Are you ready for the FairyCastleFarm Surprise? *drum roll please* ....

Hi furiends!  It’s me Eli 🐦💕

Watch the video below to discover our big surprise!   

Scroll to 2:22 if you simply can’t wait a second longer to find out ❣️

A Honey Eater 🍯 🐦 hopped by to say “Hi!” 👋 ❣️

Yollie couldn’t believe her eyes!  

See the baby Honey Eater hop by to say hi

This native FairyCastleFarm Resident may be teeny, but Yollie’s heart was simply bursting with joy and wonder,  long after her little friend fluttered off for the day! 

Do you have Honey Eaters where you live? 

Adult Honey Eater (South Australia 🇦🇺 )

We hope you enjoy this clip. 

Oh no!! Papa might be bullying Eli 🙀😢

Experienced magpie rehabbers please advise.

Please note: Eli (baby) was not harmed, I’m hand raising due to a wing injury. 

It’s Eli's father in the video. 

He has maintained daily contact with Eli but I've recently noticed the behaviour changing...  

Should I be concerned? 

 I don’t know magpie body language and behaviour, I’m hoping this is merely a dominance display or right of passage ritual?  Eli looks like he’s submitting, I’m just not sure where this will lead.  I don’t want him hurt but I do want him returning to his rightful place in

 the wild.   

Eli's mum is visiting daily and feeding him.  She has never shown this kind of behaviour with Eli.  

The loud calls you hear in the video are hers.  She swooops at one point (off screen) but doesn’t interfere or intervene.   After I intervened the male took a few minutes, warbling and calling 
to the female before they flew off to their tree (in the park nearby) together. 

Eli’s Mum has been spending a few hours watching over him and teaching him to fly each day.  Their relationship seems good, but she seems to get nervous/frustrated with his inability to fly. Just before this video was taken she was trying to get him to self feed... I raced inside to grab my mobile, hoping to capture the moment on camera, but when I returned the father had arrived.  


Eli is vet checked,  his wing is not broken but he needs longer to heal before he can fly. A wonderful lady with over 20 years Fauna rescue experience is guiding me in his rehabilitation. 


Please, no negative comments, I needed to film this to understand the behaviour.  Eli is never left unattended and I won't let the father repeat this if it's an aggressive or dangerous behaviour.

This video was also taken today, we are so proud of our little fighter!! 

Eli’s Wing has improved, look at him now!

Hi furiends, 

This post is especially for Gillian (experienced bird rescuer), who’s been checking in on his progress. 

She brought Eli a big bird, bath to have a good soak.

However, he’s been too shy to dive in during her visits...  so I promised to video it and share with everyone.


He is the cutest little bird!  After the bath I  dried him off quickly (using the low setting on hairdryer). 

Eli’s wing is healing well, the swelling is gone and he is able to hold it up so that it doesn’t droop down.  This means I’ve been able to remove the tape supporting his wing and we can begin building up his strength in preparation to start flying lessons! 

Eli’s takes a Bath! 🛀🐦❣️

Hello buntastic Furiends! Sweetie here, can you see me? 

Yes, here I am, eating fresh grass in my FairyCastle 🏰

I hope this finds you well....  I am very excited to share with you that Eli, our injured little Magpie patient is recovering  beautifully well.  

His wing is still injured, he has to keep it supported until he can hold it up in the correct position. 

Eli doesn’t understand this though and it’s a bit of an effort to keep him from removing the tape from his good wing....   it makes me giggle to see Yollie patiently re apply the tape over and over
 again...  

personally, I think that Eli has turned it into a game...

This is Leroy, he loves Eli and has lots to say about it! 


Overall he is looking much better!  He is alert, gaining weight, heartily gobbling all his food, 
he’s active and very vocal!  Eli likes to sit and chatter away with Leroy, I think they sound like an old married couple *giggles*.. it’s buntadtic to see his strength and vigor for life is growing by the day!   

Yollie and I are very thankful that Eli is getting stronger,  all this TLC for Eli does make us feel tired though! 

Below you’ll find links to watch his very first bath, playtime and the most magical, his parents close by keeping an eye over their baby as he spends some time outside...  

Just before I go, we reached a  bunderful milestone earlier today, 84,444 visitors have hopped over to read our blog!   Thank you all so very much, we can’t believe how far and wide our Kingdom travels each day, it simply would not be possible without you! *soft whisker tickles* 


As always, please, don’t be shy to hop by and say hi! 
Sweetie xoxo 🐰💕

Eli’s Road To Recovery 💕🐦💕

Thanks for your support and encouragement. 
I’ve received many messages asking about Eli...  FB restricts our posts so here is the best way to keep up with updates, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow our blog www.fairycastlefarm.blogspot.com THE RECOVERY : Book Eli 📖 🐦💕

Please keep Eli, the wild 🇦🇺 Australian Baby Magpie in your thoughts. He still has a long road to recovery ahead. 

Hi Friends, I’m helping Yollie take care of Eli  💕🐰~Sweetie 

Here is a summary of his remarkable story so far...

Follow Eli’s 💕🐦🎬 on YouTube  

Just before last light, on 22nd October 2017, I found Eli with an injured wing, hiding in the long grass in our garden, he’d only been out of the nest for 3 days. 

At this stage of his development, Eli is called a fledgling, not yet able to fly or survive on his own. These vital lessons are taught by his devoted parents who share this responsibility.  

Sadly due to his injury, Eli’s parents sense that he is unable to learn these lessons.  So their instinct is to reject him and start the life cycle again. Letting nature take its course meant that Eli would not have survived the night. 

I am so glad I found him! 

The next 24 hrs were critical. I brought him inside, administered first aid, warmed him, hydrated and fed him.  The next morning I rushed him to the vet, where he was xrayed.  

The vet clinic agreed to release him to my care and I contacted a lady with extensive experience rehabilitating Wild Birds.  That same day she visited my home and taught me how to properly hand rear Eli and keep records with the hope to release him back to the wild once he recovers. 

Things are going well, but with any wild animal containment and human intervention does not always go to plan.  Stress alone easily kills animals.  

Luckily for Eli, I know who his parents are and they consider our yard their territory.  I’ve been able to encourage them to continue to spend time with their baby while he heals.

I’ve created this playlist to journal his recovery and I hope it has a happy ending, when I’m able to successfully release him from my care and back to his parents.   Wish us luck 💕 

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbzOt6I-z46c6ONT1AyAYI0EVbRYctp6Q

He makes the sweetest little sounds!

Eli is looking so much better today. He gained 13g in 24 hours and ate 44mls of Isectavore. 

His mum is still visiting him and they appear to have retained a connection, which is wonderful.  

I have taken video of their reunion, and will share tomorrow. Thanks for your caring and support.  Eli has a long road ahead, but we will do everything to help him return to the wild. 

Yollie