Being an animal carer can have its rewards, as a nature-lover who lives in my neighbourhood discovered when a magpie she had cared for came to call.
Not just the magpie but her first off-spring.
The female magpie had been reared to adulthood after it was brought to the carer as a fledgling.
It had been found lying on the ground, and the person finding the skinny ball of feather and bone could not determine if it had fallen out of a nest, or had left the nest too early before its flight wings had developed sufficiently.
The tiny chick with outsized Donald Duck beak also had a leg injury, which later would become a distinctive feature that separated her from other magpies out and about.
The carer, who like many in this compassionate business does not seek publicity for their work, said the nestling was initially passed on to the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary for specialised care in their veterinary clinic before being handed back. This is a common practice for the treatment of both bereft and injured birds and animals, which enables carers to prepare their charges for release after treatment.
The magpie fared well, despite the injured leg which showed a crook in it, but it did not seem to affect the bird’s ability to perch and walk.
The magpie was slowly introduced to the outside world beyond her cage and engaged in trail flights across the Waterworks Valley where the carer and her partner live.
Along with four other magpies reared at about the same time, the magpie eventually travelled a little further afield to more suitable magpie habitat. The Waterworks Valley is heavily forested and magpies – generally ground feeders – prefer drier more open areas.
The maggie with the crook leg, though, never forgot the tender, loving care she was given.
About six months later the carer heard a magpie calling and, going to the window, she saw the now fully mature magpie with a youngster in tow.
The rescue of the magpie occurred four years ago but every year the magpie has returned with fresh young.
“She brings her offspring for a visit and stays around on our deck for a couple of hours,” said the carer. “It is a clear and deliberate connection.”
“Sometimes when I am walking in South Hobart I hear the magpie call and I respond. I believe this magpie, and maybe others we have released, know and remember us.”
Australians have a love-hate relationship with magpies. They love the magpie’s flute-like song which sings of the Australian bush but complain when the magpies, or at least some of them, harass passers-by in spring when they stray too close to nests.
Magpies, though, are adept at recognising the faces of people showing them a little tolerance. I remember a reader from Midway Point telling me how magpies greeted him when he went outside, but ignored his guests.
The intelligent magpies, it seems, know the difference between friend and