Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
I'm enjoying the Magpies darting from Silver Birch to Silver Birch
The thing I love about going back to Australia is hearing the magpies gargle loud in the morning, the Australian Magpie is a a much larger crow size bird, (Gymnorhina tibicen.)
But this winter I've enjoyed watching the Common magpie (Pica pica) darting down our road in the strong, near horizontal winds we've been experiencing.
In the spring, large numbers of Magpies often gather to resolve territorial conflicts and social standing. These gatherings, are called 'parliaments,' like the sound of that!
One for sorrow, two for joy
One for sorrow, two for mirth,
Three for a girl, four for a boy,
Three for a wedding, four for a birth,
Five for silver, six for gold,
Five for the future, not be sold,
Seven for a secret not to be told,
Seven for a secret, never to be told,
Eight for heaven, nine for hell,
Eight for a wish, nine for a kiss,
And ten for the devil his own self,
Ten for a bird that's best to miss.
I'd miss either or both...
But this winter I've enjoyed watching the Common magpie (Pica pica) darting down our road in the strong, near horizontal winds we've been experiencing.
In the spring, large numbers of Magpies often gather to resolve territorial conflicts and social standing. These gatherings, are called 'parliaments,' like the sound of that!
One for sorrow, two for joy
One for sorrow, two for mirth,
Three for a girl, four for a boy,
Three for a wedding, four for a birth,
Five for silver, six for gold,
Five for the future, not be sold,
Seven for a secret not to be told,
Seven for a secret, never to be told,
Eight for heaven, nine for hell,
Eight for a wish, nine for a kiss,
And ten for the devil his own self,
Ten for a bird that's best to miss.
I'd miss either or both...
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by John D on
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I always understood it was a Parliament of owls. I found a " Conventicle " of Magpies. I guess both names are so weird that you can pick the one you like best although I tend to go for " flock "
Why do we have such a variety of collectives for different birds ? And why is there a collective for owls, which I've always thought of as rather solitary ?
It's rather like the hundreds of abstruse terms for phobias - invented solely to provide material for pub quizmasters
( Fear of quizmasters - Paxophobia )
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