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In the garden yesterday morning I heard a load of squawking from small birds and looked to where they were....oh there's a magpie.. and..oh you evil *****. It had caught a great tit. Nature I know but it made me upset.
It tried again several hours later but this time 20 or 30 tits mobbed it and chased it off. Clearly this particular magpie is spending much of its time on the hunt for the fledgling small birds right now. I hope the sod doesn't get many more but I fear it will.
20 or 30 tits mobbed it
Ah reminds me of a holiday once... 😋
There is a reason why a Great Tit will lay 7-9 eggs every year. If they all became adults there would be some serious ecological issues.
Magpies are brilliant..... highly intelligent and with a great sense of dress.
Murderers!
They seem pretty active at the moment.
highly intelligent and with a great sense of dress
And a beautiful singing voice
We saw one catch a small mouse in the garden, not too far from the house - it was... Quite a brutal way to go, I should think. Still, nature gonna nature, and even magpies have to eat. Quite grateful if they help clear the vermin.
Interestingly, we have a crow's nest this spring in a tree overlooking the garden, not had that before. Magpie presence is notably reduced, and I think I saw the crows give the local sparrowhawk what-for as well.
dunno why Magpies get such a bad rap 😕 If it was a Sparrowhawk this thread would be all obsequious cooing and no mention of Evil!
Years ago my parents had an inured or sick pigeon grounded in the garden for a couple of days. Obviously it was when I took my (young at the time) kids round that the magpies decided it's eyes look tasty.
Smart birds, we had a nest in our garden last year (didn't fill the bird feeders!) it was quite nice seeing the young ones bouncing around. But they are quite brutal.
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Used to have their own TV show once too.
I've never understood people ascribing emotive and judgemental terms like 'evil' to animals feeding themselves. Any more 'evil' than taking a male dairy calf from its mum and turning it into dog food so we can have milk on our cornflakes?
That's ace Matt.
There's a pair nest in the garden at my Mum's house, high up in a pyracantha. We did used to have a blackbird nest in another small tree but then the magpies raided it so the blackbirds have never been back.
But the magpies are cool, they're very smart.
I’ve never understood people ascribing emotive and judgemental terms like ‘evil’ to animals feeding themselves. Any more ‘evil’ than taking a male dairy calf from its mum and turning it into dog food so we can have milk on our cornflakes?
every magpie chick is given Ethics by Spinoza when they hatch unfortunately it's in the Original Dutch which they can't read so we hold it against them 😕
Early commute on bike last summer I passed a scene of horror at the end of my road... Magpie had been hit by a car and it's body was in the road, surrounded by 4 or 5 other magpies pecking at it. I couldn't tell if the creature was dead or injured, or whether it's mates were trying to help it or eat it.
Basically miniature dinosaurs...
One for sorrow
Two for joy
Three for a girl
Four to hear these options again
Stop putting human emotions and morals on nature.
They are incredibly impressive creatures just like Hyenas, Sharks, Crocs, etc etc i.e. the other "bad guys".
I don't think you can just say that a magpie is evil, it's not really black and white
"Magpies are brilliant….. highly intelligent and with a great sense of dress."
They inspired Ian Dury to write this
Cuckoos, they're the real *****
every magpie chick is given Ethics by Spinoza when they hatch unfortunately it’s in the Original Dutch which they can’t read so we hold it against them
I always thought the original was written in Latin. In any case, magpies are widely considered total Kants.
99.9% of all life on Earth ends their days being eaten alive. Cheery thought.
A couple of times I've seen magpies mobbing crows. A couple of crows sitting in a tree minding their own business and upwards of 30 magpies all shouting at them. Makes quite a racket!
Any excuse to post this
seagulls
Are some of my favourite birds. Absolute mastery of the air, a joy to watch. But yeah, nasty bastids 😁
My wife hates them, childhood trauma from when one swooped down and stole her banana!
A favourite memory is sitting at the top of Snowdon inside a cloud, with a gull gliding into the wind so it was effectively hanging motionless in the cloud in front of us. Ghostly and amazing.
Because there's so much bird food out here the magpies are really mellow, and none of the other birds have any fear of them, it's pretty odd to see one perched on top of a feeder while starlings and coal tits and such fly in and out to feed within pecking distance. I think they're all pretty much cooperating, lots of food but also lots of cats so there's no real internal competition but a fair amount of threat. And they're gorgeous birds up close, the blue is almost metallic.
