Colin Chick
“I Brought Snacks!”
Tasmanian subspecies of Australian magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen hypoleuca)
Limekiln Point, Tasmania
Mar 27 at 5:51amWeb
Show threadskua3d ago

@colinchick

Great photo.

Seeing Portuguese millipedes. And the tail of an earwig (?).

Wondering if human-companion magpies take the same approach to giving gifts of food to their human as at least one crow is reported to have taken?
If the mouth wasn't available then, though second best, the ear-hole would suffice.

Show threadColin Chick3d ago
@skua I confess it did seem to be an offering (quite a collection in the mix, indeed!); this Magpie and another began playing "leapfrog" with me as I walked a coastal path, landing ahead of me on the railing on my right, before moving on a ways ahead as I progressed. The other stopped for a chat/singalong, before this offering was made. Initially I thought I was experiencing a first: a Tassie Maggie swoop, as wings tapped my head - but it was just a narrow path and it wanted to land in front of me!
Show threadskua3d ago

@colinchick
Wondering what their intention was.
Might you look like a human who they feel some connection with?

Edit: Magpie Gifting Day! 😀

Show threadCheeseness3d ago
@colinchick @skua A lovely song to go with a lovely encounter by the looks of things! She seems relaxed/content to my ear/eye.
Show threadCheeseness3d ago

@skua @colinchick FWIW, Australian magpies aren't corvids (they're one of only three extant species of artemids, all of whom are very interesting!) and don't do the same kind of bonding and gifting stuff that corvids like the Eurasian magpie, crows, etc. are known for.

Going by the magpies I've befriended in the north of Tasmania, my expectation is that that mouthful would be delivered to a nest - feels very late in the season for that, but with weather being off-kilter, nothing feels normal

Show threadColin Chick3d ago
@Cheeseness @skua Nothing feels normal, indeed😀! Just some clarification: this image (in fact my last 3 image posts, plus the video) were taken in late September of last year. And lest my self-named son, Raven, gets wind of this conversation, I stress that I personally would NEVER suggest an Australian Magpie was a Corvid! 😂
Show threadCheeseness3d ago

@colinchick All good! The artemid clarification was responding to @skua's question about gift giving ^_^

Sounds like Raven's got A+ naming sensibilities!

I think September's on the early side, but would align with nesting season? From memory, I think the ones I visit daily were nesting early this summer too.

Show threadOllie Boermans2d ago
@Cheeseness @colinchick @skua I’ve seen them carry quite a lot in that beak. If there was more than one to feed I expect it was looking for a human provided addition to the load before making the delivery.
Show threadColin Chick2d ago
@ollicle @Cheeseness @skua I dunno. Going all-in with the anthropomorphising, the look in the eye is saying to me, "My name is Ozymandias, scavenger of scavengers;
Look on my Mighty Mouthful, and despair!" 😀
Show threadEwen Bell 📸3d ago
@colinchick

Amazing photo.