafowl for about a decade now. Sometimes I'll hear the guineafowl going off their heads and send the dogs out, thinking it's a fox (and sometimes it is), but often enough it's just the maggies swooping the guineas from a tree or fencepost and the guineas charging them on the ground. I only ever saw a proper punch-on once between them. At the end of it, there were rather more maggie feathers spread around the driveway than guinea feathers, but thankfully, no one was seriously injured.
I have a male magpie living near me or I live in his place but he has thwarted every attempt I make to protect my finch. I covered my whole back porch with shade cloth and netting and went out in my car - magpie watches me leave and then is found under my net system looking at my finch - no damage this time and magpie removed but he makes me feel thwarted.
I love my mob of local maggies❤ I have a family of 5 that year after year they literally knock on my front door with their beak 😊I especially love it when they bring their babies for the first time visits....it's like they're saying "this lady is safe don't attack her she has good safe healthy snacks 😂❤
Forgot to mention I know them all by their markings & ticks sadly ....although the ticks don't seem to harm them 🤔🫶🏼...each have a name according to their individual personality 😊
We don't like magpies in NZ, but I do. I love their vocalisation and cheeky nature. However, I did have one problem with them drive-bombing me. Stop that with a water bottle. I gave them a good squirt of water as they raced down to get me. Well, that stops in mid-flight. They never tried it again and there were magpies still here.
❤ Magpies be kind to them , they appreciate fresh mince and meally worms leave a bird bath out for all birds❤ give back to nature birds wildlife they do it tough!
Would not be surprised. I have two females that know my daily commute to town and back and they know what days I restock on food, so the tamer of the two sisters follows me down the street when she sees me getting close and waits on my front doormat for me screaming bloody murder at me until she gets her weekly dose of sliced strawberries. Eats out of my hands sometimes as well, when I'm not encouraging her to go find her own food.
You can train magpies to be your friends or stay clear of you. In my case as a kid I was walking home with a couple of mates after playing cricket. One had the stumps, I had the ball and the other had the bat. Being a little more sweaty than most kids I also had a can of anti perpirant in my school bag. We always got swooped walking past a park on the way home. First the male maggie picked on cricket bat boy, and nearly got clobbered in the beak by the bat. Then it decided to try its luck on stumps boy, and he was armed with javelin missiles, all of which missed. All I had was a cricket ball, I put it into my pocket and pulled out the can of anti pirspirant. Birdy boy comes in, cops a spray in the face and went back to its perch. he never swooped us again. I have a group of resident magpies in my area whom I feed mince. They're cheeky buggers but super friendly.
Many years ago I saw, probably a dozen or so, magpies on a neighbour's clothes line. They didn't notice me at first but I saw one of them grab onto the bottom edge of a t-shirt or something with its beak and start spinning itself around using its own body weight for momentum. Might have been a one off but then a couple of others started doing the same thing!! It was quite a spectacle to watch. When they eventually noticed me they all stopped and stared. Uh oh......run 😅
There's an almost legendary magpie in the ACT (not gonna say where) that can mimic dogs. I sat with them for a while and heard the whole repertoire - including magpienese, dogs barking and many other songs. Lyrebird in the making!
I think magpies are smarter than crows, because if I'm walking and there's a crow on the ground as soon as I get within 30m or less they take off and expend a lot of energy going into a tree, but with magpies if I don't look at them I can walk right past them with in a metre even and they continue doing what they were doing. If I look at them they behave like the crows. Both have similar problem solving ability as described here, so to me them understanding the difference between someone just walking or walking in their direction maintaining eye contact is a big thing. The other one is that they swoop dogs when they're off the leash but not when they're leashed, in fact when I walk my dog on the leash they don't even move away.
I nearly took a baby magpie home because it was on the ground and I thought a cat might take it, but I realised the parents were around and I let it be. Not like these other people that take them from the wild and post videos about how they saved an abandoned baby bird.
Magpies, Butcherbirds...never been swooped. I just have a conversation with them...even ones I meet for the first time. Sometimes they follow me for more interaction - as if they want to know more about this hooman who had a friendly chat.They also communicate with others of the species if the human is naughty or nice. Too smart.
Whenever I see birds using tools, it always reminds me of "The Silurian Hypothesis" and how birds are related to Dinosaurs. Dinosaurs existed for millions of years and maybe they did evolve intellectually whilst they were on the Earth. But the evidence of that has disappeared over the intervening millions of aeons.
