When you see a Magpie, what do you do?

[FavouriteMug]

Going by the reactions of my friends, choices seem to be broadly split as follows:

A. Stop whatever you are doing/saying IMMEDIATELY to utter some weirdy salutation stating with the words 'Good Morning Mr Magpie', even though it's 4.30 in the afternoon. After which your friends are permitted to resume the conversation again.

B. Deftly perform some sort of ritual involving 3 salutes and a tug on your collar without breaking conversation and still managing to keep one hand in the steering wheel/pouring hot water into a mug etc.

C. Absolutely nothing, because it's just a sodding bird and why would you?

I'm C - I think I'm the only one who is and that the world has truly gone mad

My mum always saluted and said 'worros mr magpie, where is your wife?' And for as long as I can remember I have continued this! Only for one magpie though. And just to explain - worros is sorrow backwards 😆

Also I say that in my head!

Salute AND ask after it’s family here

C

Salute and say 'yes sir, mr. Magpie' 😂🤷🏻‍♀️

We work from home and see loads of magpies at the bird feeder, if we stopped every time we saw them we'd get nothing done.

I salute and say, "good morning Mr Magpie".

Really interesting article about magpie folklore here

www.horniman.ac.uk/story/birds-myth-lore-legend/

@NorthLodgeAvenue

Carry on with the days activities because I am not insane.

This. What is all the saluting about?

Smile. They are magnificent, intelligent, birds.

My Grandma taught me to say "good morning Mr Magpie, and how are you today? Remember me to your wife and family" then nod your head at it.

I did it for years and years. Nowadays I just salute. Even when I'm out running. Alone. I actually look a tiny bit mad.

If it’s necessary to be polite be magpies you should remember there’s a 50% chance you’re addressing Mrs Magpie and should be enquiring about the wellbeing of her husband. Surely misgendering magpies is TERRIBLY bad luck (sorry, not taking this seriously!)

@pennypan same

I say good morning mr magpie and where is mrs magpie?

I don't do anything. I've often seen magpies and didn't know they needed me to do something special.

Absolutely nothing. I see a hundred magpies a day- along with many other birds.

Well Australian Magpies must be much more pissed off than European ones.

If I see a magpie - I pray its not breeding season. Then tell it in a firm voice to go away. They are mean fuckers. Took me a while when we moved here to work out why cyclists wore these bizarrely modified helmets... pic best describes.

Good morning/afternoon, sir and a sort of ptuh noise, as I am not going to actually spit!

speakout I’m sometimes where I see hundreds a day hunting smaller birds and being chased and mobbed by swallows and also buzzards. I’ve taken the view that my first sighting will be ‘proper’. From then on I just nod a bit.

This was the recent devastating story about a crazy magpie attacking somebody....

www.cnn.com/2021/08/10/australia/australia-magpie-baby-death-intl-hnk/index.html

I say "Hello Mr Magpie. How are you ?"

We have so many in our suburb they are a total nuisance. Apparently they are a threat to smaller birds.

I learned "One for sorrow, two for joy etc"
But my grandmother always said "One for good luck, two for bad luck."

Not hundreds. That was mad exaggeration. Maybe 50-60. They are indeed predators. I’ve seen even sparrows (as long as enough of them) chase them away successfully though.

I say good morning Mr magpie and hit myself 3 times in the head...

C, it’s just a magpie. I am not from a superstitious family therefore never learned this behaviour.

E, curse and then cross your finger until you see three other types of birds to ward off the curse of a single magpie……… constantly driving around with my fingers crossed.

My children take great delight in pointing them out to me

"Hello Mr magpie, Where's Mrs magpie and all the baby magpies"

My mum always says it so now I do too