We have noticed a fledgling magpie who may be orphaned, since we had heavy winds a few days ago. We have kept watch for it for the last 3 days but none of the resident adult magpies are feeding it, whilst they feed their own (older) fledglings. This one is still quite fluffy and not very good at flying, although it can, just make it to higher places if necessary. We have thrown it some raw meat which it can get down after a few tries, and I have noticed it drinking water from our bird bath, so it seems to be eating and drinking but only sporadically. I am worried it may not be getting enough to eat or drink given that a parent is not constantly feeding it. It spends most of its day on the ground looking up at the sky. I worry about it at night if it hasn't got a nest to go to. The other adult magpies (3) and fledglings ignore it, and when I try and feed it some of the adults steal the food from under its beak. Should we contact someone, or just leave it alone?
I can relate because sometimes an orphan bird is not able to be caught and handed over to wildlife rehabbers. I found myself in a similar situation this year, and it was hard to know what to do to help.
The orphan bird involved was a torressian crow fledgling that turned up in my yard earlier in the year. It could fly well enough to evade capture and predators, and to roost safely at night, But apart from that, it was obviouly a hungry, orphaned baby and needed help.
I contacted a wild-bird rehabilitator, and they told me that since it had passed the nestling stage and could fly a little bit, its best chance was to assist it in the wild by feeding it and keeping an eye on it.
The crow was very small when I met it, maybe a bit younger than your magpie...3-4 weeks old. We followed the advice of the rehabilitator, such as providing the the right nutrition, and it did very well with just some food supplements, and also advising neighbors of its situation so they could keep their pets away from it when it became grounded.
At 10 weeks of age, it is now flying very well, and eating mostly natural food. I still feed it 2-3 times in the morning, a mixture of minced meat and wombaroo insectivore powder. In the afternoons, it spends a lot of time with other crows and foraging for insects at the tops of trees. I work at home, so every 2-3 hours I visit it to basically keep tabs on it and make sure its not in trouble.
What I've leaned from this experience is that birds are extremely resilient creatures, that draw upon instincts that we can't begin to comprehend. This orphan baby crow has done surprisingly fine in the wild with just some food supplements. He has been smart enough to find crow companionship, learn about predators, learn to feed himself, and also how to rid himself of lice by squishing ants onto his feathers. Its been so amazing to watch his development.
Magpies are probably a bit more vulnerable, because they are ground dwellers. But if you can somehow help protect them from predation, then the chances are good for your little one.