It would be helpful if they always gave a warning before they swoop, but they don't. I've sewn up too many scalp and face wounds and my second cousin (riding a bike aged 5) lost an eye.
Magpies have been my friends since I first arrived in Australia in 1974. A couple of years later a magpie swooped on my toddler son, drawing a little blood from his scalp. I took him indoors, went back out into the garden armed with a little ball of mincemeat in my hand and waited. Sure enough the bird re-appeared with the warning call. I stood my ground, stretched out my arm and opened my hand to reveal the treat. Watching a bird applying brakes mid flight was quite comical, it was hard not to laugh and remain silent. He gently grabbed the meat and was never a problem again.
brilliant
Making friends with magpies pays life dividends. We don't need to clash with them, and by showing good will, creating trust, you invest in the future. They can live for decades and they have a social network, meaning good will is inherited from one generation to another. You have found one of the most iconic Australian creatures and in the best way. I find their markings are individual and distinctive too. Some individuals I have known since they got their feathers and for more than ten years. I never lived anywhere longer than that or it would be longer too. Some ravens, (crows) I have known much longer as they have a larger territory, so I've known the same birds at different addresses when the ranges overlapped.
I need Dr. Jones to narrate ALL OF THE THINGS please. I love her.
I’m with you ❤
One thing i noticed is that Aussie accent sounds like magpies
I absolutely love magpies & their warbling. I have lived near them for 21 years & never been swooped. Been swooped by a pee-wee, though. Parents have even been brought their young for introductions- what an honour!
I also love Dr Jones's work. I always click when I see she's made another video. And I love Magpies. Absolutely love them. I have a magpie friend that follows me around in my garden.
I'm surprised it wasn't mentioned that they also have a high degree of social intelligence as well. When a group of researchers tried to track some magpie behaviour by attaching little devices to them, the experiment failed within a couple of days because they quickly figured out how help each other remove the devices. I'd contest that Australian crows and raven would give the magpies a run for their money on intelligence though, with some parrot species not too far behind.
I’m convinced that my original rescue Maggie 25yrs ago has had her family visit us ever more.
Oh yes! We've had several generations from the same group bring their youngsters around every year
@@mulgerbillI love the formal introduction to the new kids each year. It is like a school play, where the kids get shuffled into the front row while the grown-ups line up proudly behind them
If I ever had to leave Australia, I would miss the magpies the most! Their song is music to my ears. We have one who lives nearby and I wake to it’s song most days. You have to be careful how far you want to take your relationship if you get close to a Maggie. It will peck at all your things, poo on your verandah mercilessly, keep tapping on your window until you give it want it wants and bring all its friends and relos who’ll do the same! But they are lovely birds. (Only wombats are naughtier!)
Yeah, I've learnt that if you feed magpies, they'll turn up with their whole family LMAO
I would really miss our birds if I ever had to leave Australia.
Crows and magpies are by far two of the coolest birds on the planet.
Well... we actually have Ravens as well, so next time you think that you see a Crow, check the features of the bird... Ravens are larger than the crows too, so thats one way to tell the difference... I use to think that we had crows on our farm for decades... but, after checking them out closely, they are actually ravens
@@xaero76 first, I'm American, so I'd imagine "we" doesn't apply to me.
Second, I know full well how to distinguish between crows and ravens, and I know what qualities in crows I find so fascinating in order to rank them as one of the coolest birds on the planet.
Don't forget the pied currawong!
@@peterwilliams2152 Or the very large Black Currawongs in Tasmania, real opportunists!
funnily enough australian magpies aren't actually true magpies, they are their own group closer to currawongs!
Yes, I have frequently been swooped - maggies spotted me and swoop in for food. If you are kind to them, they will accept you as friends. We had one called Cheeky, he called us to the railing one day and introduced us to 8 little brownies. He had four hens and each had two chicks. When I offered food, he gave permission for the chicks to accept. It was such a wonderful moment, these beautiful gawky babies, accepting the food from my hand with no hesitation.
I don't know about being the smartest bird in Australia, but definitely the most admired by many.
Once you've had a good relationship with an Australian Magpie, you'll never see them as a threat. They are intelligent and will make friends with you, bring you their young and hang out with you when gardening.
