[Closed] Just had to rescue the guinea pig from a magpie...

The sparrowhawk would probably carry her away here.

Magpie last week got at least one of the blue tit fleglings leaving the nest box. On the other hand when the magpies had a nest in the tree next door I once saw a crow raiding their nest and carrying a magpie chick away. That's nature.

Is their meat called guinea ham? or guinea bacon?

Is their meat called guinea ham? or guinea bacon?

Either way, she'd be a bit tough, I reckon.

Magpies cleared a robins nest in the front hedge earlier in the year, think we have sparrows nesting there now

Is their meat called guinea ham? or guinea bacon?

Having had one in Peru, I'd say guinea chicken

Having seen what a sparrowhawk did to a pigeon in our garden, we've always had a covered run for our guinea pigs, with hinged access doors in the roof. Perfect.

Kitchen window looks out onto wall with a buddleia growing out of it, housing a blackbird next. It's probably around 4-5ft away from the window. Last year as I was doing the dishes I heard loads of distressed birds so looked out to see a magpie raiding the nest and scoffing the eggs. Blackbirds, blue tits and even a robin were all trying to deter the magpie but needless to say it did not give a ****. I was half tempted to scare it off myself, but I just did an Attenborough and watched.

There's a video on YT of a sparrowhawk drowning a magpie.

That should settle a few scores!

HTF does a sparrowhawk know that the ingress of fluid into the magpie's airway and lungs will kill it? Blew my noggin.

I was out running the other day and saw a couple of magpies taking lumps out of a fairly poorly looking pigeon. I'm didnt see if they had taken it down or were just capitalising on it.

Bastard magpies!

Is it one of those scruffy long-haired ones? The magpie probably didn't realise it was a guinea pig and was just fetching nest material from the convenient pile of fur 🙂

Is it one of those scruffy long-haired ones? The magpie probably didn’t realise it was a guinea pig and was just fetching nest material from the convenient pile of fur

There's quite a lot of fur on the lawn still if they want to bring their nest.

I'd have no issues in using one of these.

@Matt The Lost Words? Lovely book.

We've got a very cocky Jay round here, who has been seen taking live hedge sparrows.

The Lost Words? Lovely book.

I'm changing my STW username to Magpie 😀

Having had one in Peru, I’d say guinea chicken

There's a lot more meat on a chicken!
(I want a fan- also had it in Peru)

Sounds like a job for the Wonder Pets.

You must live in cat free nirvana if you can get away without a lid. A reoccurring feature of my day is checking that a cat is not lurking round our piggies - and hissing/chucking something as appropriate. Round here the Red Kites and Buzzards would also make a lid essential, before you start worrying about corvids.

I’d be concerned about gulls if you have them nearby too. The kids were subjected to an Attenborough X Hitchcock style colab last week when the Herring Gulls at Port Issac were picking off a very large jackdaw chick. Brutal. It found sanctuary on a slippery rock with a slight over hang next to the Harbour, just above the water line. The tide was coming in however……

The gulls then reverted back to tourist Fish/chips and pasties for mains.

The Lost Words? Lovely book.

Matt please confirm, I would like to buy this for the kids myself 🙂

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Moose and his pal Errol are scared of basically nothing - they even make friends with the local cats (of which there are hundreds). But they always run to hide at the sound of the local magpies, which is probably for the best as they've been picking on a pair of blackbirds recently, to the point where one of them killed the female blackbird on the table/sacrificial altar in our garden. I'd cover your pig cage up (although I'd be delighted with 9 years, what an innings! Ours only ever seem to get to 7 or 8).

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I'm currently building a Cat bothy. My Mum's Puir wee cat only has the unheated and somewhat draughty greenhouse to sleep in. Not bad in summer but he likes to be out all year round.

Same construction as used in house building, timber frames, multi layer insulation between the upright sections of the framing, waterproofing layer and outer clad in 9mm osb,finished in strips of 6mm thick quartered oak to simulate overlapping style often seen on modern designs, 6mm internal ply. Opting for a sloping roof, covered in hutch felt,so he can lie on it in summer(hinged), with a 2" thick closed cell foam floor. 3 perspex windows 100mmx100mm at differing heights. 600mmX500mmX500mm With a proper 2 way non lockable cat flap on the front.

We've never had an issue with cats, strangely. Buzzards sometimes fly over and the guinea pigs shoot into their hut then. There will be tarp tightly over the run this afternoon as shade and bird protection

Previous guinea pugs have died between 5-7 years, Cream is a bit of a wonder at 9. Her back legs are very weak now and I fear a trip to the vets will be needed very soon if she starts to show signs of suffering, but she's happy enough to drag herself round the lawn chewing the grass down, and goes mad of you offer her willow leaves, a real piggy treat.

We'll miss her when she's gone, but after 14 years of guinea pigs, will be nice to have half the shed back.....

@matt_outandabout - that’s Father’s Day sorted, thanks!

Matt please confirm, I would like to buy this for the kids myself

@Kahurangi

https://uk.bookshop.org/books/the-lost-words/9780241253588

Yes it is. A lovely book.

I may have one of the pictures cut up and mounted in a frame at work and at home - we use the books in schools all the time. Frightening how many children have not heard these words, my staff meet them regularly.

https://www.ltl.org.uk/resources/the-lost-words-outdoor-teaching-lessons/

You need a live magpie to bait a magpie trap. To catch the first one you use a sacrificial g'pig