I caught Tweet of the Day this morning just before making the tea and listening, briefly, for bird song (a lovely Song Thrush). Today’s presenter was Michael Morpurgo and his bird was the Magpie – listen here on BBC iPlayer.
It was a refreshingly different take on things, unless it was meant seriously.
While looking for a Magpie image to use on this post I came across this post from December 2015 which now looks somewhat prophetic.
By the way, how many images do you think have been used on this blog in 7000 posts since April 2011?
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I think that robins have much better PR than corvids. I’ve watched one robin all but kill a rival but I still smile when this ruthless fighter comes to watch me gardening. Corvids are understandably much less trusting but are smart and quick to learn, so I think they intimidate us. We want to be top species and don’t want to be outsmarted by a mere bird.
Oh dear God!
Magpies are natural predators and the ecosystem has evolved to cope with their impacts. If Morpurgo is so appalled by the killing of songbirds then perhaps he might be better off backing a campaign to keep domestic cats indoors.
If the BBC see fit to put out this rubbish, then maybe Johnson has it right after all.
I suppose in a sense it aught not to matter who or who is not on this team although my own preference would include all the Wild Justice directors. The reason why it should not matter is that all the decisions about what to include or not should be done entirely on the basis of science and evidence. Real evidence not the anecdotal stuff from the hunting shooting fishing and farming brigade.
Having said that Morpurgo is off my Christmas list!
I think it was meant seriously. Interesting that he has a rather more charitable take on his local Buzzards (the next tweet of the day). They are to be enjoyed because they call with delight at the sun on their backs, rather than chattering inanely to show that they can’t be caught!
Dear me, what chowderheaded nonsense he spouts, Mr. Morpurgo, not Mark! I suppose he’s best known as a writer of fiction. Let’s hope it was tongue in cheek.
Is it because to (some) writers the words or even the sounds are more important than the truth?
I wonder if Morpurgo considers that it is hideous to think of all the millions of little baby moths that those evil blue tits polish off as they go marauding through the canopy uttering their demonic chatter?
Sadly I think he was serious. This is why I don’t like turning away and trying to ignore the guff from the other side – it’s shocking to find people you wouldn’t expect to believe it and they in turn spread the rubbish. It did start out well though, I’ve certainly noticed you never see a magpie as roadkill. I once saw a black and white bird dead at the side of the road and thought I’d check it was a magpie as I’d never seen one killed by a car before. I still haven’t it was an oystercatcher.