All nest building birds use tools. The materials are tools and can include the usual sticks, bits of hurricane wire fencing, wire coat hangers, sheeps wool, spiders web, threads of cotton, bits of packing strap, etcetera, etcetera depending on the type of nest and the spieces of bird building it.
I've had many wonderful experiences with the Australian magpie and regard them as my favorite bird.
We love our local Maggies. There's a little trio of fellas who keep us company nearly every evening. Chaos when they bring their mates tho
When Dr Jones said the thing about magpies in vests, it filled me with the most joy I've been filled with in so long! 😊
Magpies are the most amazing beautiful creatures. Keep up the great work Dr Jones, we love your informative posts & shows 😊
That snake was just round the corner from where I live in Nedlands, luckily it's just a black headed python.
The maggies around this area are really comfortable around people. I sat and watched one of them set up a performance space inside the local shopping centre and proceeded for a good 10 minutes to sing/mimic every sound and tune it knew. Totally fascinating.
Do you ever go for walks in Karrakatta cemetery? There’s a healthy population of kookaburras and magpies there. Lots of large native trees so all of Nedlands has a healthy population of native birds.
@@tdb7992 I'm near UWA campus, yes, this area is full of native birds. Watched a pair of galahs and another pair of white cockies picking the heads of dandelions in my front yard this morning. You're right, a lot of old established trees all around here give the birds reliable homes to return to each year.
They might be smart but not *that* smart. My local male maggie attacks his reflection in the window almost every morning 😂
So he's tricked you again. One day that window will break and he will have you. He knows your talking shite about him too...just letting you know!
@@andrewclough660 Hahaha. He's a kind soul, comes and checks for worms when I dig in the garden ❤
You sure it's not a "Murray Magpie"? They're the smaller magpie looking birds that become obsessed with their reflections in windows.
@@Dave-Rough-Diamond-Dunn Definitely a magpie, not a magpie-lark :)
@@tmmtmm That's pretty unusual for a Magpie, that's why I asked. Maybe yours is a bit 'special'!😁
I understand Magpies can give people a bit of a fright when it's nesting season, but that's all. If they do make contact with your head they usually don't hurt or do much damage....usually. People screaming & yelling is what causes most of the commotion. Love what you do Ann. 👍
Few greater honours are magpie parents introducing their young to you for the first time.
Needless-to-say if magpies see you as “user friendly” you’ll never, ever get swooped by them.
I once rescued an injured male magpie with the fearsome nickname as “The Beak”. After that it loved me. Would even perch on my knee when I was seated on a bench. If you help a magpie in need, you end up with a friend for life !!
We have so many amazing birds, but the Magpie is pretty close to the top of my list of favourites. Their carolling early in the morning is just a beautiful way to be woken up.
When the ABC ran their bird of the year poll, I voted for the magpie (kookaburra and fairy wrens are some other favourites of mine). Their song is just beautiful to hear on a crisp morning.
I so want to spend half an hour writing down all my good and bad experiences for your entertainment. However, they started 55 years ago, and there are many. Awesome birds.
Cockatoos would give them a run for their money in the smarts department. The buggers that flip the lid on my wheelie bin are a case in point.
I made friends with all the magpies in my local area by stopping and having a chat with any near me. One young bird. (Still some brown feathers ) would drop by close for a chat. And a piece of bacon. And one day, he was singing away to me only feet away, and a wattle bird flew down and swooped him, causing him to fall over in fright. I swear to God his parents. Close by, let out what could be described as a huge belly laugh. From then on, his chats involved lots of looking around and a little less concentrating on me....
I've made friends with around 6 families of magpies where I walk my dogs. Dogs are off the leash and I've taught them not to chase the magpies, or any bird for that matter. One group I've gotten real close too . I've had the male stand side by side with me on numerous occasions and have actually filmed the Maggie standing beside me with a worm in his mouth. The pair have raised a youngen which would be about 1 year old today. This morning the youngen allowed me me to stand within a few feet of him/her. These maggies live in an open area of parkland on the edge of town where the nearest housing is about 500m away. They know my whistle which I try to mimick their calls. In
In the 4 years I've walked that area not a single magpie has attacked us. They really are amazing as are the many galahs I've socialised with in that area.
