The magpie and the crow

For some reason in recent months a couple of local magpies have taken to visiting my balcony.  They sit perched on the railing, surveying the surrounding territory before taking off to do whatever magpies do.  Both seem friendly and inquisitive, eyeing me up and down as I sit reading in the shade.  Eventually one got cheeky enough to come close and try to steal some of my biscuit as I enjoyed a cuppa.

Foolishly (?) I started to leave a piece of biscuit or bread on the rail, gratefully gobbled up by my winged visitors. Wikipedia informed me that as carnivores such birds should only be fed unprocessed foods:  puppy kibble suggested.  So I bought a packet and started leaving a small dish together with a bowl of water in my plant-less planter. Throughout the day I enjoy watching the occasional visitors:  a couple of baby magpies, a currawong, butcher birds as well as the original magpies as they nibble the kibble and dip into the water bowl.

But all is not idyllic.  The noisy caw caw of a local crow perched on the foxtel cable opposite warns of the approach of the avian bully.  With a swoosh of black the crow lands on the balcony rail, frightening the incumbent feeder away.  It then hops down and cleans out the feeding dish greedily, usually tips over the water bowl and heads off leaving nothing for lesser locals. 

Needless to say, if I become aware of the crow's presence I quickly chase the invader away with stern warnings that it is not welcome and that the food is definitely not for it.  But it is a sneaky animal, and a completely empty dish is a sure sign it has managed to raid the pantry yet again.

In a quiet moment I got to thinking:  why this discrimination against the crow?  Why such dislike for this emblematic Aussie bird?  Is it that its jet black plumage and beady eye are so universally associated with death?  Is it the Cain and Abel thing, the crow bearing the mark of the murderer Cain upon it?  Is it some sort of repulsion drawn from so often seeing crows feeding on rotting road kill as one drives country roads?  Is it the annoying persistence of its loud cry?  Is it the surfacing of an inherent racism within myself drawn out by its blackness?

Yes!  is the crow any less a creature of God adding variety and colour to our landscape?  Is it any less deserving of affection and feeding than its more variegated cousins?  I suspect the crow and the magpie may be Jungian indicators of human interactions that need deeper awareness and consideration.

Meanwhile my prejudice continues unabated!  The crow is just not welcome on my balcony .. yet.   Now I need to find suitable names for my magpie chicks 😃