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Willy Wag Tail - Tall Tale

What you are about to read is solely under the birds control. I tend to ignore the bird and let it do what it wants to do.

A tall story..

week 1


Wednesday I was trying to fix the primary mud kitchen and all the leaks on the Poly pipe. While I was on my knees trying to screw up a clamp I had a visitor a small willy wag tail I noted the Bird but kept working in the quiet. The bird walked all around me as I was there. I got up and sat on the wall to turn the tap on and check. I noted I had the willy wagtail on the limestone block wall less that 7"away from me. I had to get up and go back to the shed to find more clips to crimp up the Pipe. When I sat down the Willy wagtail flew down on the ground at my feet walked under my legs to the other side and flew up to the limestone wall again less than 7" away. The whole time the bird was chattering away and moving , I did nothing but carry on working watching the bird. When I got up to get ready for home the bird flew away.


Friday when I took my ladder and the piece of wood for the roof of the bells and pipe area I noted the sound of a willy wag tail in the tree above. When I got set up to drill to screw in the long screw to hold the wood , on the end of the wood (two way from me about 15" apart) landed the Willy wag tail. I kept working and ignoring the visitor only to have it move to the next one right next to me. I was slowly driving the long screw into the wood only to have the Willy wag tail land on my rolled up sleeve at my elbow of my left arm. Sat there for a while moving and chattering away I stopped what I had just finished to find the bird walking down my arm to my watch on left hand. I did not move but started to talk to the bird only to have the bird standing on my watch. The bird flew into the tree, both occasions there was no one about to witness any of this but myself and the bird.

week 2

Friday I was in the sand pit try to look under the table of the mud kitchen to see how the pipe work was hooked up. to do this i had to lay on the sand and look into the hole I dug under the table. I heard the chittering of the bird next I could feel my hair being pulled. Once I finished I sat on the block wall of the sand pit to send a message what I found when I felt the bird on my knee so just changed the app to camera and to the photo with no movement at all, I just prayed the camera was able to focus it was so close..... I kept the same pose till the bird decided to move to the block wall then into the sand pit where I had just be laying. you can see my boot print in the sand.

In no way have I even tried to call or influence the bird it is all up to the bird I just go about what I am doing. This is not a tame bird it's a wild bird that lives in the school area , yes its a juvenile bird but it seems more than interested in what i do about this area.

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Ps 5/4/2024 these school holiday I had the huge job of removing 50 odd years of paint and sanding back to prepare to give the whole wall 2 new coats nine windows in full length.. I was between two air-conditioning protective cages very slowly scraping of all the old loose paint in the quiet of early morning. I felt something on my shoulder I knew the bird was on the cage to my left .

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In the glass window I could see the reflection of the small bird as it moved to the right then hopped on to the right frame beside me . I still don't know what to make of this behavior.

15/4/2024Today I had my normal straw hat on to help with sun protection as I walk out of the pre primary only to see that I had a passenger on the hat on the shadow on the ground below me..... Its a wild bird.


Willie Wag Tail
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16 comments

Annemarie said:

nice!
7 weeks ago ( translate )

Steve Paxton replied to Annemarie:

Very different story than you would expect.
7 weeks ago

Xata said:

Great !
7 weeks ago ( translate )

Steve Paxton replied to Xata:

Still a little shell shocked myself when I think on this Wild Bird.
7 weeks ago

aNNa schramm said:

what a nice story
7 weeks ago

Steve Paxton said:

One you could not script if you even tried but true and now I finally have the photo to prove it.
7 weeks ago

Nick Weall said:

Wow great experience for you Steve
7 weeks ago ( translate )

Steve Paxton replied to Nick Weall:

It certainly is a very new Experience I am sure is not yet finished either by the way the bird has been behaving.
7 weeks ago

Gillian Everett said:

Great story, Steve. They are such appealing little birds. Nice that you found a friend :-)
7 weeks ago

Steve Paxton replied to Gillian Everett:

Certainly not what I ever expected to find a friend like this.. we will see just how it goes.
7 weeks ago

tiabunna said:

That's a great story and images, Steve. These can be very brave indeed with other birds, but I've not before heard of one making friends in this way. Lovely little birds.
7 weeks ago

Steve Paxton replied to tiabunna:

It's a story I would never have believed of any one, a wild bird. Here is the proof in the few photos from last week, they are always about in the area we have about 3 of them in the area or so it seems. This i certainly some I never expected to find while working at the school. While its true I have never had the bird come close when the kids area about on their break only on my own in the quiet. We will see just how long this last for.
7 weeks ago

TOZ said:

A great story Steve looks like you have got a friend.
All the best have a good week.
TOZ
7 weeks ago

Steve Paxton replied to TOZ:

Today I had to make 6 cricket pitches out of the field of normal grass and mow by hand I had a companion who was dating in and out collecting insects I could not see. I am not sure if it is the orange Hi Vis shirt that gives me away but I am singled out in the school. Hope your week goes well.
7 weeks ago

Don Sutherland said:

Wonderful series.
7 weeks ago ( translate )