I had the local magpies help me evict a pigeon that nested on my balcony once the very noisy chicks were gone. Whenever it was crappy cold weather I'd feed them, but not otherwise so they wouldn't get dependent. They brought 3 generations of fledglings up to meet me before I had to move. No matter where I go, I look them in the eye and say hello, and I've never been swooped.
Twice I have stopped a magpie attacking someone by throwing food out the car window. It could be they are attacking because they are being interrupted foraging for food for their baby as well as them having it in for Carlton supporters/collaborators.
Our family have never been attacked by these birds .they fly down and are always friendly .💜
This was great! The one thing I wish was mentioned is on top of just how FEW magpies actually swoop is that swooping is a learned behavior. Children can learn it from their parents if a parent is a swooper, or if a human is aggressive to them (chasing/yelling/getting close to the nest). They are really the sweetest birds and will let you get extremely close if you're nonthreatening.
I love Maggies and find their warbling very soothing. Maggie family nested in a high tree near our house would come and sit for morning coffee on the back deck and, as usual, I would talk to it and request a song, of course after it obliged I would get some pet mince (bought specially for visiting birds) from the fridge and Maggie would follow me into the kitchen and sit on the stool watching to make sure I didn't renege on the deal. Talk about hilarious! then I took the mince back to the deck where it would take chunks back to the nest to feed the chicks and continue this until that serving of mince was finished. During breeding season this happened many times each day and they would sit on the ensuite window sill to wake me for an early morning brekkie. Such beautiful birds with a great personality.
Thank you Dr Jones for another great video. Magpies have to be my favourite bird. I used to feed them mincemeat and looked forward to them serenading me on the front porch. However, I came to think better of it and now I really miss their concerts every day. I only get swooped by Myna birds and I loathe them
I have a flock of around 30 to 40 magpies that come and visit me everyday I’ve been off work due to an injury for about a year now and they keep me sane . I will go outside and talk to them give them some food when I go out for the day they have scouts at the end of my street and they recognise my wife’s and my cars by the time I’m getting out of the car they’re there waiting for me I love their company.
They are my favorite bird in Australia. I haven't been swooped by one in a few decades. I always try to befriend any in my local area. When I go for walks and I come across some, I whistle to them as I walk by. If they are in the ground foraging for food, I will often just sit near by an watch them. They have gotten use to me over the years. Their young ones are always curious so they come close to me. The parents usually don't care as they are familiar with me.
got swooped 2 weeks ago at Wivenhoe dam - no warning cries. It's right wing clipped my left ear ole. It then landed in a branch in a tree around 15m in front of me. It was at this point of time that I acknowledged defeat, looked the magpie in the eye and slowly backed away back to my car. I'm now 55 and haven't been swooped since I was like 12 or 13.
Maggie’s aren’t “raised” by their parents! The “child raising” is done by the youngsters of the flock! The nesting sites dictate who/how many pairs in an area can mate, so the juvenile and “young” birds who are waiting for a nesting site to become available, take up the child rearing tasks once the birds leave the nest.
I love magpies ❤
i lived overseas, by coincidence, for 4 years from 2018 to 2022.... i never felt like i was home again until i heard the warble of magpies. so so good.
A friend moved to Canberra in 1979 and he had a magpie swoop several times. He rang the administration wildlife people. The woman on the phone said that she would send him pamphlet, he wondered if something to wave at the maggie. It was 'How To Make Friends With Your Magpie' and was sensible advice. Just give him a little bit of food (not alot), he will then consider you a friend. This was done and never swooped again.
On our farm we had a large mob of magpies, they never worried us, but one day a border collie was swooped. This dog being sensible took a short time to look about and find the nest. He then turned away while keeping an eye the bird. Once the swooping stopped. He used the tree as reference point and went around the tree and waited for me. I walked past the tree, no attack.
🎉
But I never did work out how the dog knew that he had to find the nest, and to use that information.
Sheepdogs often show amazing knowledge.
i love your story telling i this came out on sunday it would cheered up my birthday
My birthday was Sunday! Happy Birthday!!
Happy birthday, both of you. BUT please don't tell the entire cyber world your birthday. It is one more data point that scammers can use against us.
2 - it sets a bad example for younger people, who can get hunted by predators. Usually the next question is like "oh so how old are you now"......
The early Australian settlers first called them 'flute birds' before they were called magpies - and you can hear why. 'Quardle wardle ordle doodle ardle wardle!'
