It started with two.
Two magpies sitting on the gate, each of us watching the other through the kitchen window.
Of course, during breeding season the inevitable happened and two became three. Three magpies sitting on the gate.
We call it the “gate to nowhere” because it just leads into a paddock which is the same as all the rest. It doesn’t really lead anywhere, but I like it so there it stays.
All the birds love the gate to nowhere, probably because it sits right next to the paperbark tree which offers them shade and shelter.
The magpies consider themselves the bosses of the gate. They decide who can sit there and who can’t.
We had named the magpies, although they didn’t know it. First, there were Max and Maxine, then Maximillian came along to complete the trio.
It was the three magpies sitting on the gate which became the inspiration for our logo, designed by the talented graphic designer, Alana Maybus. We did use some imagination to add barbed wire to the image.
There have been more breeding seasons since then and many more babies have come to join the family on the gate. Now there are too many to name, so they are known collectively as “the Maxes.”
You’ll hear more about the Maxes as time goes on.