No, not one magpie, two.
No, not two, three!
(More movement in the leaves.)
No, five!
I assume it's a pair who have successfully raised three offspring, because they all seem to be friends.
So instead of a haiku, today's moment of enchantment is brought to you in the form of a doggerel verse which came to me as I watched them for a few minutes.
Five handsome magpies preening in a tree
Two flew away, so then there were three.
Three handsome magpies sitting in the sun
Until something scared them and then there were none.
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