Magpies

[lorna]

Last month I mentioned that when I was staying with my sister (Erith,Kent) for a few days I saw a magpie in her garden close up for the first time.
This morning when I was having an hour's telephone conversation with one of my nieces I suddenly shouted "Oh a magpie" Withing a couple of minutes another landed, they were in the road just outside my lounge window.
Remember my sister saying "Look for a second one!"   If you see two is it supposed to be lucky? (ho ho, my premium bonds were in the draw for the first time this month, will watch out for the postman!! ;D ;D)
Lorna

[lorna]

[Hyacinth]

You must be one of the v.v.v.v.v.v. few people, Lorna, who get excited about seeing a magpie these days.....for us, it's more like one flock of magpies, then oh look! here comes another one :(

Days long gone when it was a magical thing to see a pair. Nasty horrible little-bird killing, nest destroying pests.

[lorna]

O.K. Lish just going to get my gun ;D

[GREENWIZARD]

One for sorrow
Two for joy
Three for a girl
and Four for a boy

[Barnowl]

Five for Silver
Six for Gold,
Seven for a Secret that's never been told

[lorna]

GW I want four... ready for next April :)

[Carol]

Well i still have just the ONE but that is enough.  He/she is first to take to the bird feed in a morning.  Hopefully another one will not turn up but as the old saying goes, if you see one there is two and so on......  I am enjoying watching it, its a different bird to watch seeing as the others are still not about.

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[Paulines7]

We have lived in our house for eight years and last week I saw my first magpie in the garden.   :(  Perhaps if they use the food I put out, they will leave the small birds alone.  I can only hope.

[Carol]

I have been the same as you again Pauline.  My first Magpie  (another thread below named Magpie).   But as I said, as long as he/she is a loner (doubt it)   it wont be so bad.  At least it takes my food which is still being left by all the other birds out there. 

[GREENWIZARD]

thanks B :) .........i was having a senior moment ::) ;D
4 L?........are you trying to tell us something  ;) ;) ;D

[lorna]

 :) GW.... 1st. Great grandchild to arrive ;D

[GREENWIZARD]

[valmarg]

Our magpie rhyme was:

One for sorrow
two for joy
three for a letter
four for a boy
five for silver
six for gold
seven for a secret, never to be told
eight for a wish
nine for a kiss, and
ten for a box on the earholes,

so lorna you need to see four for the letter (from ERNIE).  Wish you luck!!

I cashed my premuim bonds in, but OH keeps getting letters from ERNIE occasionally.  He got £50 in September, and again this month.  He opted to reinvest, so he has another 100 chances to be one of the five £1m prize winners for December.  Well, I can dream!!

valmarg

[lorna]

Valmarg. We can all live in hope, and I certainly won't miss the pathetic interest that is being paid by building society. Good luck to your OH :)
Lorna

[valmarg]

Spot the deliberate mistake lorna.  I quoted our verse for the number of magpies you see - three for a letter - and then said you needed to see four!!
At 7.30 p.m., it was a bit early for the brandy to have kicked in!!

Hope you win soon.

valmarg

[Marymary]

How many for a girl then?

At our school we have loads of them & I hate them, in the spring when the baby blackbirds & thrushes are in the nests they kill them & eat the heads - or at least pull them off.  Our caretaker is constantly clearing up the poor headless baby birds.  When we had some chicks at home the magpies were often perched in the tree staring at them in the run & licking their lips  :) good job they couldn't get at them but even the adult chickens are scared of them.

[valmarg]

Marymary, being a 'girl' I wasn't very interested in 'how many for a girl', so I suppose whichever sex you are you substitute four for a boy or girl!!

Whilst I accept that the magpie is not entirely innocent, I think there are other predators that affect the songbird population far worse.  Discarded birds' heads is more likely to be the work of the sparrowhawk than the magpie.  The other, and greater, threat to the songbirds, is the american grey tree rat.  The grey squirrel has endangered our lovely red squirrel, and is in the process of doing the same for songbirds.  It should be culled, preferably exterminated!!

valmarg

[lorna]

Valmarg. Now I know why my brain isn't in gear..... haven't had a brandy since last family get together.... August.    Roll on C........!! BTW ONE magpie was on the patio this morning, starlings and sparrows didn't seem worried (thank goodness). Magpie didn't stay long.
Lorna.

[redimp]

You must be one of the v.v.v.v.v.v. few people, Lorna, who get excited about seeing a magpie these days.....for us, it's more like one flock of magpies, then oh look! here comes another one :(

Days long gone when it was a magical thing to see a pair. Nasty horrible little-bird killing, nest destroying pests.

Judging by this thread, it must be a midlands thing Lish but there are thousands round here as well.  I cannot bring myself to dislike any bird though - or anything wild for that matter (bar fleas, ticks and midgies) - they just do what they are designed to do.

Rather see a Sparrowhawk kill a bird than domestic cat.

[Robert_Brenchley]

There are masses round our part of Birmingham as well. OK, they go for the birds (I rescued a young coot from one last summer), but don't forget all the pests they eat as well. Where would we be without predators?