Getting rid of magpies

[Harry Flashman]

omgus said:

Ranger 6 said:

omgus said:

As for advice to you, a very good BB gun, won't hurt your neighbours but it stings like hell and magpies learn quickly to avoid pain.

Can BB guns be used in urban gardens? (Seeing as you're local do you fancy doing a 'scare op'?)

Sadly the BB Gun was taken and destroyed by a previous flatmate after i drunkenly hid in the living room under the table covered by a blanket and shot him on the todger and nipple as he left his room for a midnight piss. His reaction may seem extreme, but in his defence it wasn't the first time it had happened.

Is anyone else thinking that this is maybe a bit...gay?

[DrTre]

Harry Flashman said:

omgus said:

Ranger 6 said:

omgus said:

As for advice to you, a very good BB gun, won't hurt your neighbours but it stings like hell and magpies learn quickly to avoid pain.

Can BB guns be used in urban gardens? (Seeing as you're local do you fancy doing a 'scare op'?)

Sadly the BB Gun was taken and destroyed by a previous flatmate after i drunkenly hid in the living room under the table covered by a blanket and shot him on the todger and nipple as he left his room for a midnight piss. His reaction may seem extreme, but in his defence it wasn't the first time it had happened.

Is anyone else thinking that this is maybe a bit...gay?

In a "Buffalo Bill" way you mean?

[Harry Flashman]

DrTre said:

Harry Flashman said:

omgus said:

Ranger 6 said:

omgus said:

As for advice to you, a very good BB gun, won't hurt your neighbours but it stings like hell and magpies learn quickly to avoid pain.

Can BB guns be used in urban gardens? (Seeing as you're local do you fancy doing a 'scare op'?)

Sadly the BB Gun was taken and destroyed by a previous flatmate after i drunkenly hid in the living room under the table covered by a blanket and shot him on the todger and nipple as he left his room for a midnight piss. His reaction may seem extreme, but in his defence it wasn't the first time it had happened.

Is anyone else thinking that this is maybe a bit...gay?

In a "Buffalo Bill" way you mean?

I'm relieved that I have no idea what you mean.

[Planet Claire]

Emsman said:

FasterFreddy said:

Emsman said:

Buy an owl decoy

http://www.whateversellswell.com/partnumber.asp?pn...

you won't see it again

Do these work, long term? And I'm all for the squirrels and magpies being scared off by it, but what about the blackbirds, robins, finches etc.?

alas, they tend to empty the garden, but if you mount it near the guttering, you will normally get the songbirds back.

My dad has three injured birds (Tawny owl, Short-eared owl, Kestrel) that are kept in the garden. The S-E Owl and Kestrel are out during the day and we never have any problems with other garden birds coming into the garden to the feeders.

[DrTre]

Harry Flashman said:

I'm relieved that I have no idea what you mean.

For once, it's not dodgy; he's a transexual murderer.

[prand]

This thread is interesting.

Kate Humble on Springwatch last night was pretty emphatic saying that magpies don't kill songbirds and you don't need to get rid of them.

Judging by the experiences above this migth be rubbish?

[Mazda Baiter]

DrTre said:

Harry Flashman said:

I'm relieved that I have no idea what you mean.

For once, it's not dodgy; he's a transexual murderer.

He (Jame Gumb wants to be a transexual. He failed the psychological tests, so went on a murdering spree so that he could skin the girls to make himself a "suit with tits".

"It rubs the lotion on it's skin, or else it gets the hose again." etc

[DrTre]

Mazda Baiter said:

He (Jame Gumb wants to be a transexual. He failed the psychological tests, so went on a murdering spree so that he could skin the girls to make himself a "suit with tits".

"It rubs the lotion on it's skin, or else it gets the hose again." etc

I stand corrected, and defer to Mazda Baiter (who has a frankly disturbing, in-depth knowledge of all this)

ETA I fear we may have strayed from the original topic somewhat...sorry OP.

Edited by DrTre on Friday 4th June 10:40

[zakelwe]

live and let live is what I say, apart from snails and slugs.

However snails and slugs are fascinating in their own right, just a shame they eat my veg.

My have a couple of rats in our garden now.

Andy

[Mazda Baiter]

DrTre said:

Mazda Baiter said:

He (Jame Gumb wants to be a transexual. He failed the psychological tests, so went on a murdering spree so that he could skin the girls to make himself a "suit with tits".

"It rubs the lotion on it's skin, or else it gets the hose again." etc

I stand corrected, and defer to Mazda Baiter (who has a frankly disturbing, in-depth knowledge of all this)

ETA I fear we may have strayed from the original topic somewhat...sorry OP.

<Contemplates changing login name to Hannibal Lecturer>

[DrTre]

That's good, very good.

[WorAl]

Japveesix said:

They're only magpies why all the fuss and vitriol?

Anthropomorphizing them with words like cruel and barbaric is akin wo what people were doing 200 years, or more, ago when they decided to wipe out the wolf, red kite, buzzards, golden eagle, wildcats and almost any other major predator.

