Planet Once Blog

So as a rescuer, I am awarded the opportunity to remove wildlife from harms way and deliver to a shelter and means of rehabilitation if necessary.  Occasionally, this position also requires a role of shepherd or observer and I am equally ecstatic to offer these services to all non-human creatures big and small.  And this afternoon my services were rendered to a fledgling juvenile Australian Magpie.

First, a bit about Australian Magpies.  These lovely creatures raise their young on the ground for a period of one to two weeks, a fact that many Australians are unaware of.  Needless to say, this warrants a severely ruthless swooping and pecking attack response from the parent birds if anyone or anything approaches their young; a response I highly respect, but unfortunately a view not shared by many.  For those sharing a similar compassion for wildlife, this ground-rearing practice also compels many to pick up the young and bring them into care so as to protect them from predators and other elements of nature.  Although all intentions are good, this causes an unnecessary burden for the rescue and shelter volunteers of Wildlife Victoria, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping injured, sick, and orphaned wildlife.

Now a bit about the task.  Someone had picked up a Magpie chick off the side of the road and brought it to one of the shelters in the morning.  Often, when these young come in and are deemed a clean bill of health, they are returned to the spot of pickup as soon as possible to be reunited with the parents.  So there I was, a re-released Magpie chick hopping about an urban greenway, donning the bright fluorescent rescue vest, and no adult Magpies anywhere to be found.

Magpie Fledgling

For about twenty minutes I followed my flock of one through the low grasses and along side a building wall, keeping a distance of about ten meters (+30 feet).  Occasionally the bird would stop to regain its bearings and look around, but it was evident that it was making progress toward some known destination.  But still no Magpies anywhere.

The building wall soon changed to a solid fence line, then to a low fence line and finally, an open fence demarcating the end of a residential street terminating at the linear park.  The Magpie chick gracefully snuck through the open slats of the fence and into the adjoining street.  I clumsily hopped over the fence and nearly left my shirt on a sharp nail.

As the bird hopped along into the street a car was backing out of an adjacent driveway toward the chick.  I decided that it was time to “throw in the towel”, so to speak, and I wrapped the bird up and carried it back into the park.  This time, however, the chick was a bit more vocal and active, clearly fed up with its numerous human interactions.  As I unwrapped the chick from the towel and worked to untangle a claw, the magpie chirped and cried out.  As it broke free from the towel and moved into the grass, I backed away slightly.

As I turned, there it was.  A very large adult Magpie looking me right in the eye.  I cannot say where it came from, or how it got there, but there it was.  And looking to reclaim its young, I presumed.  Now I must say that this is normally where one gets swooped and attacked by an angry parent, and rightfully so.  But the Magpie glanced down at the chick, back up at me, and then paused as if to acknowledge my presence was peaceful and allow time for me to step back.

You know those scenes in fantasy films where a great search for some mystic unicorn is being undertaken and all methods have been exhausted, including playing some magical instrument and all…and then…suddenly…the thing appears from the fog in an instant?  Yea, it was something like that.

But the job wasn’t done.  I couldn’t be sure that this was the parent, so I waited and observed.  At first, the adult bird ignored the chick’s cries and hopped away each time approached by the needy juvenile.  This went on for about ten minutes and I began to worry.  I called one of our resident bird experts to seek advice and was educated about typical Magpie behaviour — if the adult didn’t attack the young it was a good sign.

After about five more minutes of observation, my efforts were rewarded; the adult began to bring food to the young bird.  It was incredible to see such an interaction.  What was even more incredible was to consider the amazing cognitive recollection ability in Magpies.  This young bird was taken from its territory in the morning, returned in the afternoon to an approximate location, and still managed return to its parents.  More incredible yet, was the extraordinary sensory perception of the adult Magpie to recognize that I was no threat.

Moral of the story– don’t ever underestimate the power of the family bond.