Canberra Magpies on border patrol..

As we adjust to our ”new normal”,  Paul and I decided to make sure we went for a long walk every day, to help us keep fit, and sleep well.

Fortunately, Canberra has been designed to have corridors of bushland between suburbs, and there are many fire trails (backtracks) that skirt around suburbs.

Crimson Rosella

Life in the bush is thriving again since the recent rain, and to our delight, we saw quite a few birds as we walked.

Rainbow Lorikeets

I noticed a splash of colour and saw two baby Rainbow Lorikeets preening themselves in the hollow of a gnarled old Eucalyptus tree.

A juvenile Galah

and this endearing little Galah also resting and nesting in the same tree……all unhurried and blissfully unaware of world events around them..

The Brindabella Mountains are recovering from the dreadful summer fires and now there are only clouds overhead, rather than smoke rising from them.

In the distance we could see Sulphur Crested Cockatoos swirling and swooping through the suburbs like shining white kites. (unfortunately hard to capture without a good lens on the camera)

Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos

Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos are not very common in Canberra, but since the fires, many of these parrots have come to Canberra for the water and vegetation.

They are the smallest  bird in the Cockatoo family, and make a sound like a creaking door. They mate for life, and live in family groups, and they are very low-key compared with their cousins, the Sulphur Crested Cockatoo.

My mother used to say the black cockatoos bring the rain……we would welcome the rain and the cockatoos any day.

On the way back home we saw a group of Magpies; very familar to all Canberrans.

They stood together, warbling softly to each other..indignation written all over those intense stares…

There is certainly something going on here…

The problem is the Magpie in the nearby tree. She has long white markings on her back.

This Magpie is  a ”ring-in” …… an outsider. Her striking white markings suggest she is a coastal Magpie… and not from this area.

This Magpie comes from the State of New South Wales, not our state, known as the Australian Capital Territory.

She hasn’t heard the news…the borders are closed!

Never mind, the Canberra Magpies border patrol  are on to it!

We left them to it , and I hope all went well.

A day in the sunshine, walking and looking at the birds, cheered us up immensely.

Less news and more walking is our plan!

Hard not to smile at these two …absolutely no social distancing going on in the koala world. (photo from Pinterest)

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, and may you enjoy at least a little of each day in these unpredictable times !

Copyright Geraldine Mackey: All Rights Reserved 

 

30 Replies to “Canberra Magpies on border patrol..”

  1. Wonderful pictures of those mostly colourful birds. You are fortunate to have such a beautiful place to walk in. Thank you for sharing, I was cheered up scrolling through your post.

  2. Fabulous photos, Gerrie. Everything around you seems to be benefiting from the recent rain, and how lucky you are to be able to go on such lovely walks.

    1. Thanks Jane, we can’t get over how green everything looks after such a dry period, and more rain is expected next week. Are you getting your share of rain too?

  3. What a treat to see baby lorikeets. Looks like familiar territory so I enjoyed the walk in my mind!

    1. Oh yes, so many memories for us both on that walk. The mountains and view of Telsta tower looks lovely especially as everything is so green.

  4. Thank you for letting me start my day with your beautiful feather friends. I’ve been seeing crows and robins which are not quite the same. 🙂 I looked up the country stats, and you guys are lucky right now that your virus numbers are on the low side. Our state numbers are on the low side too, but we have a couple of hot spots that seem to keep moving up at a drastic rate. Stay safe and enjoy your walks. Thank you for sharing too. 🙂

    1. Our numbers may be low, but in a few months we are going into winter, which will be hard. Good to hear your state numbers are low too. We have hot spots, like Sydney…they just recently let a big cruise ship dock in Sydney harbour, with plenty of virus cases of course…. also not enough information and testing at the International Airports.
      Well, we are learning as we go! Hope you are enjoying life at home and stay safe and healthy.

  5. Oh, those birds! I really enjoyed looking at all of them. From this Mainer’s point of view, they are very exotic. Wonderful that you have so many places to walk. I also enjoyed the magpie drama. Animals have their own lives, emotions, and stories, just as rich and deep as ours.

    1. Thanks Laurie, I have learnt so much more about birds since retiring, and you are right, there are all sorts of stories going on! It is good to be able to exchange stories from across the world! Stay safe.

  6. What a marvellous walk for you both, Gerrie. Chris and I have also taken to walking about four miles every morning since our gym closed down. Your views are stunning, especially the distant mountains. What a great variety of birds you encounter along your route. Naughty Ms Maggie for breaking the rules. 😯 Keep safe and healthy.

    1. Four miles is an impressive walk! We really enjoy our walks in the autumn..and the mountains are at their best. Yes, the Ms Maggie and her crew would find self isolating very hard!

    1. I was wondering how you are going ….no more bush walking for your other half, he will miss that…. and we will miss your photos of the wild flowers.

  7. “Less news and more walking” seems to be the watchword here. So many people are hitting the trails that they are becoming crowded and some are closing. Also the local seed companies have been besieged with orders. Not sure if it’s from a desire to get outside or to have a personal food supply. I’m planning on a whopping garden this year. I can’t imagine being cooped up in a city right now.

    Fascinating to see your magpies picking on the outsider. Here it’s out-of-state license plates that are causing similar behavior (“don’t bring your sickness up here!”).

  8. A daily walk is an excellent idea, and it’s nice that you have warm and sunny weather to enjoy. I’m glad that there is still green space to enjoy. Those crimson rosellas are just amazing!

  9. How fantastic to see so many beautiful birds on such a lovely walk. I had to look at them all several times to get my full fix! It is such a relief to see nature returning and just clouds over those delightful mountains.xxx

    1. Good to hear how all gardeners and dog walkers are going in the world. Yes, every day brings a new restriction here.

  10. I am so pleased that the green is returning to Canberra after your terrible summer. Such colourful and interesting birds on your walk!

    1. Thanks Clare, it seems as if we’ve just paused for breath from the bush fires and then we are in lock-down over this dreadful virus. However at least we can enjoy walks around Canberra. I hope all is going well for you and your family.

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