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Magpies

wildlife, gardening, environment, Rural living, Pets and Vets
kiloran
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Re: Magpies

#234238

Postby kiloran » July 5th, 2019, 3:39 pm

We've got half a dozen magpies and their squawky offspring around us, like every year, and I've never seen them on our feeders. Put food on the ground and they attack anything that moves. They even have a go at our foxes. I've twice seen a magpie attack and capture a starling in our garden and fly off with it.

Nasty, horrible birds.

--kiloran

EssDeeAitch
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Re: Magpies

#234242

Postby EssDeeAitch » July 5th, 2019, 4:03 pm

kiloran wrote:We've got half a dozen magpies and their squawky offspring around us, like every year, and I've never seen them on our feeders. Put food on the ground and they attack anything that moves. They even have a go at our foxes. I've twice seen a magpie attack and capture a starling in our garden and fly off with it.

Nasty, horrible birds.

--kiloran


We certainly see them on our feeders, and they are nasty, horrible (but clever) birds. They try to dislodge the seed more than feed from the feeders themselves. We live adjacent to a racecourse and have foxes appear from time to time as well, seeing a Magpie have a go at a fox would make for a very interesting sight indeed. Not sure there would be a winner in that contest.

kiloran
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Re: Magpies

#234243

Postby kiloran » July 5th, 2019, 4:12 pm

EssDeeAitch wrote:We live adjacent to a racecourse and have foxes appear from time to time as well, seeing a Magpie have a go at a fox would make for a very interesting sight indeed. Not sure there would be a winner in that contest.

They tend to work in pairs. While the fox is eating her supper on the lawn, one magpie positions itself about 4-5 feet in front of the fox, the other sidles up behind the fox and pecks its tail, hoping that the fox will turn around so that the first magpie can jump in and pinch the food. Most of the time, the foxes just ignore the magpies and carry on eating, but the younger ones sometimes get fed up with the hassle and chase the magpies all over the lawn.

--kiloran

bungeejumper
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Re: Magpies

#234246

Postby bungeejumper » July 5th, 2019, 4:17 pm

My main objection to magpies is that they raid the nests of smaller birds and are thought to be largely responsible for falling bird numbers in the hedgerows. Well, that and the fact that they ate all the fish in my pond. And they make an awful noise. Apart from that, I'm always glad to see them. ;)

BJ

Slarti
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Re: Magpies

#234251

Postby Slarti » July 5th, 2019, 4:41 pm

kiloran wrote:We've got half a dozen magpies and their squawky offspring around us, like every year, and I've never seen them on our feeders. Put food on the ground and they attack anything that moves. They even have a go at our foxes. I've twice seen a magpie attack and capture a starling in our garden and fly off with it.

Nasty, horrible birds.

--kiloran


Same as all the other Corvids, just better dressed.

Slarti

kiloran
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Re: Magpies

#234254

Postby kiloran » July 5th, 2019, 4:47 pm

Slarti wrote:
kiloran wrote:We've got half a dozen magpies and their squawky offspring around us, like every year, and I've never seen them on our feeders. Put food on the ground and they attack anything that moves. They even have a go at our foxes. I've twice seen a magpie attack and capture a starling in our garden and fly off with it.

Nasty, horrible birds.

--kiloran


Same as all the other Corvids, just better dressed.

Slarti

Not my experience. Our jackdaws and crows cohabit quite happily with the other birds, foxes and squirrels (and me, for that matter). Very rarely see any antisocial behaviour.

--kiloran

sg31
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Re: Magpies

#234260

Postby sg31 » July 5th, 2019, 5:22 pm

kiloran wrote:Not my experience. Our jackdaws and crows cohabit quite happily with the other birds, foxes and squirrels (and me, for that matter). Very rarely see any antisocial behaviour.

--kiloran

I've regularly seen crows take young starlings. They are as bad as magpies for taking eggs and young from nests.

Farmers in this area trap all the corvids to give the small birds a chance. It doesn't seem to make much difference to numbers. We have a flock of crows 50 strong visiting several times each day. I'm not sure if it's the same flock or several.

Slarti
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Re: Magpies

#234263

Postby Slarti » July 5th, 2019, 5:26 pm

Snorvey wrote:Ok, ok. I'm the only one that likes magpies.

Back to my question........


Magpies will go for any meat or eggs that they get a chance with, but going for gulls would depend on where they've chosen to nest.

Slarti

oldapple
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Re: Magpies

#234295

Postby oldapple » July 5th, 2019, 7:28 pm

They are pretty yes, but our swallows hate them with a vengence. They sound the alarm when magpies come anywhere near us, even when they land on a hedge where both the swallows and magpies seem to know the whereabouts of blackbirds' and other bird's nests. The swallows dive-bomb them too. So I think magpies would love your seagulls' eggs.

kiloran
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Re: Magpies

#234362

Postby kiloran » July 6th, 2019, 8:45 am

Snorvey wrote:But do you have a gull problem?

I'd take magpies over gulls any day.

Here's an eagle with a gull problem: https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpspr ... 20_rob.jpg

From: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-48869606

The local gulls were dive-bombing one of our foxes last night.

--kiloran

marronier
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Re: Magpies

#236295

Postby marronier » July 12th, 2019, 7:47 pm

Conifers make wonderful cosy nesting sites for sparrows , but , unfortunately have no security , so one day I noticed a magpie raid a nest and prepare to make off with a naked nestling. Before he could leave , a crow swooped down and nabbed his booty from him.

On another occasion , I watched as a magpie secreted a naked blackbird nestling in the edge of the lawn.

My potted plants , outside to harden off , are used as a larder by magpies as I find such as peanuts ( in shells ) stored.

A 6 ft tall Box bush by the front door is used to store bread at the top.

This spring they stole 3 dozen potted godetias I had grown over winter and had ready to plant out.

I'm not that keen on magpies.

SentimentRules
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Re: Magpies

#236296

Postby SentimentRules » July 12th, 2019, 7:52 pm

Remember years ago when as young lads you could go shooting without an armed response turning up?

Well as kids we couldn't afford to go clay pigeon shooting.

So we would go into the local fields and hang bird feeders on tall posts. Then as the birds flew in we could take a shot before they got to the feeder.

Whatever happened to kids imaginations today? They seem to think of nothing that's free entertainment these days.

Slarti
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Re: Magpies

#236481

Postby Slarti » July 13th, 2019, 6:10 pm

SentimentRules wrote:Remember years ago when as young lads you could go shooting without an armed response turning up?



No.


Slarti

AleisterCrowley
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Re: Magpies

#236487

Postby AleisterCrowley » July 13th, 2019, 7:06 pm

I hate magoies. Totally irrational for someone who likes birds, as they are what they are. I'd be more keen if they were silent, or cheeped prettily.
It's that abrasive, aggressive chak-chak-chak that does my head in.
Oddly, I like the other corvids. To me rooks in a tree at sunset IS England
Gulls are interesting too - fantastic in flight

AleisterCrowley
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Re: Magpies

#236499

Postby AleisterCrowley » July 13th, 2019, 8:49 pm

Nah, love watching the gulls and the sound reminds me of childhood holidays in Wales

Imbiber
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Re: Magpies

#236501

Postby Imbiber » July 13th, 2019, 9:31 pm

SentimentRules wrote:Remember years ago when as young lads you could go shooting without an armed response turning up?


Yes


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