Australian Politics Forum - Am I my magpies' keeper?

bogarde73

Gold Member

Offline

Anti-Global & Contra Mundum

Posts: 18443
Gender: male

Re: Am I my magpies' keeper?
Reply #30 - Nov 9^th, 2016 at 6:32am

My guys never swooped me either. They would sit on a tree branch or the pergola waiting for me to come out and they'd look you full in the face.
Probably thinking about which eye they'd tear out if I didn't get on with it.
Then after I'd put the food down and turned away I'd hear this thump as one of them landed on the tin cover of the old bbq. Usually they'd feed one at a time, sometimes two together.

I miss them.

Back to top

Know the enemies of a civil society by their public behaviour, by their fraudulent claim to be liberal-progressive, by their propensity to lie and, above all, by their attachment to authoritarianism.

IP Logged

Neferti Gold Member Offline Posts: 7965 Canberra Gender:	Re: Am I my magpies' keeper? Reply #31 - Nov 9^th, 2016 at 3:19pm Still no sign of my Maggies either. Currawongs seem to have disappeared as well. I also used to get a lot of Sparrows. I used to put out "wild bird seed" but the bloody Cockatoos came so I stopped that. Perhaps I should ring the Rangers and ask why the Magpies seem to have disappeared?
Back to top	IP Logged

mantra

Gold Member

Offline

ozpolitic.com

Posts: 10750
Gender: female

Re: Am I my magpies' keeper?
Reply #32 - Nov 10^th, 2016 at 8:24am

bogarde73 wrote on Dec 10^th, 2015 at 3:13pm:

A pair of magpies and their chick started hanging round a few weeks ago so I put out a bit for them when I was feeding the dog.
Big mistake.

I've never heard a more whinging, petulant creature than this chick. It's there first thing in the morning, sitting on the TV aerial, waiting for me to feed the dog, and calling non-stop. It does this a few times a day as well.

I had the same problem for years with the same female and her babies. She'd drop them off at my place to be babysat and they never stopped squawking for food or attention.

You can't let them be too dependent unfortunately because eventually the father drives them out of the area so the female can start the breeding process all over again. They would have had a hard time looking for natural food after being so spoiled.

After 5 years the female has stopped breeding thankfully - so only her daughter and a niece (I assume) who's brain damaged visit for a feed. Mainly I've fed them on perches so they wouldn't wander around on the ground and get caught by the cat.

If I had the chance to start over again and not feed them - I wouldn't encourage them, but I'd have to get rid of the cat first.

Back to top

IP Logged

mantra

Gold Member

Offline

ozpolitic.com

Posts: 10750
Gender: female

Re: Am I my magpies' keeper?
Reply #33 - Nov 10^th, 2016 at 8:31am

Neferti wrote on Nov 9^th, 2016 at 3:19pm:

Still no sign of my Maggies either. Currawongs seem to have disappeared as well. I also used to get a lot of Sparrows. I used to put out "wild bird seed" but the bloody Cockatoos came so I stopped that. Perhaps I should ring the Rangers and ask why the Magpies seem to have disappeared?

I haven't seen any Currawongs this year either. They are not aggressive birds contrary to some opinions.The magpies are down in numbers and I saw one sparrow the other day - the first in years.

It could be the lack of natural food, predators, disease or poisoning or all of that.

Back to top

IP Logged

bogarde73 Gold Member Offline Anti-Global & Contra Mundum Posts: 18443 Gender:	Re: Am I my magpies' keeper? Reply #34 - Apr 7^th, 2017 at 3:29pm I am not absolutely sure yet but I think my magpies might be back. Is this the breeding season? Have they returned to Bogarde's soup kitchen? PS I'll be checking they have valid visas and are not carrying laptops or other devices.
Back to top	Know the enemies of a civil society by their public behaviour, by their fraudulent claim to be liberal-progressive, by their propensity to lie and, above all, by their attachment to authoritarianism. IP Logged

mantra Gold Member Offline ozpolitic.com Posts: 10750 Gender:	Re: Am I my magpies' keeper? Reply #35 - Apr 8^th, 2017 at 11:22am They are getting ready for breeding. The females have established new mates and are looking for safe places to build their nests. Generally the babies leave the nest around August or September - so they would probably start laying their eggs in the next couple of months.
Back to top	IP Logged

Neferti Gold Member Offline Posts: 7965 Canberra Gender:	Re: Am I my magpies' keeper? Reply #36 - Apr 8^th, 2017 at 3:05pm My Magpies are back. One mature (white beak) and a "juvenile" here this morning .... probably the rest of the family was around too .... I didn't notice. I still don't know how to distinguish male/female Magpies ... something to do with the "white" bit on their neck?
Back to top	IP Logged

mantra

Gold Member

Offline

ozpolitic.com

Posts: 10750
Gender: female

Re: Am I my magpies' keeper?
Reply #37 - Apr 9^th, 2017 at 1:00pm

There isn't much information on the net about magpies. You have to figure it out for yourself. Females have slightly smaller heads and seem generally more agitated. They definitely move faster than the male. The males are a larger build with bigger heads. They are also more placid generally, but become very aggressive during mating season and when it's time to drive his sons out of the area. Every year a younger, stronger male enters the family fold, forces last year's mate out and breeds with the dominant female. The male magpies age very quickly for some reason and then disappear.

