Australian Politics Forum - Am I my magpies' keeper?

Lord Herbert Gold Member Offline Posts: 34441 Gender:	Re: Am I my magpies' keeper? Reply #45 - Apr 12^th, 2017 at 9:01am Where are the socks, codsey? Wear shoes with no socks and the shoes start to stink while being unwashable. Back to the drawing-board with you, sister. Next time it'll be the Naughty Corner.
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cods

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Re: Am I my magpies' keeper?
Reply #46 - Apr 16^th, 2017 at 7:42am

herb this morning I have had a blackbird... completely black...nicking my white stones again it has been going on for about 3 qtrs of an hour.. no sooner gone with stone firmly clutched in beak than its back again..I have stones all over the front brick work where he/she throws them around until they fit the beak right...it must have made off with over a dozen so far..its amazing to watch...I tried to google how a blackbird would use stones but there isnt really anything....some of these stones are bigger than a 20cent piece....

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mantra Gold Member Offline ozpolitic.com Posts: 10750 Gender:	Re: Am I my magpies' keeper? Reply #47 - Apr 16^th, 2017 at 10:11am I googled it Cods and they eat the stones to aid digestion. Don't spray any weed killer near the pebbles. I would have posted a bit of the article and a link, but the site is playing up.
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cods

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Re: Am I my magpies' keeper?
Reply #48 - Apr 16^th, 2017 at 10:22am

mantra wrote on Apr 16^th, 2017 at 10:11am:

I googled it Cods and they eat the stones to aid digestion. Don't spray any weed killer near the pebbles.

I would have posted a bit of the article and a link, but the site is playing up.

really... mantra these are big stones...you buy them by the bag in Bunnings garden dept...they are too big for their beak the bird keeps dropping it until he gets it balanced I think in his beak...I find the odd one down the driveway as if its dropped it on the way out....I cant see them swallowing this I am afraid...I have also a lot of tiny stones.. yes previous owners must have had a stone farm somewhere...but they never go for them its these largish flatish smooth white ones they like.... I dont have a lot.. and they are diminishing every day.. lol..

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mantra

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Re: Am I my magpies' keeper?
Reply #49 - Apr 16^th, 2017 at 12:31pm

Crows are huge birds with big beaks Cods, but maybe the birds visiting your garden aren't crows and are bower birds who build part of their nest with stones.

I have seen the tiniest of birds swallow mouthfuls of food the size of their head. It's not hard to believe crows wouldn't swallow stones the size of a 20 cent coin. They have a reputation for doing that.

There are a few large black birds around of different species. Some have red eyes, others yellow or orange eyes - the bower bird has blue eyes.

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Unforgiven Gold Member Offline I have sinned Posts: 8879 Gender:	Re: Am I my magpies' keeper? Reply #50 - Apr 16^th, 2017 at 12:44pm Lord Herbert wrote on Apr 12^th, 2017 at 8:46am: ... the neighbour's balls dropping on my head ... Really?
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Unforgiven

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Re: Am I my magpies' keeper?
Reply #51 - Apr 16^th, 2017 at 12:46pm

mantra wrote on Apr 16^th, 2017 at 12:31pm:

Crows are huge birds with big beaks Cods, but maybe the birds visiting your garden aren't crows and are bower birds who build part of their nest with stones.

I have seen the tiniest of birds swallow mouthfuls of food the size of their head. It's not hard to believe crows wouldn't swallow stones the size of a 20 cent coin. They have a reputation for doing that.

There are a few large black birds around of different species. Some have red eyes, others yellow or orange eyes - the bower bird has blue eyes.

https://museumvictoria.com.au/forest/images/mr004868_md.jpg

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“I’ll let you be in my dreams if I can be in yours” Bob Dylan

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cods

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Re: Am I my magpies' keeper?
Reply #52 - Apr 17^th, 2017 at 9:18am

mantra wrote on Apr 16^th, 2017 at 12:31pm:

Crows are huge birds with big beaks Cods, but maybe the birds visiting your garden aren't crows and are bower birds who build part of their nest with stones.

