Do Magpies stash food?

[Gaina]

Originally Posted by ron1863

Magpies store food by making holes in the ground with their beak, hiding the food and covering the hole with grass or leaves, usually within their own territory.

Thanks Ron I didn't know that! Maybe that's why the Green Woodpecker is so fascinated with my lawn?

I am now chuckling to myself at the thought of the magpies putting food in the ground and going back to find an empty hole courtesy of Woody Woodpecker!

[ron1863]

Squirrels do exactly the same. We have one that just recently started to visit the nut feeders and succesfully chewed through the wires. We watch him taking nut after nut down to the lawn, digging a little hole and placing the nut in it, then covering it. We then watch the Crows, Rooks and Magpies come down and steal the nuts

[Gaina]

Originally Posted by ron1863

Squirrels do exactly the same. We have one that just recently started to visit the nut feeders and succesfully chewed through the wires. We watch him taking nut after nut down to the lawn, digging a little hole and placing the nut in it, then covering it. We then watch the Crows, Rooks and Magpies come down and steal the nuts

We have a very forgetful squiggle who provides me with hours of comedy...

There's a small apple tree in the front garden (about 3 feet tall) that I can see from my bedroom window and I once watched this squirrel climb it, shoot over to a patch of grass and dig frantically then go back up the tree. You could almost see the 'Where then heck did I put it!?' expression on his face.

Now he just absconds with my net feeders .

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by Gaina

Thanks Ron I didn't know that! Maybe that's why the Green Woodpecker is so fascinated with my lawn?

I am now chuckling to myself at the thought of the magpies putting food in the ground and going back to find an empty hole courtesy of Woody Woodpecker!

Your green woodpecker is after the ants that are probably in your lawn ather than any magpie stash. They love ants best of all