I recently found that something had been digging around in one of my
vegetable containers; at first I figured it was a cat, but there was
no poo, & three copper plant tags had disappeared. I've seen magpies
around occasionally this year, & someone told me they like to take
shiny things back to their nests.

Comments, suggestions?

In article ,
says...

I recently found that something had been digging around in one of my
vegetable containers; at first I figured it was a cat, but there was
no poo, & three copper plant tags had disappeared. I've seen magpies
around occasionally this year, & someone told me they like to take
shiny things back to their nests.

Comments, suggestions?

I've seen crows collecting small treasures they take a fancy to.

Janet.

On Thu, 07 Jun 2012 12:34:18 +0100, Adam Funk
wrote:

I recently found that something had been digging around in one of my
vegetable containers; at first I figured it was a cat, but there was
no poo, & three copper plant tags had disappeared. I've seen magpies
around occasionally this year, & someone told me they like to take
shiny things back to their nests.

Comments, suggestions?

Use wood or plastic plant labels; magpies may go for copper if it
glints in the sunlight.

I've never noticed them digging in the ground here (and there are a
lot of them); they don't seem to touch any seed that falls to the
ground from a feeder though they do take over the bird table
occasionally and will kill any small bird that has the temerity to
land whilst they're gorging.

I do have blackbirds and thrushes that go into the ground around small
plants, presumably looking for meat! They seem to ignore ground around
more established plants, perhaps because that's less disturbed by my
ministrations and so is a bit harder.

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling from Swansea Bay. Dave's at that
end; I'm at this end. Bill's in the middle.

On 2012-06-07, Janet wrote:

In article ,
says...

I recently found that something had been digging around in one of my
vegetable containers; at first I figured it was a cat, but there was
no poo, & three copper plant tags had disappeared. I've seen magpies
around occasionally this year, & someone told me they like to take
shiny things back to their nests.

Comments, suggestions?

I've seen crows collecting small treasures they take a fancy to.

Aha, we have those too this year.

On 2012-06-07, Jake wrote:

On Thu, 07 Jun 2012 12:34:18 +0100, Adam Funk
wrote:

I recently found that something had been digging around in one of my
vegetable containers; at first I figured it was a cat, but there was
no poo, & three copper plant tags had disappeared. I've seen magpies
around occasionally this year, & someone told me they like to take
shiny things back to their nests.

Comments, suggestions?

Use wood or plastic plant labels; magpies may go for copper if it
glints in the sunlight.

Fooey, I thought these copper ones would look nice.


I've never noticed them digging in the ground here (and there are a
lot of them); they don't seem to touch any seed that falls to the
ground from a feeder though they do take over the bird table
occasionally and will kill any small bird that has the temerity to
land whilst they're gorging.

I do have blackbirds and thrushes that go into the ground around small
plants, presumably looking for meat! They seem to ignore ground around
more established plants, perhaps because that's less disturbed by my
ministrations and so is a bit harder.

Thanks.

"Adam Funk" wrote in message
...
I recently found that something had been digging around in one of my
vegetable containers; at first I figured it was a cat, but there was
no poo, & three copper plant tags had disappeared. I've seen magpies
around occasionally this year, & someone told me they like to take
shiny things back to their nests.

Comments, suggestions?

Well, magpies do like shiny things, so it's not beyond the bounds of
possibility. Try cutting up a bit of foil tray, poking it into the soil at
the same place. If it disappears, it is likely to be a corvid (not
necessarily a magpie) - crows and jackdaws will also steal shiny sparkly
things.
A woman I knew in my childhood had a pet jackdaw. He'd been injured in the
wild and couldn't fly properly. She had him/her for donkeys years and he
was free in the house and she could never open her jewellery box without him
hopping down and selecting a ring to take up to the top of the wardrobe.
She had to get on a stool occasionally to raid his stash of all things
shiny, including one day, her watch that she had taken off to have a bath,
forgotten to put it back on afterwards and found it gone!
She used to let the neighbourhood children in occasionally to look at
"Jacky" as we were so fascinated by the idea of having a wild bird loose in
the house and also by his amazing blue eyes. She told us that he could say
his name "Jack" and we believed it..as he clearly could ;-)
ISTR he lived about 20 years, but I may be wrong.

Tina

"Janet" wrote in message
...
In article ,
says...

I recently found that something had been digging around in one of my
vegetable containers; at first I figured it was a cat, but there was
no poo, & three copper plant tags had disappeared. I've seen magpies
around occasionally this year, & someone told me they like to take
shiny things back to their nests.

Comments, suggestions?

I've seen crows collecting small treasures they take a fancy to.

My jackdaw once took a fancy to one of my gold sleeper earrings. Never did
find it.

--
Kathy

On 2012-06-07, Kathy wrote:

"Janet" wrote in message
...
In article ,
says...

