Random Ramblings

Random Ramblings: Personal observations on a wide variety of subjects. Photographs of creatures and things that are taken on seeing the unusual as well as everyday things.

Days

Today has had rolling rain clouds threatening to shed their load mixed with lighter patches where tiny daggers of sunshine have tried desperately to cut their way through the grey cloak. I tackled the bird table sorting out the mixtures of seeds, nuts and mealworms in the hope of enticing the robin to bob in a little closer. My little task of placing out the food for the birds was interrupted by the cat rubbing around my legs .. she wanted some more food too and was fervently reminding me of the fact that she had eaten her early breakfast an hour-and-a-half ago and was eager for more.

Where would we be without windows? When looking at animals or birds we often see more whilst being hidden behind glass than we can ever see from a front seat situation. I had placed extra bread on the lawn. A rather bedraggled and battered looking magpie crept up to a piece and pulled it back eating it hidden under one of the wooden chairs. I started to feel sorry for this elderly looking bird .. then a starling flew down and began to peck at the breadcrumbs .. it called out and all of a sudden half the lawn was covered with a flock of starlings. Like a bullet, the magpie shot out from its hiding place and put out its claws like those of an eagle. It pounced onto a starling and squeezed its claws tightly as though it were clinging onto a branch. Then it proceeded to hammer its beak into the body of the starling. Somehow, the starling wriggled free and floppily bounced backwards and forwards on the grass then it took flight up into the branches of a pear tree quickly followed by the magpie. The starling somehow got away .. I don’t know how badly it was injured. I never knew that magpies could be quite so vicious and dangerous – it left me speechless!

 

Waiting for the cat ...


Country Quips:

    • Even the smallest of jobs will extend to fill up the longest of days.

4 comments:

Sharkbytes (TM) said...

wow- and you had a ringside seat

Ann said...

That must have been quite some sight to witness. The magpie must have been very hungry to defend the food that it had found.

Up Close said...

nice post. :)

Unknown said...

I was out gathering up all of the washing in the early evening and there he was back again on the roof .. just looking down at me and waiting.

I know that there have been warnings about what types of food should be left down for garden birds as some people have been getting visits from Red Kites - but how could a little bit of bread and butter create such a scenario?