They do still mess with nests though, they did for all the pigeon eggs last year.
Regularly have a pair of them that patrol the fences in the back garden.
Its a great workout for the dog. One will jump down to the ground, he will chase it back up onto the fence, then the other one will do it. Then they laugh at him. We also have a pair of fat woodies that used to try it, but he almost caught one so they stay firmly on the fence now.
Going back to the cat thread any cats I know have a fear or respect for magpies and won't go near them, they are like gangsters
Thanks burntembers ... love how that bit of (presumably fictitious) history bookends that series.
Perfect use of music. Hard to think of many better examples in recent TV.
Perfect bird to link it all together, obvs.
That’s ace Matt.
A sad reason the book it is in was created:
All over the country, there are words disappearing from children's lives. These are the words of the natural world; Dandelion, Otter, Bramble and Acorn, all gone. A wild landscape of imagination and play is rapidly fading from our children's minds.
The Lost Words stands against the disappearance of wild childhood. It is a joyful celebration - in art and word - of nearby nature and its wonders.
Worse than that are black back gulls, saw one swoop down on a male blackbird getting worms for its young on a playing field and repeatedly smashed it into the ground and swallowed it whole, and managed to do it so fast my lurcher cross couldn't interfere when I directed it to intervene.
Jays get away with it because there are less of them, there are plenty of magpies. The prettier dress reinforces that feeling though I reckon. I definitely think numbers come into it.... if it had been a fledgling Robin I'd have found that harder still. If it takes any parakeet eggs/ young though I'm not going to be too bothered. Similarly yes of it had been a sparrowhawk doing the kill I'd have felt much happier.
The magpies don't bother the crows around here. Not sure if that's just because the crows are so huge they don't dare, or there are plenty of other easy pickings about so no need to... but given the magpie manifesto I'm surprised.
redmex
Free Member
Going back to the cat thread any cats I know have a fear or respect for magpies and won’t go near them, they are like gangsters
My cat once brought a live magpie in through a small cat flap. **** knows how as he's a big cat and only just fits through on his own.
It was fun trying to get the bird back outside.
Choughs are also excused as they are rare. The UK ones are funny, often seen in Pembrokeshire.
I like the alpine ones as they just remind me of great days on proper mountains.
The other day I was weeding our veg patch and doing a bit of tidying. I stood up, turned around to get the rake from behind me, then turned back to where id been working and a big featherless baby crow had landed slap bang in the patch not 4 feet away! It was very much an ex baby crow. As in ceased to be. I looked up to see a red kite being mobbed by a big gang of pursuing crows, pitchforks at the ready. It must have raided a nest and plucked the chick out. I couldn't believe it, utter mayhem as they chased it across the field
It's not just magpies, it's bloody wild out there
Because there’s so much bird food out here the magpies are really mellow, and none of the other birds have any fear of them
Yup. They seem to live and let live in the garden with all the other birds.
That said was walking in some nearby fields and saw one attacking a starling.
I looked up to see a red kite being mobbed by a big gang of pursuing crows, pitchforks at the ready. It must have raided a nest and plucked the chick out
That would surprise me since the covids round here wouldnt let a red kite get anywhere close. They hassle them seemingly just for shits and giggles.
I saw a few of them "working" a strip of grass I sit on down the road from me when I fancy some people watching.
They were walking along the strip of grass, fanned out in a straight line, pecking at insects or whatever.
It really reminded me of a police search where they methodically check an area for evidence after a crime.
Very clever animals.
I used to get attacked by them in Byron Bay when passing on my bike.
Lots of locals had wobbly eyes mounted on the back of their helmets.
I live in red kite central, they come over my garden all the time and there are regular bust ups with the crows. Same with the buzzards.
Murder of crows
Possibly my favorite taggart eisode
I watched mammals on the beeb. Watched the orca kidnap a baby humpback and drown it ..... We all love Whales yeah, and killer dolphins.
How about blue tits and sparrows going on murderous rampages killing baby butterflies....
I mean, european magpies. They don't even attack humans!
Australian magpies have the loveliest song, but are very territorial.
!Trigger warning! - Anti-cat content included
A few years back my eldest son got chased by one when we were riding. He was crying his eyes out trying to get away. Finally got away and around the next corner was a herd of grumpy cows.
