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01-01-2008, 06:52 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Hertfordshire..
Posts: 2,541
| | | Magpies at it again..
While coming back from my walk with the dog and daughter we noticed two magpies playing around on the road not too far from us...we then noticed they were trying to pick up and fly off with what looked like a small rat...At that point we both ran down toward them and scared them off.. we found this poor little creature of about 4-5 inches sitting by the side of the road wet through ..We noticed it had a small peck wound on its back but nothing too much..not wanting to pick it up but noticed the birds now waiting in the tree ahead I found a small stick in whick i used to encourage the little creature to make its way back to the side of the field. He made his way through the hedge and back into the ditch which i feel he came from in the first place..We felt quite sorry for him..i noticed at no point did he seem to be afraid of us at all..We both left the scene and carried on home...My daughter was very pleased we had saved this little chap's life...  
let me know if this is a young rat ...or maybe a Water Vole..
thanx
Julie
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A Promise isn't kept until Its Delivered. |
01-01-2008, 07:22 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: North Yorkshire
Posts: 3,862
| | | Re: Magpies at it again..
Definitely a rat
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Hunting is not a sport. In a sport, both sides should know they're in the game!! |
01-01-2008, 07:25 PM
|  | Wild Member | | Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: telford
Posts: 104
| | | Re: Magpies at it again..
looks like a rat/ Hedgehog hybrid |
01-01-2008, 07:40 PM
|  | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Northants
Posts: 5,357
| | | Re: Magpies at it again..
Magpies are something else. I saw a sheep on its back, Stuck upside-down alive with a Magpie attacking it. I went to fetch the farmer who righted it. |
01-01-2008, 07:40 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: New Milton, Hampshire
Posts: 3,515
| | | Re: Magpies at it again..
Rat. |
01-01-2008, 07:44 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Hertfordshire..
Posts: 2,541
| | | Re: Magpies at it again..
Thanx everyone...He was a little Rat after all.. 
Julie
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A Promise isn't kept until Its Delivered. |
01-01-2008, 07:48 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Romford, Essex
Posts: 1,853
| | | Re: Magpies at it again..
Whats with all the magpie bashing. They need to eat too... |
01-01-2008, 07:50 PM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Northants
Posts: 5,357
| | | Re: Magpies at it again..
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ukwildlifeo  Whats with all the magpie bashing. They need to eat too... | yea.. but live sheep takes the biscuit... |
01-01-2008, 07:54 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Romford, Essex
Posts: 1,853
| | | Re: Magpies at it again..
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kayleigh yea.. but live sheep takes the biscuit... | Fair point!
Going back to the original post I personally wont have tried to have left the magpies to it, nature taking its course and all that, thou obviously Im not going to critise anyone for wanting to save a small mammal. |
01-01-2008, 08:34 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,313
| | | Re: Magpies at it again..
Clearly its a "Drowned Rat" ...come on folks? 
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I am the original Nature Nazi ;) |
01-01-2008, 08:45 PM
|  | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Sheffield, FPRSY
Posts: 5,218
| | | Re: Magpies at it again..
Yes, looking quite serious now ... can Big Sam save them?
10 West Ham 20 3 4 3 12 11 5 1 4 13 8 6 29
11 Newcastle 20 5 3 2 16 15 2 2 6 11 16 -4 26
12 Tottenham 21 5 1 4 30 21 1 5 5 12 17 4 24
13 Reading 21 6 1 4 14 15 0 3 7 15 29 -15 22 |
01-01-2008, 08:52 PM
|  | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Kenninghall, Norfolk
Posts: 5,396
| | | Re: Magpies at it again..
COME ON YE SPURS!
Nice rat by the way |
02-01-2008, 08:34 AM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: In a tranquil valley with a stream in garden
Posts: 2,298
| | | Re: Magpies at it again..
Now come on if you had a grey squirrel helping you like Arsenal your teams might win!!! (not that i support that team!)
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Need a cup of coffee; need it hot and strong..! :D |
02-01-2008, 09:32 AM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: North Yorkshire ( Gods Country )
Posts: 1,025
| | | Re: Magpies at it again..
Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul mabbott Yes, looking quite serious now ... can Big Sam save them?
10 West Ham 20 3 4 3 12 11 5 1 4 13 8 6 29
11 Newcastle 20 5 3 2 16 15 2 2 6 11 16 -4 26
12 Tottenham 21 5 1 4 30 21 1 5 5 12 17 4 24
13 Reading 21 6 1 4 14 15 0 3 7 15 29 -15 22 | Well Guys lets hope not........
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Real problems are solved by actions, not by p.....g and moaning.... |
02-01-2008, 03:04 PM
| | Wild Member | | Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 113
| | | Re: Magpies at it again..
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kayleigh yea.. but live sheep takes the biscuit... | Nothing wrong with a nice bit of lamb  |
02-01-2008, 03:40 PM
| | Officer of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 611
| | | Re: Magpies at it again..
