Magpie Symbiosis

This week I am in Eastern Idaho, nearly to the Wyoming border, doing some presentations for my job. I had a little free time yesterday so I took a hike along a little stream enjoying the views of the Teton mountains. Amazing. I definitely have to buy myself a better camera because my cheesy little Casio Exilim simply would not do these mountains justice.

As I was hiking I was watching a pair of Magpies dancing in the sky, swooping back and forth between the creek and the trees. (photo shown here is from Wikipedia).

I decided to do a bit of reading about magpies to learn more about them. I learned that they like to land on the backs of deer, moose or other large mammals to pick out the ticks from the animals hide. I got a big grin on my face remembering an image from my childhood.

One of my brothers - I THINK it was Andy, but I'm not positive, drew a picture of a "hippopotomus tick bird". He related in great detail how the birds would ride on the back of the hippos to eat ticks out of the tough hide, giving a meal to the bird and freeing the animal of a nasty parasite. This was my first introduction to the concept of symbiosis, the living together of dissimilar organisms in a mutually beneficial way. I've always really liked that idea.

There are lots of examples in nature of symbiosis: the hermit crab and the sea anemone, the African crocodile and the plover bird (it cleans the reptile's teeth). The ostrich and the zebra travel together because zebras have great smell and hearing but lousy eyesight. Ostriches have lousy smell and hearing but very keen eyes. Together they make a great team in warning each other about approaching dangers. Even the plant kingdom gets in the act of symbiosis with lichens - a partnership between algae and fungus.

Why can't human beings be more symbiotic? Instead of creating walls of animosity over our differences, I believe we have the potential to find creative partnerships that would mutually benefit BOTH sides of very different people if we could just somehow manage to put down the bat of mistrust and suspicion that so ofen characterizes our species.

Every time I see a magpie I will be reminded to look for ways to make friends of my foes.

How is this even possible?

There is an oft repeated story in my family which illustrates the ingenuity of my paternal grandfather. He had a 45 acre homestead in Oak Creek, Arizona which has since been sold and become Slide Rock State Park. It is a remarkable piece of property, a lot of which he devoted to apple orchards. but back in the day Frank Pendley had a problem with mountain lions getting into his pigs. He had a family of nine kids to support which was no easy task in those crop-dependant days before grocery stores were handy. So he tried all sorts of things to keep the cats from getting at his pigs. He strung pie plates and pieces of tin along the parameter of the enclosure. He stood guard at night. He tried various booby traps. None of them worked. Finally he put a little unweaned German Shepherd puppy that did not yet have its eyes open in with his sow right after she gave birth to a new litter. The newborn dog was just happy to have a warm spot and a meal. The pig seemed indifferent, and accepted the pup as one of her own. I've heard stories of how comical it looked to see that little puppy nursing between it's sibling pigs. But as the dog grew up (albeit with a bit of identity confusion) it would bark any time a cat got close which would warn my grandfather to come running with his shotgun to protect his animals.

Ok, so I am familiar with the idea of interspecies parenting.

But how the heck do you convince a tiger that baby pigs are not food???

It's that time of Year again...

Who thinks up this stuff? Morgan would never stand for it.

Morgan Dog Comes Home

We were finally able to bring our dog to the new house today. When we moved in there was no fence, so it just wasn't feasible to have her here until we could get one built. We've had her boarding with some friends, neighbors of ours at the former house. I've really missed the beast! My beloved has worked really hard the last three days putting up a lovely picket fence around the yard here so now our dog can be with us. She has been walking around sniffing things and checking the place out. So far she's not quite sure what to think, but I'm sure she'll settle in fine.

We've had Morgan for about two and a half years, since she was just a few weeks old. She's one of the best dogs I've ever known.

I've been thinking about the various animals I've had in my life...

As a kid my family gathered quite an eclectic menagerie. We had goats and chickens, a pony, various dogs and cats, and at one time even three squirrel monkeys. There were guinea pigs and rats, parakeets, rabbits and a ferret. We didn't have all of these at the same time, mind you. But over the years we bonded with all sorts of critters. When I was cleaning out the house to move I found an old newspaper clipping in a drawer that told of a "Pets on Parade" event in the small town where I grew up. I walked in the parade with a chinchilla in a cage. I think I won honorable mention for "most unusual pet".

I honestly can't imagine a life that didn't include animals.

During my married life we've nearly always had a dog. Early on it was Bojangles, a fluffy mop of a dog that was quarter poodle, quarter pointer and half Shetland sheepdog. He was sharp as a whip and shared many adventures with us for over 15 years. After Bo came Ayla, a beagle who was SUPPOSED to be my dog, but totally bonded with my husband instead and usually ignored me. We had a Dalmatian named Madeline for a short while and a Shih Tzu named China.

But no dog since Bojangles has taken to our hearts the way Morgan has.

I've never been a cat person. I know several people who adore their felines, but I prefer dogs. Their level of loyalty and interaction just suits me better.

I've never understood why Leona Helmsley would leave $12 Million of her fortune to a dog. That seemed ridiculous and mean spirited to me when there are so many people and causes who could have benefited from that wealth. But I do value the relationship I have with my dog. I'm really glad she's home.