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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To like the magpies in my garden.

31 replies

MrsMotherHen · 13/06/2018 18:25

We have several bird feeders in our garden. We also have a large bird bath.
Everyday we have two magpies (i think the same ones but who knows) come into our garden have some feed and a dip in the bath.

Tonight me DH DS3 DD1 have just been watching three huge magpies all dip in and out of the bird bath and eat some left over rasberries we put out.

I always thought magpies were a known as a bit of a nuisance but it's lovely to watch these maybe same few coming into the garden?

AIBU to encourage them to my garden?

OP posts:

HarrietKettleWasHere · 13/06/2018 18:26

Well they are really interesting to watch, and they eat anything, and they are very clever...but they eat baby blue tits for breakfast 😬

Beaverhausen · 13/06/2018 18:27

I love magpies. I know they are chick murdering bastards but I do love them.

Sayhellotothesun · 13/06/2018 18:28

No. I like them too. They are very intelligent creatures and they're beautiful. Did you know they can self-recognise in a mirror?

My FIL hates them and tried passing it onto my daughter by saying they steal eggs from nests. He also hates squirrels too and tries to encourage her to dislike them too, he used to shoot at them simply because one 'attacked' his cat. Very base level of thought for such an intelligent man IMHO. It's nature.

Mummymummums · 13/06/2018 18:28

Well, I suppose they can't help their nature, but they do kill other birds. A poor sparrow was killed by a magpie in my garden in front of me. So they deter other birds.

Sayhellotothesun · 13/06/2018 18:28

If we all went around hating every animal that ate another, there wouldn't be much left to like.

Original poster

MrsMotherHen · 13/06/2018 18:29

awww no I didn't know that about them we have a nest of sparrows in our gaint tree too but don't see much of them when they are about.

OP posts:

MsFrizzle · 13/06/2018 18:30

I mean, they have to eat too. I love magpies. They're beautiful birds, intelligent and part of the corvidae (crow etc) family and play/make tools/all of that fun stuff. I think humans just get a bit scared when something is as intelligent as they are :D

LadyMonicaBaddingham · 13/06/2018 18:32

I have an absolute favourite magpie near to where I work, he seems always to walk everywhere instead of flying. I've walked the full length of the path with him alongside me.

Sayhellotothesun · 13/06/2018 18:33

Even if they just kill for the sake of killing some other birds, other animals like cats do this and I think it's a sign of intelligence personally. Plenty of people agree cats are dicks, me included and I have two, but I still love them anyway. I kind of like their attitude to life- they don't take any shit!

Original poster

MrsMotherHen · 13/06/2018 18:36

My DS3 put one of his hook a duck game ducks in the bird bath he seemed to be playing with it tonight will try and get some pics later.

OP posts:

Cocolepew · 13/06/2018 18:36

I have some nesting in trees opposite my house. Every morning at 5 one of them decides to 'sing'. And by sing obviously I mean screaming. Fucking racket.
DH saw one attacking a sparrow yesterday.

upsiedayz · 13/06/2018 18:38

Magpies are beautiful looking birds. And super intelligent. My dad had a tame one when he was a boy.

Maelstrop · 13/06/2018 18:42

They’re predators of other birds and not welcome in my garden. You probably won’t get any other birds if there are magpies hanging round. I have a nice variety of birds, goldfinches, parakeets, robins, starlings, bluetots, wood pigeons, collared doves. I don’t want bloody magpies! They’re so noisy!

NotARegularPenguin · 13/06/2018 18:43

I have a pet crow.

It’s true that all corvoids are very intelligent, they can recognise different people and remember them even if they haven’t seen them in a year.

liz70 · 13/06/2018 18:46

I have sparrows, starlings, town pigeons, wood pigeons, collared doves, goldfinches, bluetits, coal tits, great tits, blackbirds, robins... and the occasional visit from Mr. or Mrs. Magpie.

vampirethriller · 13/06/2018 18:47

They can be taught to talk. My grandad had one when I was very little that he'd raised from a chick.

Fintress · 13/06/2018 18:54

I know they are chick murdering bastards but I do love them.

I don't like them after witnessing them tossing little chicks out of a nest onto my friend's drive. Found it upsetting as the poor little things had no chance.

HotNoodle · 13/06/2018 18:58

Hate magpie. Got 2 here. They use my decking to leave egg shells and tiny bits of ripped up chicks.
They also make a horrendous sound. It's like a horrid rattle sound.
There are much nicer birds to watch but they won't come near if magpies are about. I no longer get any other birds in my garden.

iwishicouldbelikedavidwatts · 13/06/2018 18:58

my uncle used to "rescue" them and keep them as pets. my mum has a long-standing bird-phobia dating back to a specific family caravan holiday :D

my partner is superstitious and is only happy when there's more than one.

i like them :)

iwishicouldbelikedavidwatts · 13/06/2018 19:00

eta: they eat my snails.

UpstartCrow · 13/06/2018 19:02

We feed our resident pair while the songbirds are nesting, I don't know if it helps. They eat meat and eggs.
I've seen them catch a starling, it was gruesome.

Fernweh · 13/06/2018 19:10

I love magpies and all corvids. They are so incredibly intelligent, and yes, they do kill and eat chicks of other species but so do other birds (animals and humans kill stuff too!), and they don't do it for sport (although they may leave what they have started to eat if disturbed).

I have bird feeders etc and I'm lucky I have everything from great tits to goldfinches, woodpeckers and a few crows and nesting magpies in the huge leylandii in my next doors garden. I live in a town near the coast so I'm used to people hating seagulls - even though we've moved into their territory, and if people didn't dump their half eaten shit picnics etc, these wouldn't be a problem either.

I wish people wouldn't lose their shit over animals doing what comes naturally!

gryffen · 13/06/2018 19:18

We live beside a major country park in Glasgow and aside from the deer, foxes and odd sheep roaming into our garden we get lots of squirrels and magpies.

Now - our squirrels are well fed due to the Apple tree in our front garden and in that tree live some sparrows and in the yew tree opposite us live the other birds.

Magpies come along and litterly the squirrels scare the shit out of them and beat them up- hysterical to watch as they are defending the smaller birds.

bobstersmum · 13/06/2018 19:22

I don't like them they kill lots of little birds every year here and just leave them scattered all over our garden, they are noisy buggers too!

Rinoachicken · 13/06/2018 19:33

I have a juvenile magpie in a makeshift aviary in my garden at the moment. I rescued him a couple
of weeks ago when he was injured and in distress and have been raising him myself after the vet said they usually just euthanase because they are ‘pests’. He’s done really well and I’m planning on releasing him next week.

They are so clever, he’s no longer scared of me and although I’ve kept contact to a minimum for his sake he now calls to me when I go into the garden. Can’t wait to set him free soon.

Lots of birds kill other birds, yet for some reason it’s only the magpie that is hated for it 😢

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