Finally, some like minded people! I love magpies, they are so handsome looking and bursting with character. I used to have one who would sit amongst the ivy on an old stone barn near my bedroom window, chattering away for hours. I don't care what anyone says, I love the sounds they make. They sound like they're laughing and I think it's wonderful. This one used to have a flutey whistled song too, I loved it so much. It disappeared after summer a couple of years ago, never to return. There used to be lots of them all around, they would get up to their antics on the neighbours' roofs. Now I'm lucky if I see one in a blue moon around here, they all seem to have dispersed over the last couple of years.
Hi Starshine and welcome from here too.
I have to say that I like Magpies as they are birds bursting with character, and they are full of entertainement. We have two here ... so as Corvids mate for life I see them as being a male and female birds. They are never apart from one another at all.
I have my bird feeders, where I sprinkle some food on the ground for the bigger birds. and control the amount I put down, The smaller birds to Blackbird size, have their food safely tucked away behind a wire cage,
I know i have heard the Blackbirds chinking at them on a regular basis - especially early in the morning time.
All corvids are characters, and are highly intelligent so it is good if people just take them to accept them as they are. They are not the arch enemy number one. No more than any other bird that has an opportunistic nature.
Yes, they do take nestlings, but so do Squirrels (Grey, and non-native) and that is one thing I do not like in my garden at all.
Beside the fact Magpies are part of the rich tapestry of bird life we have in the UK and they are part of the eco system anyway, I love them to bits!!
Regards
Kathy and Dave