When crows attack

At the end of last week I came downstairs one morning and the first thing I saw was a dead magpie on the back lawn. Not an old, ill magpie that had passed peacefully, but one that had been pecked at, lying in a cloud of feathers. I knew instantly that something untoward had occurred, and a quick check of our security cameras confirmed my suspicions. The poor magpie had been brutally murdered by two crows and then savagely dragged around the garden.

Of course I went straight out there to remove the corpse, and I assumed that was the end of the matter. But as I went about my business in the house I soon realised that the two crows were still out there, and that they were watching me. As the day went on they became bolder, approaching the glass doors and lantern roof and giving them an occasional peck.

The following day they ramped up a gear and I found myself alone in the house, desperately googling how to stop crows pecking at my windows. I blew up balloons and attached them to the outside door handles, I hung up a reflective party curtain to try and give out confusing reflections, I placed flowerpots along the bottom of the bifolds. I even kept a water pistol locked and loaded ready to fire - it was easy to hit them because they just didn't care. 

I re-read The Birds and it all felt very real.

We were away all weekend, watching nervously through the cameras as our poor windows came under attack from relentless pecking. My husband set off the house alarm off to try and frighten them away. We came back to damaged window seals and bird droppings all over the patio.

Monday morning I was bracing myself for a day standing on guard by the back door, water pistol at the ready, when as suddenly as they had arrived they were gone. It's been two days now, and apart from a brief 'caw' early yesterday morning I've not seen them since.

Where have they gone? Will they come back? Is my punishment for removing their dinner over or are they just lulling me into a false sense of security? 

I really hope for the sake of our poor windows that this saga is over!