Blackbirds are the most common garden bird seen in many areas, not threatened or rare in any way and the magpies just did what comes naturally. They most likely pecked the eyes out afterwards as they make good eating and are easily accessible and sadly the blackbirds paid the price for nesting in a poor location and for attempting to protect the eggs.

We've got plenty of magpies around and our blackbirds have raised chicks in the same dense bush successfully for the last 3 years. The magpies feed off the table less then 6 foot from the nest. I don't encourage them because they dissuade other birds from coming down (and I like variety) but they're just another part of nature.

Would you all be as outraged and horified if you found a badger had "barbarically slaughtered" a nest of rabbit kits, or is that more acceptable because badgers have less stigma attached to them?

You see what the problem is, magpies have very few natural predators because we killed them all 200 years ago, so now we have recognised this problem, we have to rectify it as with having no predators, their numbers have multiplied beyond what is natural and it affects the other bird populations. Especially the ones which don't breed as fast.

Another thing, if a Badger did do that, it would be to eat the rabbits, Magpies actually kill for fun and just leave the dead.

[911motorsport]

The crafty fkers! I have adapted an old birdcage to the purpose of catching my 'Judas' bird. I have baited it with the scrambled egg on toast, and placed some more around the area to draw it in. They've eaten every scrap from around the cage, but totaly disregarded what is in the cage.

This is war!

[FasterFreddy]

911motorsport said:

The crafty fkers! I have adapted an old birdcage to the purpose of catching my 'Judas' bird. I have baited it with the scrambled egg on toast, and placed some more around the area to draw it in. They've eaten every scrap from around the cage, but totaly disregarded what is in the cage.

This is war!

They're reading this thread as well...

[Mr Gearchange]

I remember reading something about someone who had a similar problem with Crows.
They got hold of a recording of a crow in distress (presumably VBRJ by a Rook or somesuch) anyway - they played the recording on a loudspeaker and all the crows fked off never to return. Which says a lot about the camaraderie of Crows IMO - the bds.

So you need a recording of a Magpie in dire straits. Easy I'm sure.

[911motorsport]

Fantastic idea! I recall the Royal Aircraft Establisment (as it was then) at Farnborough used this very method for clearing the airfield of (I think) Peewits. Used to drive around in a landrover with enormous loud speakers on the roof.

The other idea I'm toying with is a remote control plane dressed as an eagle

Edited by 911motorsport on Friday 4th June 12:35

[FasterFreddy]

Mr Gearchange said:

I remember reading something about someone who had a similar problem with Crows.
They got hold of a recording of a crow in distress (presumably VBRJ by a Rook or somesuch) anyway - they played the recording on a loudspeaker and all the crows fked off never to return. Which says a lot about the camaraderie of Crows IMO - the bds.

So you need a recording of a Magpie in dire straits. Easy I'm sure.

I thought about this, but when I looked into it, it seems that if you play a magpie distress call, it actually attracts the little buggers.

I don't really want more of them...

[911motorsport]

FasterFreddy said:

Mr Gearchange said:

I remember reading something about someone who had a similar problem with Crows.
They got hold of a recording of a crow in distress (presumably VBRJ by a Rook or somesuch) anyway - they played the recording on a loudspeaker and all the crows fked off never to return. Which says a lot about the camaraderie of Crows IMO - the bds.

So you need a recording of a Magpie in dire straits. Easy I'm sure.

I thought about this, but when I looked into it, it seems that if you play a magpie distress call, it actually attracts the little buggers.

Just to gloat! Nasty bds

Edited by 911motorsport on Friday 4th June 13:03

[Risotto]

911motorsport said:

They've eaten every scrap from around the cage, but totaly disregarded what is in the cage.

This is war!

Magpies, jackdaws etc, are very intelligent birds, as you're beginning to discover. Your irrational hatred of them certainly suggests they're applying better logic than you are so far.

Try reading some of Konrad Lorenz's work - you might get a better insight into the corvine mind. Aside from that, they're well-written, funny and interesting stories about his lifelong experiences/experiments involving all manner of animals. An Austrian Gerald Durrell if you like.

[Firefoot]

From the RSPB site -

Most British members of the crow family (including magpies) will take eggs and nestlings. This can be upsetting to witness but it is completely natural. However, some people are concerned that there may be a long-term effect on songbird populations.

Many of the UKs commonest songbirds have declined during the last 25 years, at a time when populations of magpies increased. To find out why songbirds are in trouble, the RSPB has undertaken intensive research on species such as the skylark and song thrush. To discover whether magpies (or sparrowhawks) could be to blame for the decline, the RSPB commissioned the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) to analyse its 35 years of bird monitoring records.

The study found that songbird numbers were no different in places where there were many magpies or sparrowhawks from where there are few. It found no evidence that increased numbers of magpies have caused declines in songbirds and confirms that populations of prey species are not determined by the numbers of their predators. It is the availability of food and suitable places in which to nest that decide the population.