I recently found that something had been digging around in one of my
vegetable containers; at first I figured it was a cat, but there was
no poo, & three copper plant tags had disappeared. I've seen magpies
around occasionally this year, & someone told me they like to take
shiny things back to their nests.

Comments, suggestions?

I've seen crows collecting small treasures they take a fancy to.

My jackdaw once took a fancy to one of my gold sleeper earrings. Never did
find it.

ouch!

On 08/06/2012 12:03, Adam Funk wrote:
On 2012-06-07, Kathy wrote:

wrote in message
...
In ,
says...

I recently found that something had been digging around in one of my
vegetable containers; at first I figured it was a cat, but there was
no poo,& three copper plant tags had disappeared. I've seen magpies
around occasionally this year,& someone told me they like to take
shiny things back to their nests.

Comments, suggestions?

I've seen crows collecting small treasures they take a fancy to.

My jackdaw once took a fancy to one of my gold sleeper earrings. Never did
find it.

ouch!


I wonder if you sprayed the weeds with gold spray would the Magpies
collect them?

On 2012-06-08, Martin wrote:

On Fri, 08 Jun 2012 13:59:39 +0100, David Hill
wrote:

I wonder if you sprayed the weeds with gold spray would the Magpies
collect them?

Do they collect dandelions? :-)

Nope.

"Adam Funk" wrote in message
news
On 2012-06-07, Kathy wrote:

"Janet" wrote in message
...
In article ,
says...

I recently found that something had been digging around in one of my
vegetable containers; at first I figured it was a cat, but there was
no poo, & three copper plant tags had disappeared. I've seen magpies
around occasionally this year, & someone told me they like to take
shiny things back to their nests.

Comments, suggestions?

I've seen crows collecting small treasures they take a fancy to.

My jackdaw once took a fancy to one of my gold sleeper earrings. Never
did
find it.

ouch!


Didn't hurt at all! The loveable little sod perched on my shoulder and, so
I thought, nibbled my ear. In fact he was working out how to undo the
earring. I only knew about it when he flew up to a high perch in his aviary
with a delighted squawk.

He would also announce to all and sundry that he was Jack Jack Jackdaw :-}

--
Kathy

"Martin" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 08 Jun 2012 13:59:39 +0100, David Hill
wrote:

On 08/06/2012 12:03, Adam Funk wrote:
On 2012-06-07, Kathy wrote:

wrote in message
...
In ,
says...

I recently found that something had been digging around in one of my
vegetable containers; at first I figured it was a cat, but there was
no poo,& three copper plant tags had disappeared. I've seen magpies
around occasionally this year,& someone told me they like to take
shiny things back to their nests.

Comments, suggestions?

I've seen crows collecting small treasures they take a fancy to.

My jackdaw once took a fancy to one of my gold sleeper earrings. Never
did
find it.

ouch!


I wonder if you sprayed the weeds with gold spray would the Magpies
collect them?

Do they collect dandelions? :-)

I've never seen one on the ground collecting them, but my Jack loved them.
At a pinch he would eat the leaves, but went barmy over the flowers.

--
Kathy

On 2012-06-07, Adam Funk wrote:

I recently found that something had been digging around in one of my
vegetable containers; at first I figured it was a cat, but there was
no poo, & three copper plant tags had disappeared. I've seen magpies
around occasionally this year, & someone told me they like to take
shiny things back to their nests.


Oops! While refilling & reseeding the container today, I found the
copper tags buried in it. No poo though.

On Thu, 07 Jun 2012 12:34:18 +0100, Adam Funk
wrote:

I recently found that something had been digging around in one of my
vegetable containers; at first I figured it was a cat, but there was
no poo, & three copper plant tags had disappeared. I've seen magpies
around occasionally this year, & someone told me they like to take
shiny things back to their nests.

Comments, suggestions?


They're eating the carrots here

--
http://www.voucherfreebies.co.uk

On Tue, 12 Jun 2012 16:08:00 +0100, mogga
wrote:

On Thu, 07 Jun 2012 12:34:18 +0100, Adam Funk
wrote:

I recently found that something had been digging around in one of my
vegetable containers; at first I figured it was a cat, but there was
no poo, & three copper plant tags had disappeared. I've seen magpies
around occasionally this year, & someone told me they like to take
shiny things back to their nests.

Comments, suggestions?


They're eating the carrots here


Here, today, two of the b**t**ds attacked and killed two young birds
who were on the bird table when they wanted to take over. I couldn't
get out of the house in time to scare them off. A third youngster got
off onto the ground and (s)he was also attacked and didn't survive
more than a minute or so (fortunately given the lack of an eye and a
leg).

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling from Swansea Bay. Dave's at that end; I'm at this end.
Bill G's in the middle. Come to think of it, where is Bill G these days?