Etikettarkiv: #magpie

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Fourhundred and forty-sixth Asic- If you give a Magpie a Cookie…

Mouse

Years ago when my oldest daughter was a couple of years old, she got this little book as a gift from one of my dearest friends in the USA. I was told by him that the story was very much appreciated by young children and along with the book my daughter also got a little stuffed animal in the shape of a mouse, dressed like the mouse on the cover of the book. The book is the kind of repeating story that children love to listen to and there are many other books similar to this in many other countries, for instance in Sweden where I live. We learn to love the stories, although adults tend to love the first few times we read them, while children seem to like them although it may be the hundredth time its read to them…

I was thinking of this book today, because the story about the little mouse who is likely to want more and more from the boy in the book, is acting like the magpie in my garden. I was sitting in my garden today, together with one of my friends. It was lovely weather and we enjoyed the sunshine after a days work. We were first right under the oak tree, but after a while when the sun was moving, we moved, too, since our bench was now in the shade. We left the set table with cookies and tea under the oak tree…but moved the bench to a spot where the sun was still warming.  Suddenly my friend said: ”Look! The magpie is stealing something from the table!”

To her surprise I was merely saying ”Oh!” in the same kind of voice we use for cute little animals we love, or for little children… I had to tell her that this was most likely ”my” magpie from the birds nest in my apple tree on the other side of our house… And my friend looked as if the next thing to say would be ”So?!” It turned out that we had different experiences from magpies and their behavior, but shared the point of view that they are pretty smart. I decided to give the magpie a cookie. But I didn’t act at once. Instead we chatted on and after a while the magpie returned for another try at the table… My friend commented that maybe It would be TOO much of an offer to give the magpie ALL my cookies, so then I clapped my hands and the magpie flew off again… After it was gone, I removed every cookie except one. I left it on the chair and my friend and I got back to our bench a few meters away to wait and see whether the magpie would dare to try and get the cookie… She did!
drömmarMy only disappointment was that the magpie flew off to a garden two houses off from mine…

Really?! I couldn’t believe I was feeding the wrong magpie!!!…and with freshly baked cookies, too!!

Now I only dread the rest of the story, because if you give a magpie a cookie, she will most certainly come back for a glass of milk…but when I give her the milk, she will ask for a straw…

More about my magpie experiences are found in this link:

http://wp.me/p4uFqc-1e

magpie #skata

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Two Hundred and Seventy-First Asic- If you give a Magpie a Cookie…

Mouse

Years ago when my oldest daughter was a couple of years old, she got this little book as a gift from one of my dearest friends in the USA. I was told by him that the story was very much appreciated by young children and along with the book my daughter also got a little stuffed animal in the shape of a mouse, dressed like the mouse on the cover of the book. The book is the kind of repeating story that children love to listen to and there are many other books similar to this in many other countries, for instance in Sweden where I live. We learn to love the stories, although adults tend to love the first few times we read them, while children seem to like them although it may be the hundredth time its read to them…

I was thinking of this book today, because the story about the little mouse who is likely to want more and more from the boy in the book, is acting like the magpie in my garden. I was sitting in my garden today, together with one of my friends. It was lovely weather and we enjoyed the sunshine after a days work. We were first right under the oak tree, but after a while when the sun was moving, we moved, too, since our bench was now in the shade. We left the set table with cookies and tea under the oak tree…but moved the bench to a spot where the sun was still warming.  Suddenly my friend said: ”Look! The magpie is stealing something from the table!”

To her surprise I was merely saying ”Oh!” in the same kind of voice we use for cute little animals we love, or for little children… I had to tell her that this was most likely ”my” magpie from the birds nest in my apple tree on the other side of our house… And my friend looked as if the next thing to say would be ”So?!” It turned out that we had different experiences from magpies and their behavior, but shared the point of view that they are pretty smart. I decided to give the magpie a cookie. But I didn’t act at once. Instead we chatted on and after a while the magpie returned for another try at the table… My friend commented that maybe It would be TOO much of an offer to give the magpie ALL my cookies, so then I clapped my hands and the magpie flew off again… After it was gone, I removed every cookie except one. I left it on the chair and my friend and I got back to our bench a few meters away to wait and see whether the magpie would dare to try and get the cookie… She did!
drömmarMy only disappointment was that the magpie flew off to a garden two houses off from mine…

Really?! I couldn’t believe I was feeding the wrong magpie!!!…and with freshly baked cookies, too!!