I've spent some years tracking and video recording lyrebirds at Dorrigo National Park where there are some pretty tame ones, and there is no doubt I am fascinated and more than a bit obsessed by them. But I still regard magpies as the best bird in the history of birds, despite them swooping me on my bike (though grey butcherbirds are worse). As birds go, simply The Best.
I almost want to live in Australia despite everything being out to eradicate human life, just so I could hear and see magpies. I love them so much!
You're 100% correct about the magpie facial recognition. One of my mates had a magpie lived near his house and he fed the magpie occasionally and whenever he took his son to the local playground there will be people getting swooped by a magpie but never him and his son, later he found out it might've been the same magpie that he fed before
I once helped a young magpie that fell into a bush in a really awkward way & after that none of the magpies near my house swooped me during swooping season.
I reckon the crow's are smarter for the simple reason you rarely see crow's as road kill but unfortunately I see a lot of magpies dead on the road, and quite often you see crow's eating road kill but are smart enough to get out of the way.
You wouldn't be laughing if that was you getting attacked. 😮
What can't people understand about swooping magpies? It's similar to strangers filing through a human baby's nursery? 🐦⬛❤️
They are too smart for The Block😂😂 Maggie’s, all the Corvids and Raptors are just amazing birds. Not that I have anything against the cute little feathery fluffs, but I find the level of intelligence in the others just breathtaking. Love your work❤❤
I remember when I was riding my bike as a child, I was swooped and the magpie actually grabbed my ear with its beak and drew blood… it didn’t affect my opinion on them though.. I still love the swoopy bois haha
Touch wood I never heard that sound. I just say hello to them when I walk by them.😂
I once watched a magpie give itself a seesaw by starting at the ground end and walking up to the high end at which point it's weight caused the seesaw to go down at which point the magpie turned and did it again and again
Oh my lordy I know what podcast I'm binging next!!!!
Laughing at animal assisted child abuse is the most aussie thing ever.
I remember coming home from a trip overseas for the first time, but it wasn't until only a street away from home did it actually feel like I was home, when I heard the local magpies singing.
Not only can you learn to recognize the local magpies patterns, but their songs change as well.
I have never ever had any issues with Magpies... we have always shown them respect
I always say hello to magpies and mimic their song. Never been swooped. The family at the local dog park fly over when they see me and land on my arm or shoulder. They are so beautiful, smart and all have very distinct personalities.
They also love to pay. I was sitting on the ground with my legs stretched out and picked up a twig and went tap tap tap on the ground with it. Then I put the twig on my leg. One of the magpies jumped up on my leg, picked up the twig and went tap tap tap with it on my leg. ❤❤❤
Not only Magpies I remember diving Sydney harbour with a group of about 15 and one guy tweaked the tail of a Wobbygong Shark, Well that shark knew exactly who grabbed it's tail and headbutted him for the rest of the dive.
About 40 minutes later when we got out of the water that goose was covered in bruises from the Wobbygong getting it's revenge
I love magpies. I had one that used to come to me for feeding. She would land at the front of the house then wander right through the house to the fridge and stand there and wait to be fed. lol. I thought she was a male till she brought her baby to meet me. She would answer to her name too.
I've lived on my 20 acres, for 25 years. I have one magpie that hates me! Out of about 20 here. Only nesting season. He has connected twice. He then lands within a metre of me and swears at me. While he waits for his breakfast! LOL Have a wonderful day. Greetings from the Little DESERT region of Victoria, Australia. 😊
Outside videos like this, I've never seen a Magpie swoop on anyone. There's a pair whose territory includes my garden. They watch when I'm gardening in the hope I turn up something for them. One day, three young ones raced up to me and stood in a neat line thinking I had food for them. I didn't so they just trotted off and went back to their foraging. I don't feed the Magpies - certainly wouldn't give them minced meat. Like all our native species, they're a joy to have around.
Great one interesting video.
I have 3 magpies out the front of my house that come into my garage to visit and get food. They never swoop us or most adults, but there are a few of the kids from the local school who they really have it in for during nesting season.
Magpies are the best. They're not always the most friendly, but it's clear that they're wary of me which is entirely understandable given that they are very small and I am, relatively speaking, very large and usually have a dog with me. I treat them pretty much like I do any random person on the street (except that I'm probably more likely to talk to the bird), and they treat me better than any person (usually they avoid me, but sometimes, if I'm very lucky, they'll ignore me and continue going about their birdy business).
