Sun Lane & Beyond #4: A Bad Rap
The cache is the 4th of a 10-cache series circuiting through some fine countryside to the west of Burley-in-Wharfedale.
For background info on the trail including a Map (also available in this cache's Gallery) showing caches and parking spots, and waypoints for parking | trail access, see GC7E48T SLB#1: What a Tip!.
As I was approaching the eventual cache location a pair of these unmistakable large pied birds was seen foraging in the adjacent field before flying off towards the woods.
In Europe, magpies have been historically demonized by humans, mainly as a result of superstition and myth. The bird has found itself in this situation mainly by association says folklore expert Steve Roud. . . 'large black birds, like crows and ravens, are viewed as evil in British folklore and white birds are viewed as good'. In European folklore, the magpie is associated with a number of superstitions surrounding its reputation as an omen of ill fortune.
In the 19th century book, A Guide to the Scientific Knowledge of Things Familiar, a proverb concerning 
magpies is recited: 'A single magpie in spring, foul weather will bring'. The book further explains that this superstition arises from the habits of pairs of magpies to forage together only when the weather is fine.
In Scotland, a magpie near the window of the house is said to foretell death. In Yorkshire, magpies were associated with witches and people used to cross themselves when they saw one.
An English tradition holds that a single magpie should be greeted with a salutation in order to ward off the bad luck it may bring. A greeting might take the form of saying the words ‘Good morning, Mr Magpie, how are Mrs Magpie and all the other little magpies?’
In Britain and Ireland, a widespread traditional rhyme One for Sorrow records the myth that seeing magpies predicts the future, depending on how many are seen and/or that magpies are thought to have unusual powers, including the ability to predict the sex of unborn children .
There are many regional variations on the rhyme, which means that it is impossible to give a definitive version. See here for a video of The Unthanks performing Magpie on Later . . . with Jools Holland. See here for a video of the theme for Magpie - 1970s TV Theme which uses the rhyme.
In Italian, British and French folklore, magpies are believed to have a penchant for picking up shiny items, particularly precious stones or metal objects. Rossini's opera La Gazza Ladra (The Thieving Magpie) and The Adventures of Tintin comic The Castafiore Emerald are based on this theme. However, one recent research study has cast doubt on the veracity of this belief - see BBC article here.
In Bulgarian, Czech, German, Hungarian, Polish, Russian, Slovak and Swedish folklore the magpie is seen as 
a thief. In Sweden, it is further associated with witchcraft. In Norway, a magpie is considered cunning and thievish, but also the bird of huldra, the underground people.
Magpies have been attacked for their role as predators, which includes eating other birds' eggs and their young. However, one study has disputed the view that they affect total songbird populations, finding 'no evidence of any effects of [magpie] predator species on songbird population growth rates'.
Another study has claimed that songbird populations increased in places where magpie populations were high and that they do not have a negative impact on the total songbird population.
See here for more info on this distinctive and (unjustifiably?) notorious bird.
See here for magpies harassing a sparrowhawk which has caught a pigeon.
See here for a BBC article on The Truth About Magpies and here for a comprehensive blog on Magpie Folklore and Superstition.