Why do we cull magpies?

[Ireland's Finest!]

Why do we cull magpies? My knowledge was too make song birds flourish etc but after watching springwatch I'm led to believe magpies have no effect on songbirds??

[Wesman]

aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. What you have watched is communists spouting their anti hunting, anti shooting, anti everything, tofu eating rhetoric. Go anywhere where corvids are controlled and you will see what it does for the songbird population.

 

And I actually like corvids. I think they're very intelligent.

[Ireland's Finest!]

aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. What you have watched is communists spouting their anti hunting, anti shooting, anti everything, tofu eating rhetoric. Go anywhere where corvids are controlled and you will see what it does for the songbird population.

 

And I actually like corvids. I think they're very intelligent.

:o :o :( :o

[Wesman]

Hi-5!

[alexr]

I have seen Magpies take every chick from the nests of wrens and black birds. Don't remember seeing a BBC film crew there at the time though.

[Whitebridges]

Control them please. Get a rough understanding of where your songbirds nests are. When the chicks are fleglings and leaving the the nests watch the maurading magpies pick the chicks off.Get yourself a good pair of binoculars and watch the carnage first hand or shoot the blasted things. If you have got a lot of magpie they'll take the eggs beforehand. So you'll save on bino's.

Edited June 3, 2010 by Whitebridges

[albob]

Why do we cull magpies? My knowledge was too make song birds flourish etc but after watching springwatch I'm led to believe magpies have no effect on songbirds??

 

 

it was actually shown once,it shown a magpie take 2 young birds from a nest..you missed that one..also watch magpies in guttering on houses,they will peek under them to look for nests..clever but,nasty birds..

 

al

Edited June 3, 2010 by albob

[bullet boy]

Magpies are listed in the Vermin Category and WILL kill songbirds!Also have seen them pecking at old Ewes.Horrid Birds!

[Bobbo.]

My .17HMR loves them!

[EMcC]

They will often hunt a hedgerow in pairs, one each side.

They have also been known to follow birds, with food in their beaks, back to the nest, knowing that food in a birds beak is for the fledglings. I was told this is the only bird that does this and must admit have not seen any other bird do it.

I have no proof of this but have no reason to doubt it. My Father told me that they also carry disease in the pads of their feet, which if seen in or near chicken runs can spread to chicken, he absolutely hated them.

The trouble is though, Magpies are such cheeky and pretty birds the general public think they are wonderful birds and encourage them.

[covlocks]

I have waged war against magies & crows for the past few years and the song bird population in my garden has flourished. If magie shows his face and either me or the missus is at home, magie bites the dust.

 

Crows are a bit more cautious and dont land too near the bird table, but a little help from the hushpower and they join the magies on Charlie's dinner table.

 

Everyone has an opinion - and the Springwatch Team in my view is totally blinkered.

[rodp]

I have waged war against magies & crows for the past few years and the song bird population in my garden has flourished. If magie shows his face and either me or the missus is at home, magie bites the dust.

 

Crows are a bit more cautious and dont land too near the bird table, but a little help from the hushpower and they join the magies on Charlie's dinner table.

 

Everyone has an opinion - and the Springwatch Team in my view is totally blinkered.

 

 

[Highlander]

Springwatch, SPRINGWATCH! You should spend more time on here NOT wasting it watching such propaganda (Goebels had nothing on those guys). If half these so called nature experts spent any time at all in the countryside talking to real people and seeing what actually does go on they'd maybe understand why their programmes are hated by country people.

 

Magpies along with all corvids are some of the most prolific killers of small birds. It’s proven time and again (although the anti shooting brigade will continue to deny it) that areas where these pests are controlled have far healthier/larger populations of small songbirds. Even Natural England acknowledge the fact...I cull magpies and crows on Lapwing and other wader nesting grounds and they use larsen and other traps right through from February to August.

 

If you want a good laugh take a look here... http://www.againstcorvidtraps.co.uk/

[bullet boy]

I do love Springwatch to see all the animals on there,but Packham and Humble do talk Nonsense on times!!!!!

[camokid]

i have sat and watched maggies strip baby birds in front of the perents mobbing them i dont watch thet program anymore dont agree with most of what they say

[Frenchieboy]

I think the question "Why do we cull magpies " has been well answered here so i don't have to add my pennies worth except to say that I always have done and always will cull magpies - and get pleasure out of doing it!!!!!!!!!

