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Post by Hezz on Apr 8, 2022 0:02:12 GMT
Very good, and thank you, TPM, and loz
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Post by Hezz on Apr 8, 2022 0:04:43 GMT
I’m sure there must be a crayon or ten lying around, Marianne Marlow., but blue biro worked just fine - that’s a very good life-like eye.
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Post by criswell on Apr 8, 2022 9:01:31 GMT
I thought I'd try a magpie (and blue biro) this year. There may be a colour version to follow later.
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Post by Loz on Apr 8, 2022 10:11:18 GMT
I love magpies. Those are nice drawings, criswell!
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Post by criswell on Apr 8, 2022 10:33:52 GMT
Thanks loz. I think magpies are beautiful. There's a pair of magpies nesting in the tree in the neighbours garden so I see them regular in my garden collecting twigs for their enormous nest or eating mealworms.
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Oct 6, 2011 7:41:27 GMT
Marianne Marlow
Administrator
George, Daisy, Iris, Billy, Peter, Chipper, Dinku, Barney, Ayla and Rocky
Posts: 28,800
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Post by Marianne Marlow on Apr 8, 2022 10:39:29 GMT
Lovely Magpies I think they are pretty birds, but they really scare my budgies!
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Post by criswell on Apr 8, 2022 11:55:19 GMT
Marianne Marlow They scare the sparrows and starlings in the garden too. I do worry for them as magpies do kill small birds. At least with the magpies eating mealworms they might not need to kill so many small birds.
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Post by Loz on Apr 8, 2022 12:10:45 GMT
Magpie can be quite savage - they are omnivores.
I comfort myself with the old "It's the Natural World" defence for the beautiful magpies. It's what theyre meant to do.
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Post by criswell on Apr 8, 2022 13:07:10 GMT
I know loz, I would rather they didn't do it in my garden though. Last year I saw them chase a fledgling starling into the neighbours window, and then they ate it. It made me sad as it had such a short life.
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Oct 6, 2011 7:41:27 GMT
Marianne Marlow
Administrator
George, Daisy, Iris, Billy, Peter, Chipper, Dinku, Barney, Ayla and Rocky
Posts: 28,800
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Post by Marianne Marlow on Apr 8, 2022 13:11:24 GMT
sad face.
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Post by Loz on Apr 8, 2022 13:23:23 GMT
It's horrible and the reason magpies are widely disliked, in my experience.
😔
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Post by criswell on Apr 8, 2022 15:09:42 GMT
People do seem to dislike magpies more than 'proper' birds of prey like owls and hawks. There is a sparrowhawk that visits the garden too but I've not seen it catch anything. David saw it eating something in the tree one day though. The small birds are very wary and vanish when the magpies are about so it's only really the youngsters that are at risk before they've properly learnt the danger. Magpies do raid nests for egss and babies but there are always many fledglings in the neigbourhood so they are managing ok.
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Post by criswell on Apr 8, 2022 16:19:26 GMT
colour version
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Post by Loz on Apr 8, 2022 16:24:08 GMT
I think it was this year, maybe last, when I noticed for the first time a dark, iridescent green tint in the tail feathers of our magpies here. Subtle and beautiful
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Post by Loz on Apr 8, 2022 16:24:43 GMT
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