Tigger and the Magpies

by John Tyrrell

Tigger lives next door, but he likes to visit my back yard.

I usually put the food that Scootz won’t eat out for Tigger. His owner’s know I do this. As he is well fed at home, he usually just snacks on Scootz’s leftovers, and does not clean the dish.

Yet over the course of the day, the rest of the cat food disappears.

I thought some other cat must be visiting (Tigger does have a sister) but it turned out it wasn’t a cat at all. The magpies were finishing off the cat food.

Some people consider the magpie to be a thieving bird. That is not true. The magpie is a noble bird related to the crow and raven, and would not steal. It is just that magpies think everything in the world belongs to them, and they let us use those things not currently of interest. So, when the magpie helps itself to something, it is just reclaiming its rightful property.

One day I was watching through the window, and Tigger came around for his share of Scootz’s leftovers. He ate about a quarter of what was in the bowl, and then started to leave.

Then he stopped, looked around, than lay down alertly a couple of feet away from the bowl.

There were two magpies approaching, walking across the lawn, one from the left, and one from the right.

They saw that Tigger was now guarding the bowl. They stopped.

They then started taking turns - each one feinting an approach by taking a hop or two toward the bowl.

At each approach, Tigger would stare at the bird, tense his muscles as if to pounce, and the magpie would retreat. Tigger would remain in the same spot, and wait for the other bird to make its move, and give it the same response.

This went on for about ten minutes: the birds kept taking turns trying to draw Tigger into a chase which would allow the other to feed; and Tigger kept staring them each of them down.

Finally, the two magpies simultaneously flew away to perch in a nearby tree, appearing to have given up.

Tigger, having done his duty of guarding the unwanted food, returned to his feet and headed home, his tail stiffly in the air.

As soon as Tigger disappeared, the two magpies returned and ate their fill, undisturbed.