A few days ago, as I was working at the kitchen sink, I heard an enormous commotion out in the side yard where we have a line of willow trees. Something on the order of a dozen magpies were screeching and flapping in agitation.
I stepped outside to see if I could determine the source of their distress. And what did I see?
The magpies had built a nest in one of the willows, which I had failed to notice earlier.
A raven – not a crow, but a raven (no mistaking its size) – was in the process of raiding the nest, with all the magpies shrieking in outrage around it. As I watched, the raven flapped away with a nestling in its beak.
Gradually the magpies dispersed, and things have been quiet since. In fact, it's been so quiet that I suspect that nestling was the last one, and the raven had been there earlier for the rest of the nestlings. ("A vending machine for the raven," as Don put it.)
To be perfectly honest, I've witnessed enough brutal magpie raids of robin and bluebird nests that I'm finding it difficult to be sorry for the magpies. All members of the corvid family engage in such opportunistic behavior, some more than others, and it's never fun to watch.
Nature, red in tooth and claw.
I love Tennyson. I also love corvids.
ReplyDeleteI would probably shoot the magpies.
ReplyDeleteAlso on my list are coyotes, armadillos, rattlesnakes, and more. Some creatures are varmints.
On a lighter note, it seems every year a little house wren nests in whatever plant I put on some outdoor shelving. This year I forgot sort of , and planted some pots of lettuce. Both plants previous used were left inside and their nests really didn't seem usable anymore. So I go to harvest some lettuce, and there's this huge, dense , nest down in the pot. Empty. I figured they must have come and gone. A few days later I was thinking of removing it to let lettuce fill the pot back up, and there are 4 eggs. And Mama flying around real close objecting to me fooling with the pot!
I wonder if this is the same bird or one of the previous hatchlings! It's like that spot is hers! They're welcome, but I had no idea before that they can be so determined.
There used to be a lot of trees and brush behind my house but that's been removed. Which is another reason I wasn't' expecting her. But I guess that pot will stay from now on. The nest is more of a fortress than previous ones.
House wrens are supposed to be a blessing. Whatever the reason, they are pleasant to have around.
Well, I probably wouldn't have shot the magpies.
ReplyDelete