Yet Another Cycling Forum

Random Musings => Miscellany => Where The Wild Things Are => Topic started by: Canardly on 23 November, 2019, 10:13:13 am

Title: Magpie behaviour
Post by: Canardly on 23 November, 2019, 10:13:13 am
I scattered some grapes on the rear garden yesterday. A magpie picked up a grape and took it to a preferred location on the lawn. It then went to collect a large fallen leaf, returned to the grape and covered it, using the leaf. Well I never.
Title: Re: Magpie behaviour
Post by: hellymedic on 23 November, 2019, 01:08:29 pm
Magpies locally had a penchant for cat food we put outside.
Title: Re: Magpie behaviour
Post by: T42 on 23 November, 2019, 03:06:48 pm
We have a few local magpies and a family of ravens that muscle in on them from time to time - waiting until they've built their nests then pulling them apart to build their own, etc.

It wouldn't surprise me if a magpie concealed food from the playground bullies.
Title: Re: Magpie behaviour
Post by: Salvatore on 23 November, 2019, 05:18:02 pm
A magpie visits my garden every morning and takes anything the hedgehogs have left.

I've never seen the behaviour of Canardly's magpie, but on the rspb website it says
Quote
When food is abundant, magpies hoard the surplus to eat later. They make a small hole in the ground with their beak, place the food in it and cover it with grass, a stone or a leaf.
so it's not unusual.
Title: Re: Magpie behaviour
Post by: aeolus on 29 November, 2019, 05:52:44 pm
We have magpies and when I put out any bread that is really like concrete (Tesco's), its not unusual to see them taking chunks and soaking them in the bird bath before eating them.
Quite fun when another comes and steals it away from the one who is doing the dunking !