In 2013, Noah Bloom found an injured magpie near the library. He took the little magpie home and the whole family nursed the magpie and even gave her a name – Penguin.
Penguin was alive and healthy and became a friend to the Bloom family. Cameron and Sam Bloom and their three children Reuben, Oli and Noah love Penguin very much. They don’t keep her captive in a cage, but rather let her be free and fly. They also say that Penguin is an amazing friend. She waits for the family to leave in the morning before she goes flying and she’s always home to greet the kids when they’re back from school.
“Little baby magpie came into our lives when she fell from a tree at about 3 weeks old. We gradually nursed her back to health with a proper Magpie diet and lots of cuddles.“
“She watches TV, jumps on the tramp with the kids, flies into our bed in the morning and cuddles up. I never thought she’d become as much a part of the family as she has. The kids love her like a dog, but better.“
“She’s free to fly – she often will just hang out around us in the morning then when the kids go to school she’ll do her own thing. If you flap your arms like wings – she’ll flap her wings. She spends a fair bit of time cruising inside the house, picking up the kids’ scraps and playing games. She’s pretty domesticated.“
“When the kids play handball here with their friends… Penguin just flies from kid to kid, sort of gets involved. It’s pretty fun. It’s chaotic. If other magpies are around she’ll make a beeline for the house and fly in here so she doesn’t get bombed and pecked – they really attack her.“
“A few months ago there was another baby magpie, a local one. She started playing with it and it came into the house. Penguin and this one were just… talking and carrying on together. It was really cool.”
Penguin has a shower from Cameron Bloom Photography.