Two For Joy – by Charmaine Candappa High on the almost leafless tree, I see through my window a large bird’s nest. The magpies have taken over the nest and whirl confidently around it. I miss the sparrows occupying the nest and twittering from branch to branch. My husband a nature lover reminded me that magpies belong to the crow family with their black and white feathers. The magpies have an unsavory reputation for being notorious thieves, stealing eggs from bird’s nests, and pecking young birds. There is often a roof of twigs on top of the nests making it secure from other predators. There is an old folklore that says how to foresee the immediate future by the number of magpies seen together at one time. Growing up as a child in Srilanka, my friends would say “ one for sorrow, two for joy “, on seeing a brood ...
Nov 30, 2024
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Articles, Charmaine Candappa
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