On sunny winter mornings I sit on the back verandah soaking up the sun and enjoying the wildlife. Often there is a whoosh of wings and Mr Magpie flies across the paddock and lands on the railing next to me. Holly kitten contemplates him for breakfast but he is more likely to eat her breakfast. Magpies love dry animal food. I bought a "cat cafe" to ensure the safety of the cats' biscuits. The cats quickly learnt to tap on the lever to get their food but the magpies were one step ahead. They knocked the cafe off the feeding table to get the food and when I taped up the lid, they just broke the whole lot.

So now I feed the magpies along with the other animals - not that I have much choice but it was a bit much when I was walking across the yard with a sandwich in my hand and Mr Magpie was flying around me begging for a bit. I get quite a gathering of magpies around the yard waiting for scraps. Peter dog is getting slow in his old age and at least one chicken neck destined for him has been swooped upon by a magpie.

But it is lovely to hear the magpies carolling. Sometimes there is a whole flock gathered to socialise in the paddock. There were a lot of babies this year and they have a very persistent squawk. I think their mothers feed them just to shut them up and they are often backhanded (presumably for being naughty) so that they land on their backs.

The magpies also seem to play. They swoop down onto the chooks just to see them flutter around. I'm sure that they are smiling as they wreak havoc.