Magpie Larks nesting
Magpie Lark
Magpie Larks are a breeding resident bird in our garden. We see them every day, the strident calls filling the air on many occasions throughout the day. Although the call is sharp and loud it is melodious and not at all annoying – unless the bird is only metres away.
Throughout the day they flutter around from fence post to roof gutter to tree top. Then they soar down to ground level and search for some tasty snack on the ground.
Magpie Lark
Over the last two weeks the pair of Magpie Larks living around our house have been very busy gathering mud, grass and feathers to make a nest near our back veranda. The bowl shaped nest took quite a few days to construct.
Yesterday I saw the pair violently pursuing an Australian Magpie away from the nest, so I assumed they now have eggs to hatch. Sure enough, one of them was later seen sitting tight on the nest, only its tail protruding from the nest (see below – just the tail can been seen on the left hand side).
It has been quite a few years since they nested in our garden. In more recent times they have preferred the large gum trees in our neighbour’s garden.
Magpie Lark's mud nest, Murray Bridge, South Australia
Juvenile Australian Magpie
Juvenile Australian Magpie, Victor Harbor, South Australia
We recently had a weekend in Victor Harbor on the south coast of South Australia. We stayed in our caravan with a group of friends in their caravans. While sitting around talking at one stage a juvenile Australian Magpie came hopping around our feet, begging for food from the adults nearby. They were looking for any scraps of food that may have fallen from our picnic tables.
A little later this young bird flew in and landed on the annex of our friend’s caravan about 3 metres from where I was sitting. If you look closely at the photo above you can just see the corner of the annex. The bird looked at me, noticed that a camera didn’t look very tasty, and flew off.
Juvenile Australian Magpie, Victor Harbor, South Australia
Juvenile Australian Magpie, Victor Harbor, South Australia
Australian Magpie, Tintinara
Australian Magpie, Tintinara, SE South Australia
I seem to have plenty of photos of Australian Magpies in my collection. This includes several shots of different races of this species. On my recent visit to Tintinara in the SE of South Australia I couldn’t resist adding to my collection.
I was having a short break, enjoying a cuppa in the shade. The temperature was already climbing and it was only mid morning. This magpie, along with several others, came up to me at the picnic table where I was enjoying my cuppa. I guess it was expecting a tasty morsel from me. Many travellers passing through would stop in Tintinara for a meal or a break and many of them would feed the local magpies.
When nothing was forthcoming from me the magpies continued foraging in the grassed area near the picnic tables.
Magpies merrily carolling
Australian Magpie near Geranium, South Australia
Last Friday I was able to do some birding near Geranium in the mallee district east of home here in Murray Bridge, South Australia. I pulled off the main highway on to a side track (see photo below) and found a good spot for lunch. I’d been on this bush track many times before and knew that the birding can be quite good in this quiet spot.
While I was eating lunch I had good views of a male Superb Fairy-wren nearby. Just as I finished lunch I could hear a group of Australian Magpies carolling about 40 metres away. This singing increased in volume to the point where I just had to check it out. I estimate there were about 20 magpies in the one tree, all calling loudly. Their song filled the air all around. I then glanced over into the paddock adjacent to the tree. There were magpies everywhere.
A quick scan of the paddock with my binoculars revealed about another 60 magpies feeding in the grass. I’ve never seen such a large congregation of Australian Magpies anywhere before. There are records in the literature of large loose flocks of over 100 birds, but this was my first encounter with such large numbers. Truly spectacular.
Bush track through mallee scrub near Geranium, South Australia
Young Australian Magpie
Australian Magpie
I have been a little puzzled about our resident pair of Australian Magpies this spring. Although they showed signs of building a nest earlier in the spring they seemed to abandon the idea after a few days. I had observed them refurbishing the nest they have used for the last four or five years. Instead of continuing the nest building and then sitting on the eggs and finally being busy feeding the young in the nest, they seemed content to just occupy themselves searching for food during the day, visiting the bird bath (as in the photo above) or chasing away the White-winged Choughs whenever they came into the garden.
I thought they’d given up on breeding this season.
It seems I was wrong. Earlier this week I was passing the garage when I saw a young magpie fresh out of the nest, all downy and begging for food.
This is perplexing. I still haven’t found any nest. There are two possible explanations:
- They made a new nest in a location I haven’t yet discovered. This is entirely possible as it would take quite a while to check every tree on our five acre block.
- The young bird I saw was from a neighbouring magpie territory and it had wandered into our garden.
It does not matter. It is good to see that at least one magpie was hatched in this locality this year.
Good birding.