what do magpies like to eat appart from baby birds

[Madelinew]

Very well put tcvarlh. I'm fed up with the poor little this and that victimised by the evil wicked other this and that in nature discussions. There is a reason a blue tit, for example, produces a large brood of eggs - there will inevitably be natural wastage along the way. People don't get all clucky about poor fish or poor insects that are eaten by these creatures to survive. |Heard anyone complaining about the fate of the 'poor' sand eels as a mainstay of the puffin's diet lately? I'm easily one for turning to mush if I see something unbearably cute but I'm also crashingly realistic about the ways of nature. Corvids and birds of prey are amongst my favourite birds. I'm always pleased to find evidence of my sparrowhawk's meals in my garden because it means she's doing well. And the absolute pinnacle of my birding career was sitting in a hide in Hickling Broad and watching a family of Marsh Harriers raid and empty the nests of some little terns. I saw exceptional acrobatics on the part of the raptors, incredibly feats of 'bravery' - if you can call it that - amongst the little terns trying to defend their nests and it was amazing to watch. And the others sharing the hide enjoyed the moment too. Better than watching the Red Arrows.

In fact I have got very bored with Springwatch and Autumnwatch now because of the level of anthropomorphosising that goes on. Althought Chris Packham added a slightly more realistic edge to the presenting recently.

[Steve_In_Cheshire]

Our pair of magpies seem to eat anything, they love cheese, they also eat sultanas, sunflower hearts, peanuts and fat cake etc.

[Nickynockynoonoo]

Madelinew, LOL I had to Google "anthropomorphosising"

Would you believe, this thread is on page 1 of google? OK, it's only no. 10 but still first page ROFL

I've sidetracked. I was just going to say that Autumn Unsprung was good this week. A viewer sent in a video of a sparrowhawk tackling a magpie. The sparrowhawk eventually drowned the magpie in a pond. Now that's clever.

Just thought I'd let you know what you missed Poor Mr Magpie

[wizzo]

Hiya Rose and welcome to WAB! A lot of people hate Magpies because of what they do. It's like you say, just nature in action. If some of these same people witness a Perigrine doing the same thing, it's somehow more acceptable. Cute and fluffy syndrome again I'm afraid

[wizzo]

tcvarlh, whilst I agree with most of what you say, I have to take issue with your quote in regards to the Greek slave Aesop. Rage, anger, love, guilt and deceipt are all emotions that I've seen displayed by our animal freinds. I think it would be misguided to assume that we, as humans, are the only species capable of such feelings. It's also a dangerous assumption because, it's often the reason that is given by scientists, farmers and the fur trade for treating animals how we like because of their inability to feel such emotions. Just my opinion of course. It doesn't, however, change my view on nature and predation. Just a thought that's occured to me. Most of us in this forum would, I think, agree, that interfering with nature and stopping a predator, from doing what comes naturally, would be wrong. However, if we failed to intervene when a fellow human was being attacked by a bear for instance, we would be judged, by each other as being totally wrong. I thought I'd throw that one out there!

[Madelinew]

Originally Posted by Nickynockynoonoo

Madelinew, LOL I had to Google "anthropomorphosising"

Would you believe, this thread is on page 1 of google? OK, it's only no. 10 but still first page ROFL

I've sidetracked. I was just going to say that Autumn Unsprung was good this week. A viewer sent in a video of a sparrowhawk tackling a magpie. The sparrowhawk eventually drowned the magpie in a pond. Now that's clever.

Just thought I'd let you know what you missed Poor Mr Magpie

Relieved I managed to spell it right

[Jim Ford]

Originally Posted by wizzo

Rage, anger, love, guilt and deceipt are all emotions that I've seen displayed by our animal freinds.

Just because you've interpreted the actions of animals as being motivated by the above emotions, doesn't mean that they are!

Jim

[shenk1]

Once watched a mapie lurking about near some small shrubs in our garden,suddenly it dove in and came out clutching a mouse in its beak ! It then proceeded to shake it violently (is there any other type of shake!) untill I suspect it was dead then flew off with it. Fascinating to watch but it put me right off my tea !

[wizzo]

Yes, you're right Jim, doesn't mean I'm wrong either! Exactly the same as humans then? Sometimes we just have to trust our natural instincts.

[Jim Ford]

Originally Posted by wizzo

Sometimes we just have to trust our natural instincts.

But mostly we should trust out common sense!
;^)

Jim

[wizzo]

Get yerself a dog Jim - then you'd see the light

[Helen Jones]

Domestic cats kill far more baby birds and fledgelings than magpies (at least where I live anyway). Magpies are part of the natural cycle of life, whereas cats have been artificially introduced - maybe we should consider culling cats instead???

PS: I have a cat, so not serious about the cull, just think they do far more damage to garden bird populations than any natural predator

[Helen Jones]

[quote=Nickynockynoonoo;564270]Madelinew, LOL I had to Google "anthropomorphosising"

A viewer sent in a video of a sparrowhawk tackling a magpie. The sparrowhawk eventually drowned the magpie in a pond. Now that's clever.



