Magpies and Eggs

[jamesthornton]

Just heard a racket outside and saw a Magpie flying out of a conifer where I've been watching Song Thrushes nest with an egg and eating it. Interestingly, the Song Thrushes watched but did nothing, but a blackbird was making a lot of noise at this Magpie and looked to be trying to get rid of it. Could it have confused it with it's own egg?

As for the thrushes, how many eggs do they usually lay, or will they have hatched by now? I was hoping to watch these guys for BA so I hope theres still something there.

[witham]

Does the Blackbird also have a nest in the conifer, as we have one who nests in one of our 'sky rockets' along with Sparrows,we call it a Kabutz as it's very busy at the moment, there's another one who has been taking nesting material into the Lleylandii also used by Sparrows, Dunnocks and I think Starlings as they are frequently in the hedge. Although it's 'nature' and they have to live, Magpies are bad news if they find a nest and will visit it until they clean it out then move on to the next one although I would rather them take eggs than live chicks as it's heartbreaking to hear them.

[jamesthornton]

I'm unsure, it's quite high and compact and I can't see where their nest is. Yeah I understand I obviously wouldn't interfere, it's just unfortunate as they're red list and whatnot. Bloody bird came back an hour later and ate another and haven't seen the Thrushes since..

[Dogghound]

Blackbirds will mob magpies throughout the breeding season if they are within their territory. They are seen as a threat.

Song thrush usually lay around 4-6 eggs, sometimes upto 9. As witham says the magpie will keep returning to the site and finish them off. Its still early in the breeding season and song thrushes will have upto four broods a year, so they should still hopefully rear some young this year.

[nightshade]

We had Blackbirds nest once or twice, both times the Magpies had the eggs
(despite us "watching over them") The Magpies, finding their foraging watched, simply used the backdoor through the hedge we could not see.

[Naturenutz]

Song thrushes almost always have 4 eggs, when we were kids we found one with 5 but i believe that is quite rare.

[Dogghound]

Originally Posted by Naturenutz

Song thrushes almost always have 4 eggs, when we were kids we found one with 5 but i believe that is quite rare.

Its usually 4-6 in a brood, 5 eggs isnt that unusual. Brood size can depend on habitat, food availability and often temperature. Prolonged periods of dry weather can reduce brood success.