But all the bird spikes closest to the nest, they were gone, and just a trail of glue was present. But, yeah, I think the magpie ripped them off the roof and used them in its own nest.

Which meant a nonnative bird was killing our native birds. House sparrows, originally from Europe and Asia, were brought to Brooklyn in the 1850s to control caterpillars.

As much as we want to be angry about the crow or scrub-jay, we have to realize that the nest raider was just looking for food. Protecting a wild bird’s nest isn’t something easily accomplished.