Would a magpie attack a robin's nest? I saw two robins setting up a
nest in a birdhouse in my back yard, then didn't see them for a few
weeks, so I had a look in the nest and there was an egg in it. I left
things alone but didn't see the robins any more. Then last week I
noticed that the nest had been pulled out of the birdhouse. I thought
maybe a rat or cat had been at it, as all trace of the egg was gone.
I put the nest back in the birdhouse just to see what would happen,
and today it was pulled out again. I saw a magpie looking around the
yard yesterday, so I'm wondering if it could be the culprit. If so,
could it have chased off the robins in the first place?
Thanks for any info,
Gerard

Yeah, I think so. In my back garden I saw a magpie eating a baby bird, so I
presume the magpie stole the bird from the nest.

It's nature, I suppose, but not very pleasant to see.



wrote in message
...
Would a magpie attack a robin's nest? I saw two robins setting up a
nest in a birdhouse in my back yard, then didn't see them for a few
weeks, so I had a look in the nest and there was an egg in it. I left
things alone but didn't see the robins any more. Then last week I
noticed that the nest had been pulled out of the birdhouse. I thought
maybe a rat or cat had been at it, as all trace of the egg was gone.
I put the nest back in the birdhouse just to see what would happen,
and today it was pulled out again. I saw a magpie looking around the
yard yesterday, so I'm wondering if it could be the culprit. If so,
could it have chased off the robins in the first place?
Thanks for any info,
Gerard

pushed briefly to the front of the queue on Wed, 14
May 2003 22:47:38 GMT, and nailed this to the shed door:

^ Would a magpie attack a robin's nest? I saw two robins setting up a
^ nest in a birdhouse in my back yard, then didn't see them for a few
^ weeks, so I had a look in the nest and there was an egg in it. I left
^ things alone but didn't see the robins any more. Then last week I
^ noticed that the nest had been pulled out of the birdhouse. I thought
^ maybe a rat or cat had been at it, as all trace of the egg was gone.
^ I put the nest back in the birdhouse just to see what would happen,
^ and today it was pulled out again. I saw a magpie looking around the
^ yard yesterday, so I'm wondering if it could be the culprit. If so,
^ could it have chased off the robins in the first place?

I would certainly think so. Where I work, the building is like a
hollow square, built around a large open garden/quadrangle thing.
Every year, ducks come and nest there - it's become quite an annual
event, seeing how many young will be raised every year. This year is a
record - 18 - but it's also the first year I can remember where the
numbers were not reduced by at least 50% by magpies, who given half a
chance will attack and kill the ducklings when they they are still
very small.

Andy

--
sparge at globalnet point co point uk

Stimulus: .. while I'm in the throes of a migraine ..
Response: IRTA ".. I'm in a trough of margarine"
Frank Erskine MJBC, uk.rec.sheddizen

In article ,
writes
Would a magpie attack a robin's nest?

Yep - along with several others in the crow family and grey squirrels.

--
Jane Ransom in Lancaster.
I won't respond to private emails that are on topic for urg
but if you need to email me for any other reason,
put jandg dot demon dot co dot uk where you see deadspam.com

In article , Adrian
Jones writes
Yeah, I think so. In my back garden I saw a magpie eating a baby bird,

I once saw a couple of magpies attack a baby blackbird that was hopping
about the garden - baby blackbirds seem to leave their nests before they
are 'ready' for some strange reason. By the time I got out to rescue it,
it was dead and had started to be pecked at, presumably as it was dinner
for the magpies

--
Jane Ransom in Lancaster.
I won't respond to private emails that are on topic for urg
but if you need to email me for any other reason,
put jandg dot demon dot co dot uk where you see deadspam.com

On Wed, 14 May 2003 22:47:38 GMT, wrote:

Would a magpie attack a robin's nest? I saw two robins setting up a
nest in a birdhouse in my back yard, then didn't see them for a few
weeks, so I had a look in the nest and there was an egg in it. I left
things alone but didn't see the robins any more. Then last week I
noticed that the nest had been pulled out of the birdhouse. I thought
maybe a rat or cat had been at it, as all trace of the egg was gone.
I put the nest back in the birdhouse just to see what would happen,
and today it was pulled out again. I saw a magpie looking around the
yard yesterday, so I'm wondering if it could be the culprit. If so,
could it have chased off the robins in the first place?
Thanks for any info,
Gerard

It could have been one of many animals, or even children etc. Sadly
the magpie gets blamed for many of the ills in the bird world, much of
it is completely unfounded. Even the CONservation hooligans at the
RSPB think the magpie is much maligned by misinformation and
ignorance.

Birds are well used to having two or three attempts at nest building,
it's what they do.


--








So, you dont like reasoned,
well thought out, civil debate?

I understand.

/´¯/)
/¯../
/..../
/´¯/'...'/´¯¯`·¸
/'/.../..../......./¨¯\
('(...´...´.... ¯~/'...')
\.................'...../
''...\.......... _.·´
\..............(
\.............\..

On Thu, 15 May 2003 08:01:07 GMT, (Andy Spragg)
wrote:

pushed briefly to the front of the queue on Wed, 14
May 2003 22:47:38 GMT, and nailed this to the shed door:

^ Would a magpie attack a robin's nest? I saw two robins setting up a
^ nest in a birdhouse in my back yard, then didn't see them for a few
^ weeks, so I had a look in the nest and there was an egg in it. I left
^ things alone but didn't see the robins any more. Then last week I
^ noticed that the nest had been pulled out of the birdhouse. I thought
^ maybe a rat or cat had been at it, as all trace of the egg was gone.
^ I put the nest back in the birdhouse just to see what would happen,
^ and today it was pulled out again. I saw a magpie looking around the
^ yard yesterday, so I'm wondering if it could be the culprit. If so,
^ could it have chased off the robins in the first place?

I would certainly think so. Where I work, the building is like a
hollow square, built around a large open garden/quadrangle thing.
Every year, ducks come and nest there - it's become quite an annual
event, seeing how many young will be raised every year. This year is a
record - 18 - but it's also the first year I can remember where the
numbers were not reduced by at least 50% by magpies,

Lie. Have you actually seen a magpie taking the chicks? I very much
doubt it!

who given half a
chance will attack and kill the ducklings when they they are still
very small.

That is a blatant lie.
--








So, you dont like reasoned,
well thought out, civil debate?

I understand.

/´¯/)
/¯../
/..../
/´¯/'...'/´¯¯`·¸
/'/.../..../......./¨¯\
('(...´...´.... ¯~/'...')
\.................'...../
''...\.......... _.·´
\..............(
\.............\..

On Thu, 15 May 2003 09:02:03 +0100, Jane Ransom
wrote:

In article , Adrian
Jones writes
Yeah, I think so. In my back garden I saw a magpie eating a baby bird,

I once saw a couple of magpies attack a baby blackbird that was hopping
about the garden - baby blackbirds seem to leave their nests before they
are 'ready' for some strange reason. By the time I got out to rescue it,
it was dead and had started to be pecked at, presumably as it was dinner
for the magpies

Many wildlife will take out, the weak and injured, it's what nature
does.


--








So, you dont like reasoned,
well thought out, civil debate?

I understand.

/´¯/)
/¯../
/..../
/´¯/'...'/´¯¯`·¸
/'/.../..../......./¨¯\
('(...´...´.... ¯~/'...')
\.................'...../
''...\.......... _.·´
\..............(
\.............\..

We've got an even nastier crow that is taking out baby ducklings, baby coots
and this morning I've found remains from a hen pheasant who was defending
her three young chicks I spotted yesterday.
"Malcolm" wrote in message
news:d323df77fc7b14ffb27119c16b063049@TeraNews...
On Thu, 15 May 2003 09:02:03 +0100, Jane Ransom
wrote:

In article , Adrian
Jones writes
Yeah, I think so. In my back garden I saw a magpie eating a baby bird,

I once saw a couple of magpies attack a baby blackbird that was hopping
about the garden - baby blackbirds seem to leave their nests before they
are 'ready' for some strange reason. By the time I got out to rescue it,
it was dead and had started to be pecked at, presumably as it was dinner
for the magpies

Many wildlife will take out, the weak and injured, it's what nature
does.


