The other day the cleaner came into my cubicle to peer out the window. This is not an easy thing to do because you have to navigate the towering stacks of my floor filing system. Also it was a bit weird cause I was sitting right there.
Turns out there is a magpie's nest in the tree right outside my window. I have ambivalent feelings about birds in general - not a fan of the beaks and claws and feathers - so I didn't show much interest at first. But I've only ever seen magpie babies once they are on the ground, looking pretty much the same as the adults, except for the incessant squawking for food. Curiosity got the better of me and I started checking out the nest through the day.
The eggs hatched recently, but I haven't gotten a good look at the babies yet. The mother sitting on the nest doesn't leave very often, but sometimes her partner brings her food (I wasn't going to make assumtions but according to Burke's Backyard, it's the females who look after the babies). I did once see the nest when she was gone, but it was getting dark. I could just see some wriggling movement.
So far these birds aren't swooping people and I'm very grateful, cause you can't get into the building without crossing their territory. Year-round I always say hello to magpies when I'm walking the dogs, in the hope they'll remember I'm one of the friendly people.
To add to my wildlife week, last night we saw a wallaby (or small kangaroo? Can someone who knows more than me confirm please?) in my friend's front yard. It wasn't too troubled by me taking photos, though I didn't get too close.
wallaby
wallaby_2
I also managed to catch a series of these fluffy semi-wild things...
in their natural habitat (click for more).
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