Magpies in the kitchen: the joy of earning the trust of a wild animal | Lorena Allam
A magpie couple rule the roost in a home they consider an extension of their natural habitat
On the other side of our back fence is a large park, a rolling expanse of grass with stands of mature gum trees. It's the kind of real estate magpies love - big old trees for nesting and open plains for foraging - so naturally they behave as if they own the place.
When we first moved in, a pair of magpies landed on the fence, their heads cocked to one side, watching the puny humans struggle to tame the big back yard. When we mowed the lawn, they followed behind to graze on bugs and worms. They took showers under the sprinkler. They sat on the Hills Hoist and warbled as we pegged out the washing and picked through the piles of soil we left after planting trees.
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