The Magpie-robin is one of the most interesting birds in my garden. I wonder whether it is his double-barrelled name that makes him work twice as hard and sing twice as fluidly as any other bird who comes visiting.I often see him hopping around on my lawn, head perked at an angle, alertly scanning it for bugs. He loves my birdbath and is a frequent visitor, flying in for a quick feather-ruffling dip before flying up onto the cashew branch above it and settling in to treat the whole garden to his latest compositions.
Posts
That is such a striking bird. New one to my eyes. Very pretty.
ReplyDeleteLovely picture, he looks so much like our magpies! I've been hoping to post a picture, but have yet to take a good one.
ReplyDeleteLona, I agree. He is striking, isn't he? The female is a dark grey and is just as helpful but for some reason I don't see her around as much as the male. Or maybe I just dont notice her.
ReplyDeleteRebecca, I'm sure that's the origin of his name (half of it, at least).I'd love to see a photo of your magpies.
Nice capture Sunita! Pretty bird :)
ReplyDeleteNot many birds around or maybe i've not noticed. Maybe i'll keep a birdbath in the balcony ..and get some visitors :) the kids will be excited!
Provided they dont empty the water themselves :) :)
This is a good capture. I like the magpie. In our legend of Qixi Festival, all the magpies of the world will gather together to form a bridge to so that separated lovers, Cowherd (a human) and Weaver Girl (a fairy) can meet every year and spend the night together on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, Aaron! and he sings so well too ... real rockstar !
ReplyDeleteThanks Autumn Belle :)
I checked up on the Qixi festival (how do you pronounce that?) on wiki. Its such a romantic story! Thanks for telling me about it.
Thats a fantastic idea, Priya! I'm sure a birbath or just a small dish of water will bring out all the birds you never knew lived near you. A shallow dish (maybe 1 inch deep will suit the smaller ones but the bigger ones would love a deeper bath in which they can cool down. If you have the space, maybe you could indulge both?
ReplyDeleteWe have this bird - Magpie Robin around here too. No birds bathe in the bowls of water I keep... :|
ReplyDeleteOnce there was pipe leak in the park and it created a puddle, and it was fun to watch birds enjoying that puddle!!
I wish we had safe little puddles of water around the city... of course birds love fountains!!
Maybe they just have to get used to the bowls, IHM. Birds are the wariest creatures ever! And it may be a good idea to give them an illusion of shelter and safety... I think they dont like feeling too exposed (!). Maybe a leafy shrub in a pot next to the bowl? They could always fly up into that when they see someone approaching. I'm just guessing here, no idea if it'll work. But this is what I've seen the birds who come to my birdbath do.
ReplyDeleteEven if they are shy of bathing in your bowls of water, I'm so glad you're offering them a chance to cool off in our miserably hot summer. Good for you!
We have a pair living in a mail box of an empty house in our row! Yes they are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThey're one of the few birds which are very comfortable around humans, aren't they, Mridula? :)
ReplyDeleteI love their birdsong.