Rossini wrote an opera entitled The Thieving Magpie, named after that bird’s kleptic propensities. I think the subject of the opera lives near me. Every couple of days, since I began leaving food out for the community cats, the food-bowl has been emptied. I thought that I had some very hungry animals in my neighbourhood. I do, but they aren’t mammals.
The solution is simple, of course. I will put the food-bowl out in the evening, when the magpies are sleeping off their reiving, and the cats are prowling. The only time I have seen cats actually eating the nutrition I’ve offered has been at night, so they know it’s there at that time. I will bring in the food each morning.
But I think I may scatter some kernels for the magpies, regardless. Though they are rather aggressive toward other birds, even driving them out of districts by eating their eggs, they do provide a bit of entertainment for my beasts, and I believe in paying performers for their work. But I won’t give them too much. They’ll just end up stealing what they want, anyway.
I am careful with putting food out for The 'O' Cats, because we don't want to encourage raccoons, rats, opossums, etc. As if...PO'M eats up everything anyhow; he's a little glutton. We don't have magpie's around here, that I know of!
ReplyDeleteYou know, I don't think I've ever seen one in "real" life. At least your kindness is helping an abundance of critters! :-)
ReplyDeleteYes, feeding only after dark will probably be the best solution. The magpies annoy me because they drive everything away and make such a screeching noise all of the time.
ReplyDeleteUninvited guests are always a problem when you leave food out. But being an animal lover, I'm all for feeding the wildlife. And as you noted, the cats love watching bird TV.
ReplyDeleteGlad we don't have these near me , but I am sure other birds would do the same.
ReplyDeleteI found it terribly frustrating to try to feed, say, the birdies. I spent a lot of green papers to buy sunflower hearts to keep Katie and Admiral's channel up and running. The hearts were disappearing at an amazing rate. I found that it was all of my deer who just cake this town with their presence. They are everywhere. I live in a wooded area and the deer are in the streets, your yard..etc. They even walk down the sidewalks! I did not put two and two together on the disruption of the TV channel out there until I looked out to see what was on TV one meowning, and saw two does with their tongues stuck into my 5 pound capacity bird feeder, scarfing up all the sunflower hearts. They would eat a good 9 #'s a week. I thought it was hungry birds. I had to give up. (trees are too huge and tall to put a feeder in the limbs...limbs aren't attainable as they start 40 or so feet up.
ReplyDeleteYou never know who will turn up at the food table - often the greediest are those uninvited. I think you have a good solution. Raccoons take everything here - including food intended for the community cats.
ReplyDeleteDarn magpies! I agree that feeding the cats at night is more likely to work best...those birds are just scavengers. I guess they have their place in nature.
ReplyDeleteEileen
we keep our feral cat bowls in our garage, but they do seem to be empty more often in the morning that in the evening.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorites and they have been here at times seeing what they can grab MOL
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