Cyn's Nature Notes: Bullying Magpies

Saturday, 11 February 2012

Bullying Magpies - A Disturbing Sight

This morning I put the food out for the wildlife as usual, it was very cold at 8a.m. according to the computer it was minus thirteen degrees, so I can't imagine how cold it must have been during the night. With temperatures like these there was little chance of the snow melting yet. The birds and squirrels were tucking in to their food and I went to have my bowl of porridge.

Finishing I carried my bowl to the kitchen and looking out of the side window I noticed the food had almost gone. On opening the window to put more out, I heard a lot of very loud distressed bird screeching sounds. There was nothing to be seen from this window so pulling it shut I moved to look out of the end window and there it was.

Four magpies! Three of them appeared to be attacking the fourth who was underneath the others on his back. The noise was awful, they were pecking him and pulling at his already out stretched wings.

Suddenly it was over as one magpie extricated himself and flew a few feet away, holding in his beak a biscuit, the others released their hold on the down trodden one and he very unsteadily stood up. He was dishevelled and slow to move and when he did so he was very unsteady on his feet and he had definitely lost his typical magpie bounce and strut.

I have never seen magpies gang up and set on one of their own kind before and I hope I never see it again.

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About this Blog

When we moved to our present home in December 1987, I was very ill and bedridden. My garden was a life-saver, although it was very different then. The first thing I did was to put up bird-feeders, and long hours were spent lying indoors in a recliner. This was when I discovered many things. Do you know the underside of every blue tit’s tail is differently marked? Gradually, over the years, the garden changed. We put in shrubs and plants that would not only enhance the garden, but would also be good for wildlife. The first rabbit we saw was so joyful for us. The deer eat the flowers, prune the apple trees, eat the marrow, and are wonderful to watch. Foxes have been a major part of our wildlife. We have fed them each night for more than 20 years. They are such a delight, especially in late summer and early autumn when there are youngsters. They behave like puppies and are great fun to watch.

I love all wildlife: the mason bees that nest in the brickwork of the bungalow, the hornets that last year made their home in the roof above our bedroom, the bees currently nesting in the roof above the bathroom. On a hot evening, if you stand quietly in the bathroom, you can hear this amazing sound: it is very rhythmic and reminds me of the waves at the seaside. It is made by the beating of the bees’ wings as they fan their nest to keep the temperature at the right level -- how many people have heard that sound? I feel so privileged.

Obviously, I feed the birds. When I open the window in the morning I call “Come on Bobby and Blackie”, and one followed swiftly by the other they fly immediately to the bird table. Each morning, on rising, I make my way to the kitchen and find the squirrels already sitting on the window ledge waiting to be fed. Winter brings the moorhens and spring time the mallards. Our pond is a poor effort from a human point of view, but wild creatures see it differently. On summer days, the grass snakes spend long hours in the pond: eating the fish, froglets, toadlings, newts, and any other living creature they can swallow. Although I hate to see the pond emptied this way, I do enjoy the snakes and feel they are an important part of the balance of nature in the garden. Watching a dragonfly nymph climbing out of the pond, up a plant stalk, and then over the next few hours gradually transforming into a beautiful dragonfly -- these are contented hours well spent.

It has been my pleasure to write and publish a nature column each month. I am always delighted to hear how much pleasure this brings to my readers. I have often been asked if I have written a book, so I am making more of my writings and photography available through this web site and blog.