Magpie ( Pica pica)

A day spent quietly at home, quietly, as I managed to cause a pain in my back by doing as little emptying water out of a casserole dish.  As a result I was reduced to bird shots through the window.

I chose the magpie as I think I have only blipped a magpie ondo.ce before.  I know many dislike Magpies and they get blamed for a lot of things which they don't actually do.   They have been blamed for the reduction in songbirds yet studies have shown populations of any bird.   are not reduced by predators.   Yes the can and sometimes do kill small birds but not as often as many think.  They will take nestlings during breeding season which is nature just as the Blue Tit will take caterpillars.  Strangely nobody I have ever come across has suggested Blue Tits (and all other insectivorous birds) are bad because they take the Butterflies young.

The record age (proved by ringing) is 21 years 8 months 23 days set in 1947.   For the record the bulk of a Magpies diet is Invertebrates (mainly beetles) carrion, fruit, seeds sacps and occasionally small vertebrates.  This one was spending its time rooting about in the grass, presumably looking for seeds from the feeders and/or invertebrates.