The
sun warm on my back, soft grass under my feet, blood surging as I sprinted…I
revelled in the joy of being alive. Until the sudden impact on my temple
brought me to a full stop. Fingers found blood trickling from my head and pain
grew steadily. What hit me? I recalled then the whoosh of wings and the flash
of black and white just after the impact.
There
were a few tall gum trees on the edge of the park, about seventy metres away. A
couple of magpies wheeled in the air above them, one swooping in little
forays towards me now and then. So there was the culprit! I was a victim of
that common springtime event in Australia—a magpie strike.
That
was many years ago. I still love running but these days the enjoyment is always
tempered by vigilance from September to November, when the magpies are guarding
their nests from any other life-form trespassing into their territory. Many
runners, cyclists and even walkers deter magpie guerrillas by wearing
sunglasses on the back of their heads. The birds won't attack if they think
you’re looking at them, only from behind.
Nevertheless,
Australians have a soft spot for maggies, as we call them. Why? Another personal experience gives the answer. Lying in bed recently, in the stillness before a cool
autumn dawn, I was treated to one of the most beautiful musical performances of
my life. A group of magpies was carolling in the red gums outside of our
cottage. One would begin with a phrase that soared through a couple of octaves,
and another would join in with its own phrase somewhat lower. This continued
for a while before they paused and began again. It must have lasted for about
half an hour. The exuberance of these concerts is something
beyond words.
I found this female magpie foraging for worms in my backyard.
In
the bird orchestra the magpie is the clarinet, with a vocal pitch-range of about
four octaves. Its versatility with various timbres and patterns—to me they qualify
as melodies but some might not agree—is amazing. Add to these attributes a gift
for fast learning and you will understand why the magpie is also a wonderful
mimic of other birds and animals. What's more, if they spend enough time close to humans
they pick up some of our frequent words.
I
wonder whether they might even love to make music with us. A couple of times I’ve
left the window open while I give a student a singing lesson only to hear one
or two magpies at the front of my house join in. It gave such a sense of unity
with the natural world!
