Wednesday, April 29, 2009

The Magpie Tree.

We had been living in this house for over a year when one day early this year, I went out into our back yard to take some compostable material to the compost Bin, hidden in a small triangle area behind a garden shed and in the vee of the back and corner fence. In this rather confined area a tallish privet tree/bush has grown up rather tall and shades the whole area. Because of the smallness of the Yard at this point, there is only about an 18inch entry point into this small area and so one tends to keep ones head down to make sure one doesn’t trip over the empty flower pots I also store in this “dead; area”. Anyway, as I was putting the compost material in the Bin I heard Magpies overhead singing. Having finished what I was doing, I looked up and saw one about 6 feet away sitting on the fence. Then, looking up I saw one bird sitting literally an arms length above me. I then counted 6 others in this tree. Normally Magpies hang out in tall Gum trees and not in small privet bushes; but there they were!
I think that it was not I, or even the tree, but the worms in the compost bin below it, that was the attraction. Whatever! . Henceforth it has become known as “The Magpie Tree.”
What about you? Do you have a tree or object in your yard that attracts birds or animals it would not normally be attractive to? And Why?

No comments: