I have been told (not sure whether to believe or not) that if I feed the magpies and they frequent our garden that other breeds, particularly the parrots and kookas won't come in our garden any more.
Does anyone know if this is true or simply a furphy.
Hi Echidna, I have heard that too, I think because Magpies are quite territorial and even more so if there is an added element to protect ie. food supplement in your garden!Maybe thier beautiful song will make up for the lack of kookas and parrots visiting though?!BTW I have never heard the word furphy... is that an Australianism? :)
Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best
Thanks Hev......the kookas are still coming in and I haven't seen too much of the lack of the parrots and yes the Maggies chortling is certainly beautiful.
Furphy is Aussie slang for rumour that is not true.
I have to agree about the chortling. A few weeks ago I was sitting at work and the doors were open. I was convinced that their were several birds having a chat out there in the garden. out I trotted to find one lovely juvenile maggie having a huge conversation with himself. It was amazing to hear.
Cheers
Birdie
Sunshine Coast Queensland
You shouldnt feed any wild birds... I've had many problems with people who feed magpies, the bird becomes quite tame and then starts attacking people in the surrounding area.
Best just to admire and let them find their own food.
Yes, in our area there are calls to stop feeding wild birds as the Cockatoos (in particular) are very destructive to property when encouraged to visit for food (when the foods all gone they just start on the timber!)many people want the council to cull them ...but it's a human created problem..really not fair on the Cockatoos.
Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best
I know I shouldn't feed them and I certainly don't do so on a regular basis.
When we lived in Victoria, we had a family for many many years and when we left the front door open (we learnt our lesson very fast) the parents came straight down the hallway to the fridge. Although there were many warnings about Magpie attacks no-one in our street (or the reserve behind) was ever attacked. In fact they seemed to go out of their way to avoid attacking.
btw.....our little dog takes food she doesn't like out to the birds.....lol
Haha... my dog does the opposite... any fruit pulp or fruit 'on the way out' I put on the deck for the possums ...my kelpie brings it in if she gets the chance and stashes it in her bed... god forbid she should EAT anthing healthy like fruit...no she just doesn't want anyone else to have it, it's particularly nice when I discover it after it's been buried under the blanket in her bed for about a week...yeuuk!!
Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best
We had fish, scallops and garlic prawns for dinner.....which our dog shared(she loves her seafood) and next thing there's a tap on the glass door and looking through is a Magpie......IN THE DARK....I never knew maggies were still out and about after sunset.
ewwww.... now THAT would be delightful after a week in the dog bed!! aspecially as I'm veggie!!thank goodness it's just fruit n veg for the possums supplements!
Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best
I am on a small rural-residential property in the Southern WA.
For years, the same magpies have come visiting. When we first moved in, they would swoop every time we walked down the driveway, which was becoming quite annoying.
Feeding them a bit of cheese a couple of times a day has solved the problem. I do not feed the whole family, and I do not sustain them. Only the two dominant males get a few daily bites - enough to keep peace and quiet.
It is true, however, that when they are around, there is not much other birdlife in the bushes. But it returns as soon as the magpies are gone.
They are long-lasting relations, the magpies. The oldest one has been coming since 2002. Even when I travel away for months, he knows immediately when I am back and comes to visit again.
A fun thing about this is that when the young are just out of their nest, the whole gang often comes around the house for a couple of weeks. To see the learning curve of those young birds is entertaining and thought provoking. I love it.
The number of species in my backyard has increased since 2002 due to better food supply - plants - planted by me - so I don't think the general diversity is suffering from the light feeding of the magpies.
Kind regards
Laura