Are your magpies as annoying as our black-billed magpies are here in Canada? They’re beautiful birds, but they love to raise hell on summer mornings over a single bag of trash, or a rotten sack or grapes someone dropped beside the bus stop. I don’t know that I’ve ever woken up peacefully while camping, as magpies are always sure to see me up abruptly at a cool, balmy 4:30am.
they’re eating our trash because we’re making a mess of the planet while over populating their turf.
ONE FOR SORROW!!!
Here in Ireland they have a nursery rhyme about magpies, that they are prophetic depending on their numbers when seen. So much so, that the weaker minded will run around looking for a second one to adjust the current prophecy they believe the little guy is foretelling.
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.
There’s another older one also:
One for sorrow. Two for mirth. Three for a wedding, Four for death. Five for silver. Six for gold. Seven for a secret never to be told. Eight for Heaven. Nine for Hell. And ten for the devil’s own sell.
Supposedly the band Counting Crows’ name came from this practice.
Australia:
That’s not a magpie; this is a magpie
Look out or he’ll steal all your gold.
What a beauty!