[aaron airgunner]

i hate to disagree as i have maggies in my garden and to be honest i dont feel the need to shoot them. we have a healthy songbird population and the magpies dont seem to have much effect. i think its just the naturaul balance of things and that we can't pick favourites when we are doing pest control, we cant pick one speices, say a blue ***, and protect its chicks and kill magpies just because blue tits are pretty an feel compelled to protect them. nature is cruel but the magpies have to feed there chicks too. i'm probably going to get loads of people screaming at there monitors for saying this but this is my opinion, and maybe in other areas magpies have such a high population that they do cause serious damage to songbirds.

[Alpha Mule]

I used to think they were cool and smart, until I watched them rip chicks from swallows, martins, blackbirds, etc. nests and just eat the heads and discard the rest. We have a 'field stable' just outside our living room window and the swallows spend loads of their time dive bombing the maggies every time they get anywhere near it. I've had headless chicks dumped on the car bonnet too (ripped from nests in the garage overhang). I've seen 4 of them going bonkers trying to get at a blackbird nest in a hedge (I only managed to 'disuade' one of them before they got a chick).

They pester the sheep something awefull at lambing time too.

 

Not so cool and smart any more, more cunning and devious now.

[rodp]

i hate to disagree as i have maggies in my garden and to be honest i dont feel the need to shoot them. we have a healthy songbird population and the magpies dont seem to have much effect. i think its just the naturaul balance of things and that we can't pick favourites when we are doing pest control, we cant pick one speices, say a blue ***, and protect its chicks and kill magpies just because blue tits are pretty an feel compelled to protect them. nature is cruel but the magpies have to feed there chicks too. i'm probably going to get loads of people screaming at there monitors for saying this but this is my opinion, and maybe in other areas magpies have such a high population that they do cause serious damage to songbirds.

 

 

I was under the impression that nature WAS out of balance due to a decline in birds of prey over the last few years (quite a few years). If it is true then all we are doing is helping nature balance things out.

Edited June 4, 2010 by rodp

[tomhw100]

If you want a good laugh take a look here... http://www.againstcorvidtraps.co.uk/

 

hahaha absoulutley putrageous heres a email that i sent to them after ,looking at it-

 

hahaha your website is absolutely pathetic,just another typical anti-shooter who obviously hasn't a clue what they are talking about,have you ever seen a magpie or crow ripping young chicks to pieces?-i think not or you wouldn't advertise such rubbish. I understand that in odd circumstances the game keeper or trapper may neglect his call bird,and not feed it or water it,this i obviously do not condone but i can ensure you that any normal responsible game keeper will look after his call bird properly. I have known birds to live in traps happily for months even years. You do realize that asking people to report bird traps is a disaster in the making on your behalf as most traps will be on PRIVATE land out of the view of public footpaths and bridal ways so theoretically most of your do gooding chums will be trespassing and committing a criminal offense. Also asking for the exact gps/os reference would mean that you obviously dont care about the law either and you would either trespass,steal or destroy the trap which is obviously more criminal than conserving the countryside and its songbirds.

[Piebob]

I was under the impression that nature WAS out of balance due to a decline in birds of prey over the last few years (quite a few years). If it is true then all we are doing is helping nature balance things out.

Hmm. I think we'd all agree that the countryside needs to be managed, and the trick is how to get that management balance correct.

 

But as for birds of prey, with the exception of the kestel, all BoP have increased in numbers over the last few years. Some, such as buzzards, in huge percentages.

[rodp]

But as for birds of prey, with the exception of the kestel, all BoP have increased in numbers over the last few years. Some, such as buzzards, in huge percentages.

 

Quite agree, but it is over a relatively short period of time whereas the decline had been for quite a long time. Over this period the corvids appear to have got quite a strong foothold and numbers are out of proportion to birds of prey and song birds, at least that's what I was led to believe but I stand to be corrected.

 

It does seem to make sense.

[harveykeitel22]

i cant believe what that kate humble said on springwatch, makes me angry, she hasnt got a clue

[foxnet22]

noticed the magpie population seems to have reduced where i live and the goldfinches and chaffinches are booming this year.one of my mates seen a grey squirrel in the tree where the magpies nest every year so we think the grey has been having the eggs away hence the reduced number of young magpies this season.

[scolopax]

Good question, IMO a larsen trap with a magpie in it as a larsen trap wasted. Get a carrion crow call bird, they do far more damage to game than magpies. Once you have cleared up the local carrions then start on the magpies.

 

Jackdaws, and rooks are comparatively harmless compared to the above so I tend to leave them in peace unless in exceptional circumstances.