Adele

The Revenge of the Magpies

Wednesday, 21. May 2008, 23:06:32

survivor vixen, magpie

Even Cubs Sleep...SometimesBelated Update

Comments

Lois # 21. May 2008, 23:12

WOW!!! The poor fox! But an amazing video - the music was perfect!!!

Eliane a/k/a Elly # 22. May 2008, 01:18

Oh! Those magpies aren't afraid of anything!!!

Was it just pecking or was it trying to eat a bug off the fox or grab a hair?

Was it just being a pain because that is the way those birds are???

It is sad and funny at the same time. I don't know whether to giggle at the bird's audicity or cry at the frustration of the SV. She tried to ignore the bird -- and then another one comes!!!

Great music to it.

You know, it would have served the bird right if the fox just turned and bit its head off.

OMG, I am getting protective of your foxes.

Stardancer # 22. May 2008, 01:37

Carol # 22. May 2008, 03:17

Oh my

Nicolas Borgsmidt # 22. May 2008, 03:48

Fearless feather freak. Describing music

Darko # 22. May 2008, 04:30

Amazing it lasted for so long without much reaction from the fox. Great

Neil # 22. May 2008, 07:46

cheeky magpies!

Andy Wilson # 22. May 2008, 16:35

Crazy magpies

Words # 22. May 2008, 17:42

Wonderful sequence. It does look like it may be after mites or fleas. Very interesting behaviour by both of them.

Adele # 22. May 2008, 18:02

Thanks everyone!

Glad you enjoyed it!

@Elly and Words - I think this is straightforward bullying, but I could be wrong. One of them even went for the huge black-backed male a few days back, jumping on his brush with great audacity. On the rare occasions when I've seen foxes feeding on rabbits, there have typically been corvids waiting in the wings to steal from them. They're incredibly cheeky. They do to foxes what ravens do to wolves

I saw the magpies building a nest earlier in the year, so they may well be feeling rather reluctant to let a predator too close right now.

José Torres # 22. May 2008, 20:47

Fantastic...

poor fox...

Eliane a/k/a Elly # 23. May 2008, 01:48

I've seen those magpies do the same to Siberian tigers!

Leonore # 23. May 2008, 04:19

Yes, I'm surprised the fox was relatively unperturbed. It seemed she/he was preoccupied with something straight ahead?

Marie # 23. May 2008, 22:55

The SV must be a very patient creature or just wise enough to know she wouldn't be able to catch those pesky birds. Amazing video.

Adele # 24. May 2008, 09:44

Thanks everyone!

@Elly - Tigers??

I would NOT do that to a tiger!

@Shinjitsu and Marie - she was watching me. I have to say that she's not famous for her patience so she probably did feel it futile to snap at them. I just saw a magpie doing exactly the same thing to the poor little Scraggly Vixen, who seems to have a bird phobia anyway, and she was ducking and wheeling about much more.

Vulpes vulpes # 24. May 2008, 19:07

Awww, poor SV! She must be the unluckiest fox out there! We have a 90+ year old tortoise in the family (heirloom!) and magpies have been known to do that to him - he now has an enclosure in the garden for protection!

Adele # 24. May 2008, 21:49

It seems like misfortune follows her!

Going for a tortoise seems rather mean-spirited, even by magpie standards!

Wow, 90 years old. Bet he could tell some stories, if he could talk!

Mark Jones # 26. May 2008, 09:15

Awww poor thing

You could send it to the worlds funniest animals they would love that clip.

Anonymous # 26. May 2008, 13:05

jet writes:

I've watched magpies sitting on sheeps backs picking parasites off. The sheep were queueing up for a go. Perhaps SV knows she'll feel less itchy after and thats why she was quite tolerant.

Adele # 27. May 2008, 11:53

@Mark - I think she took it far better than the poor Scraggly Vixen does!

@Jet - that is an interesting observation

Perhaps magpies are the equivalent to oxpeckers! Though, the noise and aggression shown by the magpies here makes me suspect that their intentions with the foxes are less benign. It began with one magpie chasing the black-backed male who was carrying something (possibly a carcass of some kind) and has got more and more strident ever since.