Magpie Season

Beth54 · Guru

Magpie Season

_wombat_ · Master (of Mischief)

what is a port?

bronnie · Senior Member

My sentiments also Beth, and what about if they annoy you, they can be relocated!!!

I know a swoop can hurt, so best to avoid them if possible in the short time they are doing this, they are only protecting their young.....

-- Edited by bronnie on Saturday 3rd of September 2011 06:43:56 PM

bronnie · Senior Member

Wombat, a port is a suitcase, Beth was referring to her school bag, I think....

Beth54 · Guru

Oh sorry, I forgot, it's a Qld thing. wink

I don't think they should be relocated. As you say Bronnie, they're protecting their young, therefore they have nests which shouldn't be relocated.

People just need to be aware, and put their "port" on their head! biggrin

lilly31 · Guru

Its a load of crap i reckon yes maypie's can attack and can hurt but they are only doing what we all have done proctecting their young ...maybe some people just need a life and leave the birds alone .....Just my thoughts

-- Edited by lilly31 on Saturday 3rd of September 2011 09:56:45 PM

pauline · Guru

I went to school in Qld and thought everyone called it their school port, till now, just goes to show you are never too old to learn.

gubby · Guru

_wombat_ wrote:
what is a port?

Any Port in a storm, or magpie season... wink

Cruising Granny · Guru

We live in one large country with all those states and territories, and as I've travelled I've learned we all speak English, but there are a vast variety of dialects of English.
It depended on who settled the state.
So I can now consider mysel to be multi-lingual Australian. I also speak a little German and Maori, neither of them fluently.
Now I'm not sure about my English either. It's getting mutilated.

sucastja · Senior Member

_wombat_ wrote:
what is a port?

a bloody nice drink biggrin

Cruising Granny · Guru

As for the magpies. We live in their territory so we have to adjust. They have adjusted by learning to scavenge what we leave behind.
Natur-loving nomads will understand everything's right to live where it does. I just love sitting under a tree, by a creek, out in the bush just watching nature doing its thing. It's very entertaining, and even educational. Just wear a helmet when in magpie country.

Sheba · Guru

bronnie wrote:
Wombat, a port is a suitcase, Beth was referring to her school bag, I think....
That's what they're called here in Qld Bronnie.
Saw a guy on a pushbike today with Rods about 30cm long sticking out all over his helmet. Took me a minute to realise they were probably Magpie deterrents.
Cheers,
Sheba.

-- Edited by Sheba on Saturday 3rd of September 2011 09:24:49 PM

Beth54 · Guru

pauline wrote:
I went to school in Qld and thought everyone called it their school port, till now, just goes to show you are never too old to learn.

I found the language difference between states when I was 10 and my family went to Bendigo to visit my Nana. We went to the local shop and asked for an ice block and they didn't know what we were talking about. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think they were called icy poles. Horses for courses, I say.

Right on the button CG. I love them.

Sheba, I was the same when I saw them. I thought, what the??? It's very sensible though. Doesn't hurt the maggies but deters them.

Elle on Wheels · Guru

In NSW in the 60's we called our school cases 'ports' it comes from portmanteau which is a Pommy word even though it's obviously French. Swooping Margarets are a bit scarey but once you know where they are you can simply walk backwards as you pass their nesting spot - they will deflect their swoop if you are facing them. Lots of people wear hats with big eyes in the back or those xmas antler things or balls on springs. Nesting Maggies can't really be relocated, they are incredibly intelligent and sensitive and will stop nesting if interfered with while nesting. Mostly all you have to do is detour aprox 20 metres from their nesting area and they won't swoop.

Speaking of scavenging, maggies are particularly attracted to blue - does anyone remember when in the late 80's in canberra they changed the colour of the plastic milk bottle caps beacuse maggies were scavenging them and having problems with the blue cap rings - they can be deadly.

Beth54 · Guru

Elle on Wheels wrote:

Speaking of scavenging, maggies are particularly attracted to blue - does anyone remember when in the late 80's in canberra they changed the colour of the plastic milk bottle caps beacuse maggies were scavenging them and having problems with the blue cap rings - they can be deadly.

Yes, same here in Qld Elle. They'd get them around their necks.

dazren · Guru

disbelief Beth 54 if you were in melbourne for the football on friday night

It Was DEFINATLY NOT Magpie season biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin

Loffty · Senior Member

They all need to drink some cement today, and harden up.
Learn to live with old mother nature, not against her.
Sorry, never had a problem growing up in the country.
Just lived with it all.

Also just for my lovely wife, carn the cat's :)

-- Edited by Loffty on Sunday 4th of September 2011 10:13:42 AM

gubby · Guru

Beth54 wrote:
I found the language difference between states when I was 10 and my family went to Bendigo to visit my Nana. We went to the local shop and asked for an ice block and they didn't know what we were talking about. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think they were called icy poles. Horses for courses, I say.

When I was a youngster living in Geelong we used to drive to Qld (Mackay) twice a year, on the first trip when buying fish & chips in Qld if we asked for potatoe cakes we received a blank stare, after explaining we were told were scallops, where as in Vic Scallops were shellfish, confuse

blaze · Guru

gubby wrote:
Beth54 wrote:
I found the language difference between states when I was 10 and my family went to Bendigo to visit my Nana. We went to the local shop and asked for an ice block and they didn't know what we were talking about. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think they were called icy poles. Horses for courses, I say.
When I was a youngster living in Geelong we used to drive to Qld (Mackay) twice a year, on the first trip when buying fish & chips in Qld if we asked for potatoe cakes we received a blank stare, after explaining we were told were scallops, where as in Vic Scallops were shellfish,

Scollops have allways been shell fish, have a look in the fish'shellfish ID books. One and one is a local from home = i piece of fish and a serve of chips. As for magpies, what a great footy team and a wonderful bird, can spend hours watching them along with crows or mybe I just enjoy all birds

cheers

blaze

_wombat_ · Master (of Mischief)

OK, thanks guys that's sorted the port out, but I do feel stupid with a glass of port on my head.

jimricho · Guru

_wombat_ wrote:
OK, thanks guys that's sorted the port out, but I do feel stupid with a glass of port on my head.

I don't at the time but next morning.......ummm....that's a different story! confuse

Beth54 · Guru

dazren wrote:
Beth 54 if you were in melbourne for the football on friday night

It Was DEFINATLY NOT Magpie season

No I wasn't Dazren, and I don't know much about the footy, other than my Victorian rellies are mad about it!

Totally agree Loffty, about hardening up, don't know about 'carn the cats'. wink

As far as I'm aware gubby, the're called potato scallops, not just scallops. That would be confusing! I've never asked for them as I'm not fond of them myself. Prefer chips.

When we were in Dunedin, NZ South Island, a cup of chips was called a pottle of chips! confuse Yes it's in the dictionary as a basket.

Now as for you wombat and jimricho, you can take the port off your head now, unless there are maggies nesting nearby. biggrin

-- Edited by Beth54 on Sunday 4th of September 2011 03:33:00 PM

goinsoon · Guru

_wombat_ wrote:
what is a port?

It's a place where they dock ships - isn't it?? bleh

Beth54 · Guru

goinsoon wrote:
_wombat_ wrote:
what is a port?
It's a place where they dock ships - isn't it??

Hey! You're a Qlder aren't you goinsoon?!

Nicholstones · Guru

When I was a kid (many years ago in Melbourne) my aunt and uncle had a student from SA staying with them, they had fish n chips for Friday night tea and the visitor said he wouldn't eat anything except scallops. So my aunt and uncle paid a fortune for some scallops, but of course he was horrified when they were dished up to him, he meant what we call potato cakes.

Sheba · Guru

In my younger days we used to call the Potato Scallops just that. Potato Scallops. Just to say Scallops meant the seafood.

Cheers,

Sheba.

goinsoon · Guru

Beth54 wrote:
goinsoon wrote:
_wombat_ wrote:
what is a port?
It's a place where they dock ships - isn't it??
Hey! You're a Qlder aren't you goinsoon?!

Much to my horror, I think I am becoming one disbelief

shazartist · Senior Member

Beth54 wrote:
I can't believe they've just done a big story on the news about magpie season!
Quest newspapers are even running an online map of their nesting areas!
I remember them swooping us on the way to our bus stop. We'd walk along with our ports on our heads.
I can't believe people get so wound up about them!

Beth I was from Sydney and we said Port as well.....

I Agree about the Magpie, they have such wonderful voices and the nesting problem time is really a very short period, in comparison to the lovely melodies that they create all year.

Cheers Sharon

Beth54 · Guru

Sheba wrote:
In my younger days we used to call the Potato Scallops just that. Potato Scallops. Just to say Scallops meant the seafood.
Cheers,
Sheba.

Yep, same here Sheba.

Ma · Guru

Yep same here Sheba