I got swooped by a handsome but angry magpie this morning while I was riding my bicycle .
It's quite terrifying
one story I heard about them was some researchers put location tracking devices on them that they couldn't remove themselves. So the birds removed each others harnesses
Not all magpies give a warning before attacking. With some they are quite deliberately silent, give no warning swoop and the first thing you know is that you've been given a heavy wack. What warning they give is highly variable, it depends on the magpie, though for most magpies there is a particular chortle that they give.
I really like Magpies. They walk into my home from the deck, Every year they bring their new famalies and introduce them,
They land and sit on me and often just sit down and chortle to me for quite some time. I have a big Standard Poodle, She is very gentle, often the maggies just walk under her when coming to get a wee munchie. Too far to walk round her I guess? When you get accepted as their frend, it's for life. They become so gentle and love to play.
I love watching you! You have the most awesome sense of humour to add the how the animal react, keep it up cause the info you show is worth all you and your colleagues spend on these videos
Magpies in the morning have been my alarm clock most of my life. With rabbits as companion animals and they free range as well, I see the world through their eyes, and also become acquainted with birds, invariably magpies and ravens, wherever I live because of it. I always befriend the local magpies and crows. I pay attention to them, address them cordially and make a point of providing food scraps. They approve of the rabbits, and actually keep an eye out for predators on their behalf and notably never bother me when I walk past the trees in which they nest. Despite they will swoop on everyone else who passes by. I also give them clumps of rabbit fur and other nesting materials at nesting time, deliberately putting them on the fence after I noticed them collecting it. They will actually pull loose clumps right off the rabbit's back when they're molting. It startles the rabbit but nobody gets hurt and everyone wins. Magpies are my favorite bird besides Ravens. The two species do not like each other, competing for the same food sources more often than not but neither needs to clash with humans or rabbits as we're complimentary to each other.
I made friends with my local magpies this year. Wow.. they started recognising me very quickly. I saw one in the tree out front using a stick to dig out insects under the bark. I have tried everything to drive out Indian Myna's... it turns out making friends with magpies has finally done the trick!
I am in New Zealand. Magpies are often despised here. People are always going on about them swooping on them. I have never been swooped by a magpie, ever. I love them. Tenacious buggers. Not scared of anything.
The street I live on has a family of around 10 magpies and they are quite friendly. When anyone mowes their lawn, they will follow them to get the bugs that are exposed.
They regularly go around my garage feeding the spiders to their young.
They do acknowledge that I am there but don't seem to care.
The maggies at my place have been at war with the guineafowl for about a decade now. Sometimes I'll hear the guineafowl going off their heads and send the dogs out, thinking it's a fox (and sometimes it is), but often enough it's just the maggies swooping the guineas from a tree or fencepost and the guineas charging them on the ground. I only ever saw a proper punch-on once between them. At the end of it, there were rather more maggie feathers spread around the driveway than guinea feathers, but thankfully, no one was seriously injured.
I have a male magpie living near me or I live in his place but he has thwarted every attempt I make to protect my finch. I covered my whole back porch with shade cloth and netting and went out in my car - magpie watches me leave and then is found under my net system looking at my finch - no damage this time and magpie removed but he makes me feel thwarted.
I love them! You give them some grubs once and they will never swoop you and neither will their mob, and their song is like chimes.
Don’t ravens and crows also use tools and problem solving? To a higher degree than magpies?
I love my mob of local maggies❤ I have a family of 5 that year after year they literally knock on my front door with their beak 😊I especially love it when they bring their babies for the first time visits....it's like they're saying "this lady is safe don't attack her she has good safe healthy snacks 😂❤
Forgot to mention I know them all by their markings & ticks sadly ....although the ticks don't seem to harm them 🤔🫶🏼...each have a name according to their individual personality 😊
Also funniest day was when two of the babies used banana fronds to ride on, took turns to pull the other along on the big leaf 🤣🤣
We don't like magpies in NZ, but I do. I love their vocalisation and cheeky nature. However, I did have one problem with them drive-bombing me. Stop that with a water bottle. I gave them a good squirt of water as they raced down to get me. Well, that stops in mid-flight. They never tried it again and there were magpies still here.
I love ‘em!
