OMG! In an urban garden!

[LifeIsGoodish]

There was s terrible cacophony of bird noise outside, so I looked into my unspectacular urban garden and saw a spectacular sight on my lawn. Magpies were mobbing a small bird of prey that had caught something.

I think it may have been a sparrowhawk, and the captured bird was very similar coloured, so perhaps a starling. When I opened the garden door the magpies fled, and the sparrowhawk (?) zipped into a snug, sheltered corner of the garden. I thought it might stay there for a moment, and took my eyes off it for an instant to grab my clogs, but when I turned back it had gone.

The magpies continued yammering for several minutes longer.

What an excitement!

Yes, they do not like the red kites. I've watched a group of magpies mob a red kite, pairs taking turns to grab its wings from behind - in flight! - until they drove it away.

I love/hate magpies.

I regularly find a pile of feathers in my garden, evidence of a meal of a bird of prey. Also we went outdoors a few nights ago in the hop of see the eclipse of the moon. There was a barn owl happily perched on my tv ariel.
I now lie in bed hoping it is just above me.

I saw similar earlier in the year a bird of prey being driven off by crows and seagulls, working together in the air. It was obvious they didn't want him around. It was quite fascinating to watch.

That’s really surprising! I see two magpies in my garden on an almost constant basis. There is a nest, I think, high up in our rowan tree. I’ve heard what I think is at least one chick. I keep saying ‘two for joy’ but I don’t know how many chicks I should be adding!

I don't think the mobbing is 'benevolence' on the part of the magpies, i reckon they just spotted a good opportunity to mob a predator they don't want on their turf.

Hmm just how many magpies?

Two or three. Why the "hmm"?

Two or three in my garden, more in a neighbour's tree.

Not sure 'benevolence' is how I would describe the action of the magpies

They were just trying to chase off the hawk and nick the prey for themselves.

We have pigeons, seagulls and magpies. The occasional blackbird but hardly any small birds at all. The magpies have driven them out

I have a nesting pair of magpies in the tree in my garden and I’m really fold of them too.
They throw twigs at you if you dare to sunbath under their tree
They keep my indoor cats entertained too.

furrytoebean, endofthelinefinally, exactly why I love/hate magpies. They are fascinating to watch: interested, intelligent, entertaining. But they drive away all the smaller birds. The sparrowhawk killed a smaller bird, but she did so to eat it. The magpies wreck the nests of smaller birds, throw the babies out, but do not eat them. It is wanton destruction because the little birds do not compete with magpies. I was heartbroken when magpies destroyed the house martin nest on our wall. House martins and swallows had been nesting there for years, but they never returned after that.

I would love to put up a bird feeder but I am surrounded by cats. Not mine, but they seem to like to occupy my (tiny) garden.

The pole type of feeder, placed well away from trees might be ok. And the squirrel-proof cages keep the larger birds from demolishing the fat balls.

I seem to have a decent balance, maybe it helps that I've got a dog who passively deters larger birds.

Magpies are seriously nasty pieces of work - nest robbers. As are woodpeckers - drilled to make the hole bigger in our blue tit box and stole the young. Foiled with a metal gasket for the next batch of young.

Hmm, we have lots of magpies and crows here and an abundance of sparrows, robins, goldfinch, blue and great tit so they certainly haven't driven off all the small birds here.