Do you salute/whistle at magpies?

[MirandaGoshawk]

If so, can you please explain why you do it? Have just spent the day out with a friend and she did this a lot. I think there were maybe two pairs of birds flying about and she both saluted and whistled at them several times while we were talking. I found it a bit 'look at me' and she couldn't tell me why she did it, except that her family did. Nothing on web that I could find.TIA

Blessing for a single magpie, as my grandparents taught my parents and my parents taught me. They're my favourite birds, smart and with that gorgeous streak of vivid blue in their feathers.

I've been doing it for years, and now I seem to meet whole clans of magpies whenever I'm out for a walk. I allow myself to believe that I've won their loyalty and they ensure I almost never see one alone.

I salute single magpies and say good morning mr magpie. I don't do anything when I see a pair. In my defence I do spend alot of time on my own so think I am a bit strange!

I always say "Good morning, Mr Magpie" when I see one.

I knew the Magpie song (child of the 70s, maybe ?) but only heard about saluting/greeting magpies quite recently - 3 or 4 years ago.

We seem to have quite a few around here - particularly attracted to our front lawns. More so than other houses, from casual observation.

On the odd occasion (almost worth buying a dedicated camera to catch) they hop along 5 or 5 abreast - looks like a corvid remake of Reservoir Dogs .

They're supposed to be fearsomely clever too ....

Morning mr magpie how's the wife and kids?

Both sets of grandparents did it so I do to. I also turn down the radio and stop talking if I drive behind or drive towards/near a funeral procession.

Dp thinks I'm mental, but I'm northern and he's southern so things I do often leave him thinking I'm mental 😂

One for sorrow, so I always say Good Morning Mr Magpie to a single magpie.

I drive myself mad because I'm not superstitious at all and my mum used to believe all sorts of things that I would then deliberately do to show her it was ridiculous (umbrellas up inside, new shoes on the table, walking under ladders etc) but this one gets me every time!

I'm from the south and my mum was a Londoner.

Does anyones children do it?
None of mine do despite seeing dh acknowledging them for years

I salute single magpies and say 'good day mr magpie' quietly. I can't not do it.

I salute as does DS. As do parents and grandparents before them. I guess it crosses from a superstition to a quirky British tradition

I say hello Mr magpie how are you and yours

Yes x

Impressed by all the saluting.... I was raised to spit at the sight of a single magpie. Learned very early to do it in an extremely discreet, slight and ladylike way. I have no idea where that tradition came from and why!

I say "good morning mr magpie" if there's a single one, my Dad always did and I just picked it up as a child and carried on with it. Weird because he really isn't superstitious in any other way.

I blow them a kiss.

My friend always says to line magpies "hello Mr Magpie, how's Mrs Magpie?"

😃

*lone

Morning Mr Magpie Sir here

"Good morning Mr Magpie, how's your wife and family?" Very quietly
With a tiny bow and salute,

I say "Good Morning Mr Magpie" and then call out "Morning Mrs Magpie" because even though I can't see her she won't be far away.
One for Sorrow
Two for Joy

“Hello, Mr Magpie! How’s your missus?”
A habit inherited from my grandfather. Wards off bad luck.

Salute and Morning/afternoon captain.

I also avoid 3 drains, couldn’t tell you why though! Someone must have planted that seed when I was a child.

I say "morning, Mr Magpie", or sometimes "Morning, Mr Magpie, and how's the wife and kids?". DD asked how I knew it was a Mr Magpie, and how I knew he had a wife...

It's to do with "one for sorrow" so if you see a single Magpie pure sort of confirming it's not really on its own, so no sorrow. Or something.

I don't really believe anything bad will happen, it's just habit...

One foggy morning, I did say good morning to a pigeon by mistake, and one of my neighbours heard and looked at my like is lost my mind...

Does the magpie need to see you doing it? If not, it seems pointless!

It seemed rude to me, for her to keep doing it when we were in conversation when I was talking but sounds as if she can't ignore it in case something bad happens?

Yes I do but I had a twisted childhood which was centered around the bible of superstitions . Seriously there was a superstition for everything and they are so ingrained in me it's hard to forget. I was told for instance that if you knock one elbow but don't knock the other then the devil will put a curse on you. The same as if you sneeze three times in a row. My mother also was obsessed with reading dreams. Every day you had to say what you dreamt and the dreams were analysed.

Some of my ancestors came from Sunderland, so I cannot like magpies.