--








So, you dont like reasoned,
well thought out, civil debate?

I understand.

/´¯/)
/¯../
/..../
/´¯/'...'/´¯¯`·¸
/'/.../..../......./¨¯\
('(...´...´.... ¯~/'...')
\.................'...../
''...\.......... _.·´
\..............(
\.............\..

wrote in a message:
Would a magpie attack a robin's nest?

Most certainly. Magpies *do* take eggs and young from nests, they like most
members of the Corvidae family are great predators. I have watched a family
of jackdaws systematically take all the young from a blackbird's nest and
have seen rooks taking the young from their neighbour's nests in a rookery.

Bill Brewer

"sally.hemming" wrote in
:

We've got an even nastier crow that is taking out baby ducklings, baby
coots and this morning I've found remains from a hen pheasant who was
defending her three young chicks I spotted yesterday.

Do they work in teams then?
I can't see a single magpie take out a phesant....Not without a real
scrap...

In article , Rick McGreal
writes
Do they work in teams then?

There were two attacking the baby blackbird.

--
Jane Ransom in Lancaster.
I won't respond to private emails that are on topic for urg
but if you need to email me for any other reason,
put jandg dot demon dot co dot uk where you see deadspam.com

The message
from contains these words:

Would a magpie attack a robin's nest? I saw two robins setting up a
nest in a birdhouse in my back yard, then didn't see them for a few
weeks, so I had a look in the nest and there was an egg in it. I left
things alone but didn't see the robins any more. Then last week I
noticed that the nest had been pulled out of the birdhouse. I thought
maybe a rat or cat had been at it, as all trace of the egg was gone.
I put the nest back in the birdhouse just to see what would happen,
and today it was pulled out again. I saw a magpie looking around the
yard yesterday, so I'm wondering if it could be the culprit. If so,
could it have chased off the robins in the first place?
Thanks for any info,

Very likely. Most (possibly all?) corvines will rob nests. Magpies are
particular eggsperts.

--
Tony
Replace solidi with dots to reply: tony/anson snailything zetnet/co/uk

http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi

Groups of magpies do cooperate. some years ago I saw about 8 to 12 magpies
at Runcorn Heath setting about a black headed gull which had damaged its
wing and could only fly continuously for 50 yards or so.
More recently a squad of magpies intercepted our cat when she was carrying a
mouse-she dropped it for them -and continued on her way.
David Taylor
"Rick McGreal" wrote in message
...
"sally.hemming" wrote in
:

We've got an even nastier crow that is taking out baby ducklings, baby
coots and this morning I've found remains from a hen pheasant who was
defending her three young chicks I spotted yesterday.

Do they work in teams then?
I can't see a single magpie take out a phesant....Not without a real
scrap...

Urglers,

I've read all of this thread so far and in defence of magpies I'd like to
point out that they have a very hard time too. There are plenty of birds
ready to rob any nest they can find and this has lead the magpie to evolve
the
strategy of roofing its nest but even that doesn't always work.

Notwithstanding the maligned magpie, do not forget that a cock robin might
have quite a hareem; so if one of his wives - the subject starting the
thread say - was killed - perchance those b . . . . y cats again - that nest
would be deserted.

And as for gulls that David Taylor mentions - they are the worst killers. A
few years ago on a fishing trip a few miles south of the Needles, a group of
gulls chased what looked like a skylark. The terrified lark flew round and
round the boat but would not land on it even though all the fishermen
crouched in the boat's cover (too large to call a cuddy). Eventually a gull
snatched it in mid-air and after dropping the lark a few times, one
swallowed it whole. But that's Nature I suppose and we should not denigrate
birds for doing what comes naturally.

Geoff