I’d love to teach one how to say G’day mate…
Because nearly everyone walking past his tree would reply ‘ how yer goin ‘ 🤣
❤ Magpies be kind to them , they appreciate fresh mince and meally worms leave a bird bath out for all birds❤ give back to nature birds wildlife they do it tough!
Would not be surprised. I have two females that know my daily commute to town and back and they know what days I restock on food, so the tamer of the two sisters follows me down the street when she sees me getting close and waits on my front doormat for me screaming bloody murder at me until she gets her weekly dose of sliced strawberries. Eats out of my hands sometimes as well, when I'm not encouraging her to go find her own food.
I love your videos! These ‘guys’ remind me of our crows in the USA (Seattle Puget Sound area)!
You can train magpies to be your friends or stay clear of you. In my case as a kid I was walking home with a couple of mates after playing cricket. One had the stumps, I had the ball and the other had the bat. Being a little more sweaty than most kids I also had a can of anti perpirant in my school bag. We always got swooped walking past a park on the way home. First the male maggie picked on cricket bat boy, and nearly got clobbered in the beak by the bat. Then it decided to try its luck on stumps boy, and he was armed with javelin missiles, all of which missed. All I had was a cricket ball, I put it into my pocket and pulled out the can of anti pirspirant. Birdy boy comes in, cops a spray in the face and went back to its perch. he never swooped us again. I have a group of resident magpies in my area whom I feed mince. They're cheeky buggers but super friendly.
Tool use in birds does lead to the question - were there tool using dinosaurs?
AFAIK, the Tasmanian sub species don't aggressively defend their nesting territory like the various mainland sub species. It's unheard of here.
Many years ago I saw, probably a dozen or so, magpies on a neighbour's clothes line. They didn't notice me at first but I saw one of them grab onto the bottom edge of a t-shirt or something with its beak and start spinning itself around using its own body weight for momentum. Might have been a one off but then a couple of others started doing the same thing!! It was quite a spectacle to watch. When they eventually noticed me they all stopped and stared. Uh oh......run 😅
There's an almost legendary magpie in the ACT (not gonna say where) that can mimic dogs. I sat with them for a while and heard the whole repertoire - including magpienese, dogs barking and many other songs. Lyrebird in the making!
I always talk to my local Maggies. Never been swooped.
I totally don't feed the magpies, that would be wrong. But is amazing how they can catch food in their beaks. A friend told me...😇
I think magpies are smarter than crows, because if I'm walking and there's a crow on the ground as soon as I get within 30m or less they take off and expend a lot of energy going into a tree, but with magpies if I don't look at them I can walk right past them with in a metre even and they continue doing what they were doing. If I look at them they behave like the crows.
Both have similar problem solving ability as described here, so to me them understanding the difference between someone just walking or walking in their direction maintaining eye contact is a big thing. The other one is that they swoop dogs when they're off the leash but not when they're leashed, in fact when I walk my dog on the leash they don't even move away.
Loved it,,,thank you very much 😊😅
Love your work ❤
I just love her! 😍🥰
A magpie dive bombed me at least 10 times today 🚲 on my bike 😂 same one, in same spot hated me last year too 🫥 off to see psych about magpie PTSD 🤣🤣
I nearly took a baby magpie home because it was on the ground and I thought a cat might take it, but I realised the parents were around and I let it be. Not like these other people that take them from the wild and post videos about how they saved an abandoned baby bird.
Some magpies swoop my poor dog, but never me?
I love seeing a Tidings of Bare Nosed Flute Players.
Magpies, Butcherbirds...never been swooped. I just have a conversation with them...even ones I meet for the first time. Sometimes they follow me for more interaction - as if they want to know more about this hooman who had a friendly chat.They also communicate with others of the species if the human is naughty or nice. Too smart.
It's actually quite serious. A boy in a park with his mother lost an eye.
They don't bite the hands that feed them. Ours queue up for minced chicken carcase mixed with rolled oats
Annie, that was a cricket match, not a football match. (we don't use cricket stumps for football)
Whenever I see birds using tools, it always reminds me of "The Silurian Hypothesis" and how birds are related to Dinosaurs. Dinosaurs existed for millions of years and maybe they did evolve intellectually whilst they were on the Earth. But the evidence of that has disappeared over the intervening millions of aeons.
It would be helpful if they always gave a warning before they swoop, but they don't. I've sewn up too many scalp and face wounds and my second cousin (riding a bike aged 5) lost an eye.