I have seen the tiniest of birds swallow mouthfuls of food the size of their head. It's not hard to believe crows wouldn't swallow stones the size of a 20 cent coin. They have a reputation for doing that.

There are a few large black birds around of different species. Some have red eyes, others yellow or orange eyes - the bower bird has blue eyes.

https://museumvictoria.com.au/forest/images/mr004868_md.jpg

the bird is completely black...

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Neferti Gold Member Offline Posts: 7965 Canberra Gender:	Re: Am I my magpies' keeper? Reply #53 - Apr 17^th, 2017 at 2:46pm This is a crow.
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Neferti Gold Member Offline Posts: 7965 Canberra Gender:	Re: Am I my magpies' keeper? Reply #54 - Apr 17^th, 2017 at 2:48pm This is a Currawong.
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Ajax

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Re: Am I my magpies' keeper?
Reply #55 - Apr 17^th, 2017 at 2:50pm

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.

GO PIES....................... Cool

Don't mess with nature.......... Wink

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1. There has never been a more serious assault on our standard of living than Anthropogenic Global Warming..Ajax
2. "One hour of freedom is worth more than 40 years of slavery & prison" Regas Feraeos

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cods

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Re: Am I my magpies' keeper?
Reply #56 - Apr 18^th, 2017 at 9:16am

Neferti wrote on Apr 17^th, 2017 at 2:46pm:

This is a crow.

https://www.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2009/08/3177645376_16087ab598_b....

I was too busy watching the way it picked up the stones to notice the colour of its eye... will do the next time round...it makes a huge mess... which is fine....and must have pinched about 12 stones..lol...I have two cats so its quite bold...I would just love to see what they do with them......

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cods Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 88048	Re: Am I my magpies' keeper? Reply #57 - Apr 19^th, 2017 at 7:33am he was back this morning and he has a white iris...
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mantra

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Re: Am I my magpies' keeper?
Reply #58 - Apr 19^th, 2017 at 9:43am

It sounds like it's a raven Cods - a species of crow. They could eat the pebbles or just store them somewhere - no-one knows for sure. I hope one of your cats doesn't get him, but hopefully they are a bit wary of large birds.

Quote:

The Australian raven is distinguished from the Australian crow species by its throat hackles, which are prominent in adult birds. Older adult individuals have white irises, younger adults have a white irises with an inner blue rim, while younger birds have dark brown irises until fifteen months of age, and hazel irises with an inner blue rim around each pupil until age two years and ten months

One theory is that they hoard shiny objects to impress other ravens. Other research indicates that juveniles are deeply curious about all new things, and that common ravens retain an attraction to bright, round objects based on their similarity to bird egg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_raven

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cods

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Re: Am I my magpies' keeper?
Reply #59 - Apr 19^th, 2017 at 10:42am

mantra wrote on Apr 19^th, 2017 at 9:43am:

It sounds like it's a raven Cods - a species of crow. They could eat the pebbles or just store them somewhere - no-one knows for sure. I hope one of your cats doesn't get him, but hopefully they are a bit wary of large birds.

Quote:

The Australian raven is distinguished from the Australian crow species by its throat hackles, which are prominent in adult birds. Older adult individuals have white irises, younger adults have a white irises with an inner blue rim, while younger birds have dark brown irises until fifteen months of age, and hazel irises with an inner blue rim around each pupil until age two years and ten months

One theory is that they hoard shiny objects to impress other ravens. Other research indicates that juveniles are deeply curious about all new things, and that common ravens retain an attraction to bright, round objects based on their similarity to bird egg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_raven

no not a raven mantra no hackles...I want to catch it landing as it has a particular habit when it lands that separates it from other crows....

it could not possibly eat these pebbles they are flat and smooth.. and dont fit in the beak..

and no they dont go for shiny things mantra thats a myth.. but they are smart so there has to be a reason....and they are messy...lolol...

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