Well done, Julie. That is the unfortunate thing with many birds isn't it, it's a shame they don't have the means to put an animal out of it's misery *before* they begin to feed! Nature is red in tooth and claw, and it goes on all of the time of course, but if it was staring at me in the face like that - I'd have done the same
Now then. Silly story coming up!!! 
When in Florida during August ( rainy!) driving back to our villa one stormy night, in the headlights I noticed hundreds of tiny frogs jumping across our ( long!) drive.....Yep! You guessed it. I got out into the pouring rain and shoo-ed them all away, clearing a path before I'd let the car be driven into the car-port!
Yeah - so you're not the only one....  |
02-01-2008, 03:56 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Hertfordshire..
Posts: 2,541
| | | Re: Magpies at it again..
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dutchess
Now then. Silly story coming up!!!
When in Florida during August ( rainy!) driving back to our villa one stormy night, in the headlights I noticed hundreds of tiny frogs jumping across our ( long!) drive.....Yep! You guessed it. I got out into the pouring rain and shoo-ed them all away, clearing a path before I'd let the car be driven into the car-port!
Yeah - so you're not the only one.... | Yep I would have done the same..I find it hard when something like this is staring you in the face to carry on..or in my case to walk away..
Julie
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A Promise isn't kept until Its Delivered. |
04-01-2008, 05:12 PM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Sheffield, FPRSY
Posts: 5,218
| | | Re: Magpies at it again..
The feathered magpie seems to like a bit of 'sport' (more than can be said for NUFC ). There's a flat roof opposite my window and I've seen magpies using it as a sort of boxing ring. I've twice watched a group of magpies descend, a couple start fighting in the middle while the rest hop around the periphery. The fighters don't peck or scratch but rather wrestle neck to neck trying to force the other to the ground ... there's clearly a loser (who flies off eventually) and a winner who struts around for a while ....
I don't know why they did it - didn't seem to be related to mating and clearly not for a nesting site ... any ideas?  |
04-01-2008, 06:01 PM
| | Member of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Lincoln
Posts: 454
| | | Re: Magpies at it again..
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ukwildlifeo Fair point!
Going back to the original post I personally wont have tried to have left the magpies to it, nature taking its course and all that, thou obviously Im not going to critise anyone for wanting to save a small mammal. | I agree but it was important to Juliejam and her daughter and even more so to the rat
They are strange birds magpies. There's one constantly calling near my garden who knocks around with two jackdaws (all born earlier this year) and would appear to be the local bully boys. I recently erected a bird table on three leylandii stumps then sat in the hide to see what visited. Lots of the usual vistors then for the first time ever those three arrived. Stomped around on the table, chucked the peanuts around, made a lot of noise and the departed. They've never been back since! |
04-01-2008, 06:38 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Lancashire
Posts: 3,203
| | | Re: Magpies at it again..
I adore Magpies, they're such funny birds and only eating like the rest of us. I can understand people sometimes stepping in though, can be a hard thing to see happen, even if it goes on anyway. A bit like a big cat in Africa, everyone knows they hunt ect but how many can actually watch it happen. I can watch nature programmes quite easily, doesn't bother me at all normally but there was once a programme on about African wild dogs, that was a different matter as there was no quick killing and it was very graphic, had to turn that one off.
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05-01-2008, 10:26 AM
|  | Member of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Dorset
Posts: 399
| | | Re: Magpies at it again..
Quote:
Originally Posted by Seajay I recently erected a bird table on three leylandii stumps then sat in the hide to see what visited. Lots of the usual vistors then for the first time ever those three arrived. Stomped around on the table, chucked the peanuts around, made a lot of noise and the departed. They've never been back since! | Vandals eh? Get everywhere! Is it possible these birds have got testosterone running through their veins? |
05-01-2008, 11:29 AM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Hertfordshire..
Posts: 2,541
| | | Re: Magpies at it again..
Quote:
Originally Posted by demicav I adore Magpies, they're such funny birds and only eating like the rest of us. I can understand people sometimes stepping in though, can be a hard thing to see happen, even if it goes on anyway. A bit like a big cat in Africa, everyone knows they hunt ect but how many can actually watch it happen. I can watch nature programmes quite easily, doesn't bother me at all normally but there was once a programme on about African wild dogs, that was a different matter as there was no quick killing and it was very graphic, had to turn that one off. | I remember watching that programme ..I had to turn over after awhile..the bits i did see are still very much in my memory...
Julie
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A Promise isn't kept until Its Delivered. |
05-01-2008, 12:13 PM
| | Officer of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 611
| | | Re: Magpies at it again..
Quote:
Originally Posted by juliejam I remember watching that programme ..I had to turn over after awhile..the bits i did see are still very much in my memory...
Julie |
Me too....  When I read the original post I wondered if that was the same programme I have permanently etched in my memory. | | |
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