Meat Eaters

Recently we have had a magpie visiting us.  We have actually had it and its baby visiting.
We so do not want to encourage that bird.  It is ok for it to wander about the yard and get what it gets but we are not going to feed it.  Some people do and that is ok but not us.  We have no intention of giving it mince or bringing it plates of food.
It would not surprise me if someone did already. It is the most fearless of anything that visits the yard. It lets Merril and I walk within a couple of meters of it.
We like the diversity of other birds that visit.  The magpie made a half-hearted attempt to catch them.  Right now there is a Corella and Lorikeets eating.  We would like to encourage that.  In fact we do by putting out seed.
I guess we are not into meat eater birds.  Certainly they can be here but we will not put out a plate of food for them.  I think the exception is crows.  While we do no present them with meat we do put out the occasional egg for Errol. It is probably a case of if you can’t beat em join em.  There are so many about.  Truth is though, I like Errol.  Sometimes the babies come to.  It seems that for all the awkwardness of crows they have a cunning and patience that other birds do not seem to possess.
It seems many birds that visit eat both meat and seed.  Although we do not put meat out we often see the Pee wee or Indian Minors walking the yard.  Basically they disturb an insect we would not even know was there and pounces.  It is often the last thing the insect does.
So often it seems birds prefer to walk rather than fly.  More than once I have determined there is no car behind me and slowed down or gone around birds on the road.  Sure they run to get out of the way of the car but without my slowing down their timing is off.  I pointed out to my dad who was driving one time that there was a bird on the road.  His response “these birds have a special way of getting under the car.”  Unless these birds have a special way of sprawling too, I reckon that bird was no more.
Occasionally a Kookaburra visits.  I am always glad to see him.  He is great at just sitting in the tree watching.  He is my snake monitor. I am led to believe they are great snake catches.  In a previous place I had I saw one rise up from my yard with a snake in its claws.  Here out the back they get bored. Having determined there is nothing here they go elsewhere.
We love visitors, but some are more welcome than others.