If the bird visiting you Neferti has a juvenile with it - then it is definitely a female who has probably visited you before. They have extended families and the females foster younger family members when they need to. She will probably bring a new mate around soon. Females don't breed until they're 3 or 4 - I'm not sure about the males. Maybe if the juvenile is a young male - he might end up being her next sperm donor.

Back to top

IP Logged

cods

Gold Member

Offline

Australian Politics

Posts: 88048

Re: Am I my magpies' keeper?
Reply #38 - Apr 10^th, 2017 at 10:21am

I thought my magpie was back snitching my white stones..as they get dropped around the place..lol..

however this one was a huge all black bird.. a crow maybe ..beautiful very selective on the size of stone he/she wanted...will have to buy some more as the smaller ones have all gone...I would love to know what they do with them.. I mean a nest full of these stones...couldnt last long...

Back to top

IP Logged

Lord Herbert

Gold Member

Offline

Posts: 34441
Gender: male

Re: Am I my magpies' keeper?
Reply #39 - Apr 10^th, 2017 at 1:56pm

cods wrote on Apr 10^th, 2017 at 10:21am:

I thought my magpie was back snitching my white stones..as they get dropped around the place..lol..

however this one was a huge all black bird.. a crow maybe ..beautiful very selective on the size of stone he/she wanted...will have to buy some more as the smaller ones have all gone...I would love to know what they do with them.. I mean a nest full of these stones...couldnt last long...

Do they use these stones to crack the eggs of other birds in the nest?

Back to top

IP Logged

cods

Gold Member

Offline

Australian Politics

Posts: 88048

Re: Am I my magpies' keeper?
Reply #40 - Apr 11^th, 2017 at 6:08pm

Lord Herbert wrote on Apr 10^th, 2017 at 1:56pm:

cods wrote on Apr 10^th, 2017 at 10:21am:

I thought my magpie was back snitching my white stones..as they get dropped around the place..lol..

however this one was a huge all black bird.. a crow maybe ..beautiful very selective on the size of stone he/she wanted...will have to buy some more as the smaller ones have all gone...I would love to know what they do with them.. I mean a nest full of these stones...couldnt last long...

Do they use these stones to crack the eggs of other birds in the nest?

your so smart herb,.. I didnt think of that..

I was thinking more along the lines of a nice pebble path leading to their nest..

Back to top

IP Logged

Lord Herbert

Gold Member

Offline

Posts: 34441
Gender: male

Re: Am I my magpies' keeper?
Reply #41 - Apr 11^th, 2017 at 8:58pm

cods wrote on Apr 11^th, 2017 at 6:08pm:

your so smart herb,.. I didnt think of that..

I was thinking more along the lines of a nice pebble path leading to their nest..

There was one year when my property was peppered with golf-balls from the golfing-nut across the road who had left his balls out on the porch for the crows to drop all over my place.

Back to top

IP Logged

cods

Gold Member

Offline

Australian Politics

Posts: 88048

Re: Am I my magpies' keeper?
Reply #42 - Apr 12^th, 2017 at 8:13am

Lord Herbert wrote on Apr 11^th, 2017 at 8:58pm:

cods wrote on Apr 11^th, 2017 at 6:08pm:

your so smart herb,.. I didnt think of that..

I was thinking more along the lines of a nice pebble path leading to their nest..

There was one year when my property was peppered with golf-balls from the golfing-nut across the road who had left his balls out on the porch for the crows to drop all over my place.

they could have dropped on your head herb...whilst you were keeping an eye on the neighbours.. Wink

you do do neighbourhood watch dont you?

Back to top

IP Logged

Lord Herbert

Gold Member

Offline

Posts: 34441
Gender: male

Re: Am I my magpies' keeper?
Reply #43 - Apr 12^th, 2017 at 8:46am

cods wrote on Apr 12^th, 2017 at 8:13am:

they could have dropped on your head herb...whilst you were keeping an eye on the neighbours.. Wink

you do do neighbourhood watch dont you?

Neighbourhood Watch has long since been abandoned by the councils as more a paedophile's playground than as a deterrent.

Way more dangerous than the neighbour's balls dropping on my head from a crow's beak are the rocks and concrete pieces that come whizzing over into my backyard from a development going on up the road. I've been very lucky so far with these killer-projectiles.

Back to top

IP Logged

cods

Gold Member

Offline

Australian Politics

Posts: 88048

Re: Am I my magpies' keeper?
Reply #44 - Apr 12^th, 2017 at 8:54am

Lord Herbert wrote on Apr 12^th, 2017 at 8:46am:

cods wrote on Apr 12^th, 2017 at 8:13am:

they could have dropped on your head herb...whilst you were keeping an eye on the neighbours.. Wink

you do do neighbourhood watch dont you?

Neighbourhood Watch has long since been abandoned by the councils as more a paedophile's playground than as a deterrent.

Way more dangerous than the neighbour's balls dropping on my head from a crow's beak are the rocks and concrete pieces that come whizzing over into my backyard from a development going on up the road. I've been very lucky so far with these killer-projectiles.

Back to top

IP Logged