Living with magpies — and ravens
How to be recognised by a family of sentinels without starting a feud in spring.
Be a known quantity
Magpies remember faces and routes. Walk the same path. Speak if you like; they are listening more than we admit. A bird that knows you is less likely to treat you as a spring threat.
Swooping is not the whole story
Most magpies never swoop. Those that do are defending a nest for a few weeks, usually after a warning carol. Give the tree a wider berth, carry an open umbrella if you must pass, and do not take it personally. The season ends.
What not to offer
Mince, bread, and leftover roast create metabolic trouble and a begging habit. A magpie is a ground hunter. If the lawn still has insects, you have already set the table.
Ravens on the same beat
Little Ravens will share a street with magpies more easily than people expect. They take the carrion and the fallen fruit; the magpies keep the lawn. Watch how they negotiate a dead possum. It is a civic process.