I was on Skomer island with a school group once. Standing watching the puffins do their thing and everyone was having a lovely time.
A greater black-backed gull then landed, with an audible ‘snap’ on the back of a nearly-fledged puffling and proceeded to swallow it whole headfirst. The little legs still kicking as it went down the gull’s neck was quite horrifying for the kids 😂
Nature is brilliant and nothing out there, apart from us, is ‘evil’.
Nature is brilliant and nothing out there, apart from us and cats, is ‘evil’.
FTFY
In the past I have had 4 rescued magpies and 1 captive bred one. Of all the creatures I have ever known the captive bred magpie was the best natured creature I have ever known. Always extraordinarily happy and chirpy and never ever miserable or in a bad mood.
I have also had rescued crows and their personalities vary massively between individuals, certainly at least between the sexes. From a very grumpy and aggressive male to a ridiculously friendly and affectionate female.
That’s ace Matt.
It is indeed, Jackie is a very talented artist, and a couple of friends of mine are very good friends of hers, so I’m lucky enough to get copies of the books she and Robert MacFarlaine do together, signed by both of them. Sadly I haven’t met either of them yet.
As far as magpies are concerned, I have a regular pair in my garden, and a pair of carrion crows as well, magpies are just magnificent creatures, such contrast in their colours. They seem much more interested in the food I put out than any of the fledged birds, probably because it’s a lot less hassle to get hold of! They’ve worked out how to hang onto the feeder with the fat balls, although the 1/2-coconuts aren’t that difficult for them either.
And hedgehogs will happily rob the nests of vulnerable ground nesting birds, and other birds will raid birds nests, not just crows.
Discovered today that the wood pigeons have babies in their shithouse unprotected low level terrible nest in my horrible leylandii, and saw a big crow sizing it up, without quite meaning to I said out loud "**** off crow, they're under my protection". So now I can never speak to my neighbour over the back fence ever again. Bloody crow's fault.
Robins are agressive little shits. Thanks. I feel better now that I have got that off my cheist
Jackie Morris is very popular in our house.
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We found the pebble on the shore of Crummock Water nestled in a tree after she posted a pic of it hidden.
Northwind
I said out loud “**** off crow, they’re under my protection
Pedro, is that you?
Had a Magpie have a pop at our Jack Russell that was having a nap on the lawn.
The Magpie only escaped by the skin of the Jack Russells teeth.
In the garden yesterday morning I heard a load of squawking from small birds and looked to where they were….oh there’s a magpie.. and..oh you evil *****. It had caught a great tit. Nature I know but it made me upset.
It tried again several hours later but this time 20 or 30 tits mobbed it and chased it off. Clearly this particular magpie is spending much of its time on the hunt for the fledgling small birds right now. I hope the sod doesn’t get many more but I fear it will.
Do you visit zoos just to spit at the lions?
Had a Magpie have a pop at our Jack Russell that was having a nap on the lawn.
Saw a magpie land in my garden carrying one of those dog dentastixs yesterday - probably a bemused dog somewhere
When no.1 dog was young I saw her jump into the air and snatch a magpie out of it. Karma.
Thanks to their ridiculously long tail feathers magpies lack aerial agility. Just like humans who wear footwear which is totally inappropriate for the shape of their feet, and the simple process of walking, magpies are victims of fashion.
dirtyboyFull Member
Worse than that are black back gulls, saw one swoop down on a male blackbird getting worms for its young on a playing field and repeatedly smashed it into the ground and swallowed it whole, and managed to do it so fast my lurcher cross couldn’t interfere when I directed it to intervene.
Which is a genuinely stupid thing to do, partly because you could be prosecuted but mainly because that's what nature does whether you like it or not. And blackbirds are so common that I can hear one now, they are one of the most abundant bird species in the UK - why favour that over a black backed gull?
Loads of them around our area on outskirts of Edinburgh. Mega commotion one morning last year with 30-40 jackdaws and magpies circling on the sky screaming like crazy. Found a sparrowhawk in a corner of the garden with a magpie it had caught. The battle to kill it went on a good 15 minutes, with other magpies and jackdaws harrying it in turns. Got it on video. Punctuated by Mrs M saying repeatedly ‘This is awful, I can’t watch!’
