Back to the drawing board for the researchers

Tweet

Western Australia has had several severe heatwaves this last summer. This affects not only humans but also our wildlife. Like many other creatures, magpies have adapted well to changes in habitat brought about by humans. They live in small social groups, have a ‘territory’ which they defend, and assist each other in raising their young. Under heatwave conditions, only 10% of baby magpies are surviving. Foraging for food is also affected when there is excessive heat. In an effort to learn more about the magpies’ movements and social structure, a pilot study was set up which involved fitting tiny tracking devices to five magpies. This would give information on distances travelled, daily schedules and socialising. The devices weighed less than a gram and were attached to a harness. A group of local magpies were trained to come to an outdoor feeding station where the battery could be charged wirelessly, data could be downloaded or a magnet could be used to remove the backpack. However, researchers weren’t prepared for ‘what happened next’. Within ten minutes of fitting the final tracker, an adult female was using her beak in an attempt to remove the harness from a younger bird. Within a few hours, most trackers had been removed and by day three, all trackers were detached. Under a progressively warming climate, cooperative behaviours may become more and more important. For the moment though, it’s one point to the magpies and back to the drawing board for the researchers. Photo of some of the magpies befriended by my mother. She said that there was sometimes only one magpie waiting outside but if she fed it, more would arrive immediately although no sound was made by the single bird.