General Chat

With the mild weather maybe they are :-S and think it is spring :-D

In the spring, large numbers of Magpies often gather to resolve territorial conflicts and social standing. These gatherings, called parliaments, probably gave rise to the many nursery rhymes and poems about Magpies, such as:

One for sorrow, two for mirth,
Three for a wedding, four for a birth,
Five for silver, six for gold,
Seven for a secret not to be told.
Eight for heaven, nine for hell,
And ten for the devil's own sel'.

Or more commonly:

One for sorrow, two for joy;
Three for a girl, four for a boy;
Five for silver, six for gold;
Seven for a secret, never to be told;
Eight for a wish, nine for a kiss;
Ten for a bird that's best to miss.

http://www.garden-birds.co.uk/birds/magpie.htm

CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHY WE HAVE A SUDDEN INCREASE
OF MAGPIES HERE,
THE NORM IS HALF A DOZ FLYING ROUND BUT YESTERDAY
IN THE TREE OPPOSITE I COUNTER THIRTY ONE,
NEVER SEEN SO MANY IN ONE PLACE BEFORE