Over the years it’s possible to discern the differences in the calls of Australian Magpies. What the language means of course remains a mystery, but some sounds go with some actions.
The rolling call of a pair declaring their territory against all comers. The short sharp bark of a a contact call between birds feeding on the ground, just to stay in touch and know where everyone is. Alarm calls for the close immediate family, and a different one for local clans, and a different one again to warn other local clans of danger. No doubt there are plenty more.
One call, I’m certain is distinct and the other day as we walked up the hill to iAmGrey to packup and head for home, the stark-highpitched agitated call went up from at first the Maggies in the local area, and then rolling down the field to others. I’ve heard it before, and exclaimed to noone in particular, “”Brown Falcon”.
And as I turned around, not to check for Falcons, but to see where the Maggies were going, there on a lone tree propped a Brown Falcon. The family took off to harass it, and get it on the move.
Brown Sat.
Mum, Dad and a young juvenile made lots of loud calls and swooping attemps.
Brown Sat.
The call went out to the next clan, and sure enough suddenly the hapless Falcon had five more loud, angry Magpies sitting the tree, calling and swooping. I sometimes wonder if there is not a bragging rights thing that goes on. “Oh, I got it to move”. “I put its wings up” “I was ‘this’ close” etc etc.
Brown Sat.
By now the air around the Falcon was full of loud calling angry black and white feathered shapes.
The Falon didn’t have much option. If it flew, the combined squadron would have had the advantage of speed and agility and it would have been mobbed all the way across the open paddock. Clans that were not directly involved were now spaced out along the paddock, supposedly uninterested, as they pretended to be really interested in meal gathering, but should the Falcon head in their direction, they would have been ready to rise to the challenge and add to the clamour, and so on to the next clan, and the next.
Brown Sat.
We figured at least three possibiliies.
1. Brown had just finished a meal and was in no hurry to fly anywhere until it was digested.
2. Brown had spied some tasty morsel worth waiting for, and was going to sit until the right moment to pounce
3. Brown had no other option than to sit. Flying into such a concentration of Magpie angst could have serious consquences.
Brown Sat.
Brown Falcon time is really impressive. 30-40 minutes on one location is not unusual.
In the end, the clans exhausted themselves, and left the scene.
Brown, now only had a photographer in the paddock to worry about. So it did what is pretty usual. It pretened to be unconcerned about the whole affair and began to preen.
I waited another 10 minutes.
Brown Sat.
Other activities required my attention, so we left. As we drove out, it was still on the branch.
Enjoy.
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