A friend of mine has a sparrowhawk which regularly visits her garden and catches the starlings. Originally when the caught starling stared alarm calling the sparrowhawk would be mobbed by other nearby birds, so now it has learned to drown the unfortunate starling in her pond so as to kill it quietly and not attract unwanted attention! Genius

[wildherbalian85]

Originally Posted by Helen Jones

Domestic cats kill far more baby birds and fledgelings than magpies (at least where I live anyway). Magpies are part of the natural cycle of life, whereas cats have been artificially introduced - maybe we should consider culling cats instead???

PS: I have a cat, so not serious about the cull, just think they do far more damage to garden bird populations than any natural predator

Brilliant idea!!

Lets do it *YAY*

And whilst we're at it lets introduce back the lynx and wolf.... they naturally belong here.

[witham]

Originally Posted by tcvarlh

This anthropomorphic treatment of creatures with words such as torture, chuckling, etc., does not really fit here.

I was not being facesious, but how else would you describe a magpies call, I've always known it as chuckling and have even heard wild life experts say the same

[davejg]

they are always on the roadkill near work, I think they need the animal protien at chick rearing time.

[AngelGarden]

Although I do not reside in the UK, I have MANY magpies here in my garden all year round. Alberta, Canada. Most people consider them nusance birds here in the north, I think they are very pretty and very smart.
I feed them fresh bread ends mixed with canned cat food. They also eat dry cat or dog food , any kinds of nuts, hard boiled eggs, raisins and peanuts in the shell. I feed them usually only in winter although they will leave the other birds alone if they are fed. The small bird feeders are safely hanging under a large spruce tree and not bothered by the jays or maggies.
We have had record low temps. here lately so they have been exceptionally hungry. I feed them in a heavy lasagna dish on the fence and have already filled it twice today!

[Susie]

How about a different tack? What about putting up some secure nesting boxes? You can buy nesting boxes with metal rims to the access holes to stop attack by predators. If the access hole is small enough then the magpies (or squirrels, etc) will have difficulty in getting the chicks out and this would protect them until they are fledged anyway.

I had a nest of robins which was in some ivy in the garden which were being eaten by a jay. I despaired of what could be done to help them as one by one the chicks were being picked off. Eventually there was only one chick left and I put chicken wire over the ivy and around the nest. The adult robins could get in but the jay couldn't. The remaining chick survived to fledge.

Mind you, that was years ago, now I wouldn't interfere.

[wizzo]

"I do like magpie's but its the same at my Mum and Dads, every year the nestlings are taken by magpies or tree rats. Much to the distress of my mum.
She often phones sobbing saying another nest has been lost. My mum was anti culling anything but now would if it was an option. I am not sure what percentage of garden nestlings as a whole magpies take, but for the many species that nest in my mums large garden they seem to decimate their attempts."
Original quote by Colin

That's all well and good Colin, but what about culling birds of prey and any other animal that predates other birds and animals (including man). I think we're back to that selective 'cute and cuddly' issue again. Wizz

[Thistledo]

A pair have started building a nest in the tree in my garden, scaring away the little fluffy ones that I love . No amount of hand clapping etc has diswaded them from their efforts so I managed to get a length of string into the branch from the end of a long pole, when they come I tug on the string they soon got the message that I could reach them. So without any culling\stone throwing etc I have managed to get them to move on.

Please don't tell me I'm bad, they are noisy bullies and I'm glad to be rid of them, they can go do it somewhere else NIMBY.

Bob

[SheffieldLass]

Originally Posted by Thistledo

A pair have started building a nest in the tree in my garden, scaring away the little fluffy ones that I love . No amount of hand clapping etc has diswaded them from their efforts so I managed to get a length of string into the branch from the end of a long pole, when they come I tug on the string they soon got the message that I could reach them. So without any culling\stone throwing etc I have managed to get them to move on.

Please don't tell me I'm bad, they are noisy bullies and I'm glad to be rid of them, they can go do it somewhere else NIMBY.

Bob

You may have done the wrong thing by sending them off .....

I had magpies nesting in my garden for two years running. Prior to that they were somewhere else but would come in to the garden to feed, and would raid the blackbirds nests. However once they were nesting in the garden I thought my blackbirds would have no chance. The male was in his third year, the female in her second year in the garden, the same pair. The magpies did not raid their nests at all whilst the magpies' young were in their nest. Indeed if a crow came into the garden the magpie seemed to take up a position between the blackbirds nest and the crow and wouldn't let it near, as if it was actually defending the blackbirds nest. However once the magpies had fledged and were no longer tied to the garden the blackbirds' eggs and young were considered fair game by the magpies. I can only assume that the blackbird presence was valued by the magpies during their nesting period as a useful set of vigilant eyes watching out for predators .... cats in particular as there were many of them about, and crows, so that they left them alone.

[Thistledo]

You may well be right, I can see how that would work.

Bob

[BlueJam]

Originally Posted by Gill Catton

Its called survival of the fittest. Its how the weak and the stupid are weeded out of a population making it stronger in the long run.

QFT, its a harsh world out there, but without this the evolution of species would be far slower.