Birding-Aus Digest, Vol 84, Issue 19

Maybe the Magpies are just sunbaking for the pleasure of it .

Sent from my iPhone

> On 25 Oct 2020, at 3:00 am, birding-aus-request@birding-aus.org wrote:
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> Today’s Topics:
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> 1. Re: Australian Magpie “anting”or what? (marann671@bigpond.com)
> 2. Re: Australian Magpie “anting”or what? (calyptorhynchus)
> 3. Australian Magpie “anting” or what? (Philip Veerman)
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> ———————————————————————-
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> Message: 1
> Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2020 16:50:27 +1100
> From: < marann671@bigpond.com>
> To: “‘Penny Brockman'” < penny@pennydb.org>, “‘David Clark'”
> < meathead.clark5@gmail.com>, “‘Penny Brockman'” < penny@pennydb.org>
> Cc: “‘Charles Hunter via Birding-Aus'” < birding-aus@birding-aus.org>
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Australian Magpie “anting”or what?
> Message-ID: < 001801d6a900$6bc1b780$43452680$@bigpond.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=”utf-8″
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> Interesting about the lack of ants! I suspect that there is an honour?s or Master?s degree in this, if one could design a way of scientifically analysing the behaviour.
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> From: Birding-Aus < birding-aus-bounces@birding-aus.org> On Behalf Of Penny Brockman
> Sent: Friday, 23 October 2020 1:53 PM
> To: David Clark < meathead.clark5@gmail.com>
> Cc: Charles Hunter via Birding-Aus < birding-aus@birding-aus.org>
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Australian Magpie “anting”or what?
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> I remember seeing two magpies in my garden lying on the woodchip path in full sun, wings extended and bodies awkwardly on one side. Bills open and heads tilted. After a while they got up, closed wings and moved into the shade, presumably to cool down. This I believe helps control lice.
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> Penny Brockman
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> On Thu, 22 Oct 2020, at 11:32 PM, David Clark wrote:
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> I have often seen Magpies lying flat out on the ground. On the occasions when my approach caused the Magpie to depart, I have checked the location and never once have I seen ants.
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> The common factor with all instances I have observed is full and bright sunshine.
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> Cheers
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> David
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> On Wed, Oct 21, 2020 at 9:57 PM Penny Brockman < penny@pennydb.org penny@pennydb.org> > wrote:
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> Sunning?
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> ——————–
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> Penny Brockman
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> On Wed, 21 Oct 2020, at 5:28 PM, marann671@bigpond.com marann671@bigpond.com> wrote:
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> For years I?ve been watching magpies in Blackheath, regardless of the temperature, mild or red-hot, lying down in a sort of trance-like state. But they are alert. Someone somewhere mentioned that they are ?anting?. Any published papers and evidence available on what they are actually doing?
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> Thanks
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> David Jackson
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