The story introducing you to Feather Bottom has already been shared with elementary school children as it is a picture book and they enjoyed it very much.  However, adults have also laughed at his antics.  Feather Bottom is a real character who loves sausage and mince and in return he sings beautifully – duets with his partner Jupiter (yes it’s a silly name but I thought she was the male until I looked up a text book).  Feather Bottom and Jupiter have become so well known to us that they bring up their babies from the park nearby and leave them in our yard all day while they go off hunting, then they come to collect them in the evening and take them home.  We feel like grandparents!  We have also watched while Feather Bottom has chased the babies from the nest when they were old enough to live on their own.  It happens every year at the same time.  The Australian Magpie is black with a white breast and some white feathers in the tail.  You can’t help but like Feather Bottom because he is just himself with his little fits of bad temper.  At heart he is a good fellow and has treated John and me very well – even eats out of our hand.  He has never pecked us although magpies are known to peck people who pass their nest during the mating season.  Our relationship with Feather Bottom has been too close for that to happen.

 

The pictures you will see are Feather Bottom himself taken with one of our cameras.  We could have had an artist paint him but then it wouldn’t be Feather Bottom would it?

Erin Neill