East Suffolk Magpies

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EAST SUFFOLK

EAST

MAGPIES.

SUFFOLK B Y GEORGE

263

MAGPIES. BIRD.

ALTHOUGH Magpies {Pica rustica, Scop.) and their nests are familiar objects in the Midlands, they are rarely seen in east Suffolk. Düring the present season I have been fortunate in observing four pairs of the birds, all within measurable distance of Ipswich. One of these had a family that came to grief quite early in their career, indeed before they had even viewed the world from their cradle. T h e other three pairs were luckier : two had families of four young and the last had five, all of which took safely to wing during the first week of June.*

On 21 March I found a Magpie's nest being built and possibly the work had been already going on for a week, as in the early days building is slow, while courting takes up most of the time. The nest is a huge, domed structure of sticks and this one was reared in the topmost fork-branches of a tall Whitethorn, the walls being strongly cemented with clay within, forming a large basin-shaped nest. On inspection in April I saw four mottled eggs, somewhat similar in colour to although larger than those of Blackbirds. Upon further inspection on 7 May I found four chicks in the nest. But these observations do not represent the period of incubation, for the nest was difficult of access and I was anxious not to disturb the family, so attempted no accurate dates. T h e chicks grow quickly and, when being fed, become both noisy and ravenous as time proceeds. But the parent birds are extremely stealthy, employing no small amount of woodcraft when stealing backwards and forwards to the nest. Feeding the young is effected by regurgitation, and it is impossible to State any definite opinion as to the material conveyed. However, it would seem that in their hunt for food the parents favour such materials as dead rats and rabbits, or raw flesh of any kind : certainly they are scavengers, rather than robbers of e ggs or young chickens. This is best shown by the fact that a gamekeeper had his coops of young Pheasants in the self-same meadow as the above nest, without being aware of its presence °r missing a single bird from his preserve. My photograph portrays Miss Magpie in the act of calling her brothers to come and watch the keeper, after their first short flight. y ' m a n a g e d to pay only a Aying visit to Suffolk, while on leave f r o m y P I * * " u r m a this year. N e a r S a x m u n d h a m I was shewn a live young j a > p l e > which had heen reared on a f a r m where the fields had reverted I hope the Society fl *-™°st primaeval conditions of t h o r n and jungle. ourishes, as f r o m the Transactions it seems to do.—J. K. STANFORD, m lit. 3 Oct. 1934.


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