I made friends with my two local maggies about 12 months ago - they frequently walk around my front lawn looking for grubs, and they live in the big Poinciana tree adjacent to my driveway. I started off by walking out most days and talking softly to them. Progressively they allowed me to walk up to within about 2 metres of them, but now I'm their 'friend'. Several times a week (mostly different days, so they don't rely on me), I take out half a Jatz biscuit and break it out into small pieces about 3-4mm size - he started to come right up to me to about 500mm away, but she kept a bit further away. Now he will actually come right up and take the biscuit out of my fingers when I bend over towards him, she will only come up to around 400mm or so, just not quite comfortable with me feeding her just yet. They usually come up and give me a nice 'song' to let me know they want to be fed. I deliberately swap the days around so they don't expect the biccie every day. They must wonder where I go when I take the van out for a few weeks at times during the year, but they're always there waiting for me when I get home again. One time I got into the Aliner on the front lawn with the door open, and he hopped up onto the van step just outside the door and 'sung' to me. I have a great time most afternoons talking to 'my maggies'.

I like the magpies. Lived in a house for 20 years where they used to nest in the gum tree in the front yard. Never was attacked. In fact one of the young birds, when learning to fly, was hit by a car and one of the parents made a real racket. Walked out and picked it up, parents stopped making noise. Took it to a vet who drove passed my place that night and dropped it off on my front lawn. They were even more friendly after that incident. I think they have a lot of intelligence. Moved to 100 acre property, had to walk under a tree at least 15 times a day where they nested. We were running a business and had to pass it to attend to our clients. My young daughter had a problem if she was riding her bike, but none of us had a problem if we were walking. That went on for 7 years. Since the first incident went for 20 years I wonder if they were the offspring who came to nest there.

Lynda

-- Edited by Felicia on Wednesday 2nd of September 2015 06:50:00 PM

we've been house sitting on a 200 acre farm for the past 8 weeks. We have two different extended magpie families. One controls the rear lawn and the other the front around the house. We had our 'van closest to the back family and they quickly became very friendly as each day I feed them a couple of slices of bread. In the morning, they sit outside the van door and sing for their breakfast and late arvo, again (when I feed them some of my expensive cheese meant for my crackers and wine. My wife also sometimes gives them raw meat, which they love. We can now walk to within a couple of metres of these previously wild birds and all they do is tip their head from side to side watching and often will sing to you.
They are a very intelligent species of bird. Oh, and making friends with the magpies also brought parrots and rozellas, bower birds (that's what the local people call them) - the female is green/brown and the male dark gleaming blue.

The only thing that occasionally suffers is the washing on the clothes line, but we don't feed them when stuff is on the line and feed them well away from it all the time.