Getting rid of magpies
Discussion
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?
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 seem to not mind the neighbours cat sitting under your
is a cat that gets fed more than enough by its owners not more "barbaric..etc" than a wild animal doing its thing?
Only my hatred is not irrational. I have witnessed these magpies mindlessly murder two little songbirds and their young. They did this out of wanton blood lust!!! ergo........they're nasty little b
ds; and Mr and Mrs Blackbird will be avenged.
ds; and Mr and Mrs Blackbird will be avenged. Edited by 911motorsport on Friday 4th June 13:29
from another birdy site -
Surprisingly, the car, rather than the gamekeeper, may well be the real reason behind the magpie's recent population explosion. Until relatively recently, numbers were probably kept in check by lack of food during the winter and early spring. (During the winter months the magpie's diet is mainly a mixture of vegetable matter and invertebrates.) The increase in the number of cars on the roads has led to a corresponding increase in wildlife road casualties, something the scavenging magpie appreciates. It is this new abundance of food that has allowed magpie numbers to grow so quickly.
Magpies are among the most intelligent of birds, so are quick to make use of new food supplies, such as car kills. What's more, they are adept at avoiding being run over themselves. Small numbers of young magpies may be killed by cars, but relatively few adults meet such an end.
Surprisingly, the car, rather than the gamekeeper, may well be the real reason behind the magpie's recent population explosion. Until relatively recently, numbers were probably kept in check by lack of food during the winter and early spring. (During the winter months the magpie's diet is mainly a mixture of vegetable matter and invertebrates.) The increase in the number of cars on the roads has led to a corresponding increase in wildlife road casualties, something the scavenging magpie appreciates. It is this new abundance of food that has allowed magpie numbers to grow so quickly.
Magpies are among the most intelligent of birds, so are quick to make use of new food supplies, such as car kills. What's more, they are adept at avoiding being run over themselves. Small numbers of young magpies may be killed by cars, but relatively few adults meet such an end.
Firefoot said:
The increase in the number of cars on the roads has led to a corresponding increase in wildlife road casualties, something the scavenging magpie appreciates. It is this new abundance of food that has allowed magpie numbers to grow so quickly.
I can see the sense in that - I saw a grey squirrel that had been hit by a car. It was thrashing around in the gutter until a magpie descended and did it a favour by putting a hole in its skull.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.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 f
ked 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 don't really want more of them...
- settles in with a box of .410 cartridges, a beer and a deck chair.
Harry Flashman said:
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.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 f
ked 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 don't really want more of them...
- settles in with a box of .410 cartridges, a beer and a deck chair.
So much hatred for the Magpie, they are pesky though. My cat has a regular face-off with one magpie, they love to pinch her food.
They are striking birds though, they have a lovely deep green in their tails and blue in their wings
They are part of the crow family remember so are meant to be rather tough!
They are striking birds though, they have a lovely deep green in their tails and blue in their wings
They are part of the crow family remember so are meant to be rather tough!
Dr Imran T said:
So much hatred for the Magpie, they are pesky though. My cat has a regular face-off with one magpie, they love to pinch her food.
They are striking birds though, they have a lovely deep green in their tails and blue in their wings
They are part of the crow family remember so are meant to be rather tough!
I'm not denying that they're beautiful - they are, truly.They are striking birds though, they have a lovely deep green in their tails and blue in their wings
They are part of the crow family remember so are meant to be rather tough!
I'm just bloodthirsty and like killing things.
Harry Flashman said:
Dr Imran T said:
So much hatred for the Magpie, they are pesky though. My cat has a regular face-off with one magpie, they love to pinch her food.
They are striking birds though, they have a lovely deep green in their tails and blue in their wings
They are part of the crow family remember so are meant to be rather tough!
I'm not denying that they're beautiful - they are, truly.They are striking birds though, they have a lovely deep green in their tails and blue in their wings
They are part of the crow family remember so are meant to be rather tough!
I'm just bloodthirsty and like killing things.
Oh yes.
Emsman said:
Every magpie hater should have one of these!
Babu 01 said:
mattmoxon said:
You can use a sub 12lbft (legal limit) air rifle in your back garden provided you have an adequate back stop, if you can lure them onto the ground you can shoot them.
You may wish to explain to your neighbours what you're up to first as they may get a bit twitchy in light of recent events.
that's probably a good idea anyway to be honest.champ54321 said:
Emsman said:
Every magpie hater should have one of these!
911motorsport said:
Only my hatred is not irrational. I have witnessed these magpies mindlessly murder two little songbirds and their young. They did this out of wanton blood lust!!! ergo........they're nasty little bds; and Mr and Mrs Blackbird will be avenged.
Wow, you witnessed some wild animals killing some other wild animals, I can't begin to imagine how traumatic that must have been for you.ds; and Mr and Mrs Blackbird will be avenged. Magpies are amongst the most attractive and intelligent birds in the UK. They've adapted well to all the things humans have changed/ruined and thrive in cities (much like foxes, pigeons, rats etc) because they are intelligent and opportunistic.
Our native songbirds have suffered because people have concreted their driveways, decked and patioed their gardens and planted fancy borders of non native plants. Not to mention destroying almost all of their natural wild habitat and killing them by the thousands with cars, cats and pesticides etc. People on here seem to think the magpie is to blame for something we (as humans) are almost certainly entirely responsible for.
Your irrational, and grossly out of proportion, hatred is bizarre and makes you seem slightly mental.
Have fun whiling away the hours this weekend plotting your revenge. Be careful though as according to your warped logic they are your neighbours magpies and perhaps they are as attached to them as you seem to have been to your blackbirds...
Harry Flashman said:
I'm guessing that you don't like slaughtering them for pure, atavistic pleasure, then?
Shame.
Shame.
I find if you just wing them and let them rive around in agony, they attract more down which you can blat at will, while chuckling away to yourself while they lie there screaming for mercy.
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.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 f
ked 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 don't really want more of them...
gjc10212 said:
Good God - that's amazing!Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff