ned wrote:
"Tumbleweed" wrote in message
. ..

"ned" wrote in message
...

snip


I know its a daft question but, are you sure they are magpies?
They usually pair up in twos. I've never seen a dozen together.

You must be joking, I will often see 10+ together on the field at
the back of my house.

Although they can lay upto (I think) 8 eggs, I've never seen a
family
group of more than 6 around here.
And I've always thought that they were pretty territorial.
:-)) So no, I wasn't joking. :-))

I think what happens is that the fledged young of the year hang about
together -- I counted a group of thirteen once -- before the
survivors disperse to seek their fortunes. I imagine two families
might often get together for a while.

Mike.