aussiebirder

With Christmas gone and the New Year looming, it is time to play the last post for 2025, and what better way than to have a family tribute to my local Australian Magpie family who frequent my birdbaths to wash, drink, cook off and sing to me in beautiful melodious dual noted caroling. Father, mother and this Spring’s juvenile offspring. It was a beautiful moment for me and my wife to watch this the father and mother Magpie peacefully observe and appreciate their only child for the season, as it drank deeply to refresh itself. They did not bathe but just rested and sang occasionally as junior drank his fill.

The male has a pure white rear neck and the female and juvenile white but slightly dirty speckled neck at base of the white neck area, but more so with juvenile. The juvenile bird has a dark beak and dark black eye whereas the adults have black-tipped white beaks with brown eyes. Click on images to enlarge them.

Of all the bird species that frequent our birdbaths, the male magpie would spill the most water as it bathes. After its initial wash it will often fly to a nearby tree branch to preen. After a little preening would return to the water for some more cleaning. This process could take several bathes. Final preening occurs when it draws preening oil from the base of its back and conditions his primary feathers. The female Magpie has to wait till the male is finished before she can bathe or she will receive a harsh peck from the male. The juvenile is copying in the small birds bath.

Magpies, similar to the Catbird, have a dual syrinx at the top of their main lung which makes them quite unique in that they are able to produce two harmonious notes at the same time, where as other birds can only produce one. This is our local pair (male and female) giving thanks after drinking from the birdbath. This is a common occurrence which is a delight to my wife and I..

A Happy, Healthy and Blessed New Year to all my faithful blogpost Followers. May you prosper and increase in knowledge, wisdom and understanding. May you also mature and prosper physically, emotionally, socially and spiritually, as Jesus did while he lived among us on earth.

“And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” – Luke 2:52

The formula for success, peace and prosperity in every aspect of life:

You can learn more about our Australian Magpies from my book “What Birds Teach Us”. Click on the image below to find out more.

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Adv. Dip. in Counselling and Family Therapy.

Member of Birdlife Australia

To introduce people to our unique Australian birds,

And learn from them how to live a healthy and happy life.

NOTE: All photos, videos and music used on this website are photographed, composed, performed  by the site owner and remains his copyrighted property, unless otherwise stated. The use of any material that is not original material of the site owner is duly acknowledged as such. © W. A. Hewson 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025.