Sorrow for a little one ..

A horrendous noise in the back garden turned out to be the cats savaging a semi-fledged magpie that must have fallen from its nest, with three adult magpies screeching frantically and mobbing the cats. A real todo. I managed to lock the cats in the kitchen, perch the magpie on the fence to recover (and to take a photo) and then with the aid of a ladder put him safely up fairly high in the tree where the adults were squawking. I hope they will feed him and help him finish fledging but it's a hard life out there. We'll see if he gets through the night. I don't think he'll fall out - he has very strong claws, and seems very fit - it's just that he hasn't quite got the hang of flying. I love his colours and his stubby tail - which will of course (if he lives to adulthood) become a long tail like the others.