Now I only dread the rest of the story, because if you give a magpie a cookie, she will most certainly come back for a glass of milk…but when I give her the milk, she will ask for a straw…

More about my magpie experiences are found in this link:

http://wp.me/p4uFqc-1e

magpie #skata

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Tolfte åseriet- Hello Mr Magpie! How is your wife?

Years ago, when I first visited a dear friend in Kent, England, she showed me around and we took a car ride in the lovely countryside. If you have ever been in Kent, you already know its beauty. I was admiring the scenery when my friend suddenly hit the brakes, opened the car door and in fact got out of the car, saying: “Hello Mr Magpie! How is your wife?” I had by then never  heard of such behavior among magpies, but a year later I could connect to magpies in general and a couple of magpies in particular. It was when a lovely movie was released. It is called “Pica pica” and as you may know, pica pica is the latin name for magpies. If you read in English, you may want to read another blog post about magpie experiences:

http://wp.me/p4uFqc-D3

DSC_1079-5.jpg (1200×788)

Jag satt hemma i TV-soffan, på den tiden då min TV inte hade fjärrkontroll och inte heller ett stort programutbud med många olika kanaler från världens alla hörn. Kvällens event var en film med titeln “Pica pica” Följ gärna länken:

http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pica_pica_(film)

Filmen är 97 minuter lång, står det i wikipedias information. Jag har ingen anledning att ifrågasätta det. Jag minns nämligen hur jag å ena sidan uppfattade filmen som längre än jag hade förväntat mig och å andra sidan hela tiden mycket fin, spännande, intressant och ovanlig i sitt slag. Skator fascinerar mig. I morse när jag tittade ut genom fönstret såg jag mina nya grannar, herr och fru skata. De har flyttat in i en risig etta i toppen av mitt äppelträd och nu innan lövverket döljer det, kan jag ägna tid åt att tjuvkika på parets ansträngningar att rusta upp ettan.

Det är helt uppenbart att de inte är helt eniga om hur det ska se ut i ettan. Jag är inte någon ornitolog, så jag vet inte vem som är herr och vem som är fru, för båda äro de varandra så lika. Men ett vet jag… De kivas… Den ena vill lägga kvisten åt det ena hållet och den andra flyttar genast samma kvist under högljutt tjatter. Kvistläggaren knuffas åt sidan och ordningen återställs tillfälligt och ett visst lugn infinner sig. Ettan vilar i frid, men se då kommer kvistläggaren åter, med en annan kvist, kanske för en utbyggnad åt söder? Jag börjar misstänka att kvistläggaren är en han och att den som funnit sig till rätta i ettan och börjar inreda densamma är en hon…

”Skator ska man hålla sig väl med!” brukar min pappa säga. Själv tycker jag att de är vackra, med sin svartvita fjäderdräkt och kloka ögon. De har något klokt över sig, tycker jag. Mamma berättade när jag var liten om en kvinna från hennes barndom. Kvinnan var på besök i mammas hem och tittade ut genom fönstret och sa: ”Vilken vacker fågel!” Min mormor gick genast fram till fönstret för att se vilken fågel kvinnan refererade till, men mormor såg inte någon jättevacker fågel, utan utbrast: ”Men det är ju en vanlig skata!” varpå kvinnan replikerade: ”Heter den så?”

Det kunde ha varit jag, som inte visste fågelns namn. Jag hör deras vackra sång, ser hur de anstränger sig den här tiden på året och jag kan namnge våra egna grannar. Min vän nötväckan som har bor i höghus, högt upp i tallen på vår tomt brukar jag prata med när ser henne och skatorna pratar jag också med, för jag är tillräckligt skrockfull för att minnas varför min väninna stannade sin bil så abrupt i England. Hon menade att man MÅSTE hälsa på skator, för annars betyder det otur. Eftersom jag inte gärna vill ta reda på i vilken grad det betyder otur, fortsätter jag hälsa på skator. I smyg… när ingen hör…