I’d post it here but I haven’t got the patience to learn how to do it these days after historical debacles
Black back gulls are fkn horrible vicious pirate bstads and I'd cheerfully allow my dog to mince one@idlejon
Reeksy ’fixed my post for me’ by adding cats as evil things alongside humans. That was wrong and ****ing annoying.
Cats do cat things, gulls do gull things and aren’t evil. Us humans are the only ones to do stuff for ‘evil’ reasons. This necessity to add human traits to animals that just do what nature has designed them to do is just crap. As is taking pleasure in shooting magpies with an air rifle. What the **** is that all about?
I try and instill a love of nature in people and I just despair sometimes.
@lister - you obviously have the sarcasm filter set too high. I agree with you.
I live on a registered conservation property in Australia where domestic animals are banned, so while I will actively prevent cats from killing the native wildlife (here's the impacts) I recognise that they're only following their instincts. They're only here in Australia because humans brought them here... along with foxes and rabbits etc.
My problem with the much maligned Magpies is entirely not their fault, it's my father's.
I am not a superstitious person, and even though I know I am not preventing bad luck, I can't stop saluting when I see a single blimming magpie!
The reason I blame the old man is he is (in my eyes) the most rational unsuperstitious person I have ever met, someone who denounces anything to do with the supernatural, spurns religion, and pooh poohs old wives tales........but but but if a single magpie comes into view he salutes it!
I copied this as a kid and continue to do so, possibly there's some subconscious reasoning that if someone as rational as my dad does it maybe there is something in it.
I asked him once why he did it, his disappointing response was, "dunno really I've done since I was a kid". Arrgh
Who's the * now?
Taken from the bedroom window during today's heavy and prolonged rain (22/05/2024).
Not so bright woodpigeons getting soaked through:
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And pan up to the house opposite to see two clever *s making good use of a dish and the eaves!
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LOL! I like it!
To be fair to the wood pigeons though although granted they aren't very clever compared to magpies they do have extremely dense layers of feathers - you can plunge a pigeon into a bucket of water and then when released they can easily fly away.
Pigeons particularly enjoy a rain shower for their cleaning process. You can be absolutely certain that their skin will have remained completely dry. It is actually quite hard to apply a flea/tick dip to pigeons as it won't penetrate unless their feathers are constantly ruffled.
In contrast if you dip a magpie in a bucket of water it will instantly become waterlogged on account of their extremely (relatively) thin layer of feathers, and they would seriously struggle flying effectively with heavy waterlogged feathers.
No cats do not have a "cruel streak". They have, like other species, very strong instincts.
One of the reasons that they "play" with their food is that they instinctively know that mice are notorious for playing dead.
Lowering their face towards a rodent which they believe to be dead, so that they can begin to eat it, is potentially hazardous to them - the rodent can suddenly bite their face and escape. Prodding the suspected dead rodent with their paw is designed to check for any reactions.
Let me tell you, humans are *******.
Was just out for a walk, and was going to give some peanuts to crows. Well, there is a small kid, who first shouts at the crows, then starts throwing rocks. I yelled at him to bloody well stop throwing rocks, and then yelled "Would you like it if you got rocks thrown at you?"
Turns out the little bastards dad was just 15 meters away, but did not bother to tell his kid to not throw rocks at birds. Dad screams at me that he is gonna beat me up for "threatening his kid", I told I did not threaten anyone, I simply asked if getting rocks thrown at you is nice.
Dad keeps shouting threats, "gonna beat me up" but does not dare come closer - was also a good deal smaller than I am. Kept telling him to teach his kids some manners, so others don't have to, and keep it civil and tone down his aggression. Ends with dad dragging his now crying kid away. Let me tell you, humans are the bloody worst.
I bet he would not have said anything to his idiot kid, if I had not done so.
https://ourworldindata.org/wild-mammals-birds-biomass
And looking at the data there, if there is too much of something, it is too much humans.
Especially this -
In a couple of decades, most animals will be dead, except for the ones in concentration camps built by humans.
they're actually a sort of iridescent dark blue, not black
The iridescent is the oil on their tail and wing feathers, the rest, on their heads, neck, back, and legs, is black.
In contrast if you dip a magpie in a bucket of water it will instantly become waterlogged on account of their extremely (relatively) thin layer of feathers, and they would seriously struggle flying effectively with heavy waterlogged feathers.
Interesting hobbies some people have here.
Rescuing Corvids can be quite rewarding. Specially as they can be scarily intelligent.