# Mr Magpie



## Niamhf (Dec 17, 2013)

I met this guy in the park today  he looked so proud I just had to take a picture


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## lindav (Jan 28, 2016)

What kind of bird, do you know? Nice color.


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## Penzance (May 17, 2015)

There is no doubt that magpies are stunning looking birds. I don't encourage them in my garden though (not that that keeps them away!) as they do exact a heavy predatory toll on the small birds here - in the spring they spend a lot of time robbing the nests of eggs and chicks. I know it is nature, but I find it heartbreaking when they literally wipe out whole families of very hard working little birds. Good pics though! I think the English magpies are a little different, they seem to sport more colour particularly green and blue.


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## Niamhf (Dec 17, 2013)

Yes the European magpies are very different (they're the ones I'm used to and they are slightly smaller to these ones). I agree nature is heartbreaking sometimes but I suppose they have to live also. My nephew and my dad witnessed a hawk taking a magpie once and I found that traumatic but it just shows that they have predators too.

When i was very young, we had a rescue magpie for a few months (my mum found him entangled in wire and he had torn his foot completely off trying to escape). We named him mag mag and after surgery with the vet he recooperated in our family home for the harsh winter months. I remember the day he was released, we had been putting his cage (that my dad built especially for him) outside for a while each day in the spring time to introduce him gradually to outside again. Anyway another magpie (presumably his mate) would come and feed him every day and the day he was released was sad but wonderful to watch them flying off together


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## Niamhf (Dec 17, 2013)

lindav said:


> What kind of bird, do you know? Nice color.


Hi Linda, it's a magpie


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## Kate C (Oct 15, 2007)

I like Magpie's. They are incredibly smart and they can learn to talk. A friend had one that she rescued as a baby when some kids were throwing stones at him in the middle of the road. She raised him and as they imprint on humans very strongly he lived with her. Even if she had taken him 20 miles away to release he probably would have beat her back home. I have heard stories about this with wildlife rescue services. When they get a Magpie in now they feed them behind a blind with a glove that looks like a Magpie to stop imprinting. Her bird had quite a vocabulary and would even mimic a police car siren. You would swear blind that there was a police car outside.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Mr. Magpie does look very proud and regal standing there upon "his" personal tree root perch!

Great picture, Niamh - thanks for sharing it with us. *


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## nuxi (Oct 28, 2014)

That's a beautiful photo,Niamh! Thanks for sharing with us!


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## RavensGryf (May 8, 2015)

Beautiful bird, thanks for sharing Niamh! None of those here, I've never seen a Magpie in person.


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## ISOE (Dec 23, 2013)

Nice photo- Australian magpies are awesome. The noises they make are amazing. They are scarce in number in zoological collections so if you see one outside of Australia you are lucky!


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## aluz (Jul 24, 2011)

Great pics, I'm glad you had such a great model to pose for the camera!


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

Mr. Magpie is a very handsome little guy! He looks so striking and proud on his perch 

Great pictures


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## budgieeds (Feb 21, 2016)

I love magpies, i used to look after one when it fell out the tree but it sadly passed away a week later


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## Jonah (Feb 3, 2013)

Very nice pictures Niamh...thank you for sharing...


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## Jedikeet (Feb 3, 2014)

RavensGryf said:


> Beautiful bird, thanks for sharing Niamh! None of those here, I've never seen a Magpie in person.


LOL, I must also admit that I've never seen nor have a clear image of what a real magpie looks like until now. I use to watch a cartoon about 2 magpies called _Heckle & Jeckle_ as a kid and always thought they should look close to H&J...but that's also as close as _Woody Woodpecker_ looking like a real woodpecker


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