The magpie

I decided to do myself a service and take this body of mine for a jog the other day. It was a lovely spring day and after a stressful day at work, I decided that physical activity would be the best remedy. I walked over to the Erskineville footy oval and began my intense two and a half circle route. (I still hate running. I only run to warm up my muscles for a nice long stretch. Mmmm.) I had very nearly completed my first full circle when I felt something crash into my ponytail. I looked back to see a magpie flapping its wings menacingly and a fellow runner snickering.

On my second round, my fellow runner (who had surpassed me at this point) picked up a stick and threw it at the magpie, giggling wildly. I wondered if maybe I hadn't been hit by this man's stick before. On I ran, wondering if it was the bird or the stick aimed at the bird. I sat and stretched, watching the birds wearily. Then on my walk across the field, I saw another girl pass into "the area" and sure enough, the magpie came out and swooped her three times! With her iPod in and the blood pumping, she was completely oblivious so on my way out I gave her a friendly warning about the divebombers overhead. In the middle of my warning, yet another runner went by and got a swoop himself! I considered my point made.

Apparently this isn't uncommon behavior from the Australian magpie. In fact, I swiped this photo from some random blogger, and this particular post was entitled "Evil magpies of satan". In the spring here, magpies will swoop down to ward off intruders who come too close to their nests. I can't walk outside right now without watching my head for attackers. When I used to think of magpies, I thought of some nursery rhyme bird that looks like a crow and resides in a baked pie crust in England. Now, this is what I think of: