Jays

[Sha Bu Le]

Never seen a Jay up here in this corner of the UK, this morning HID shouts from the kitchen "come and look at this pretty bird".

 

Went through and there was a jay on the garden fence followed 3 seconds later by another and then another barely 3 yards from the kitchen window.

 

Mrs S was right they are pretty birds, they fed for a couple of minutes on neighbours feeder and left.

 

So having never seen a jay got to see three in one go and close up.

[mick miller]

Watching one outside the window now, picking up all the spill off the feeders, pretty but, like magpies, murderous too.

[Drayman]

Couple here have worked out how to perch on the bird feeder. Took them a while but now help themselves to peanuts.

[antuk99]

My Sprocker picked up a pricked 1 on our shoot vicious things bad move could of had her eye out

[Whitebridges]

Well done on "the spot" Sha Bu Le. Amazing you haven't come across Jay's before but hey you are a long way further north.

Shoot on sight! They are top draw vermin that needs a barrel. I have seen the damage they do, destroy on sight. They may look pretty but they aren't.

Edited December 3, 2012 by Whitebridges

[bobt]

we seem to have a lot more over the last month, must have moved in from elsewhere.

[timmytree]

They are not the commonest bird around and unlike the rest of the corvidae they haven't increased in numbers at the same rate as crows or magpies. They may be capable of being destructive but I don't think they warrant being being shot on sight as vermin unless they are causing a serious problem.

It would be interesting to know at what level they stop being called "vermin" and become protected like all the other predatory birds which were nearly shot and poisoned out of existence.

Don't get me wrong, I'm no fluffy bunny hugger but even jays have a place in our ecosystem, next time you're sheltering under an oak tree it might be worth reflecting that a jay may have planted that tree by hiding acorns.

[Reece]

They are not the commonest bird around and unlike the rest of the corvidae they haven't increased in numbers at the same rate as crows or magpies. They may be capable of being destructive but I don't think they warrant being being shot on sight as vermin unless they are causing a serious problem.

It would be interesting to know at what level they stop being called "vermin" and become protected like all the other predatory birds which were nearly shot and poisoned out of existence.

Don't get me wrong, I'm no fluffy bunny hugger but even jays have a place in our ecosystem, next time you're sheltering under an oak tree it might be worth reflecting that a jay may have planted that tree by hiding acorns.

 

Same here. I kept catching the odd one in my squirrel traps, and I let every one go, because of their habit of planting acorns. Also because most of them were trapped after the bird breeding season, so killing them would bring no benefits anyway.

 

All pests have a place in our ecosystem, except the alien invasive ones like grey squirrels and mink. With native species, and some of the more benign non native ones, the aim is to control, not to exterminate. Sustainability is the watchword. Only wipe out the alien invasive species.

[gixer1]

Where about are you? We get them up here in Aberdeenshire, quite common.

 

Regards,

Gixer

[Reece]

Where about are you? We get them up here in Aberdeenshire, quite common.

 

Regards,

Gixer

 

It depends on how often you get out. I didn't start seeing them regularly until I started setting and checking squirrel traps, as I was up in the wood at least once (often twice) every day for almost all of the summer. Before then, I didn't go into the wood very often.

[Zulu]

I agree with timmytree and Reece post , they are not in great numbers around here and I dont mind seeing them about .

[B725]

We have had a lot of jays this year shot one sunday morning but dont know who was more suprised as I only had the 4.10 with 2 inch cartridges

[evo]

why dont some of you start a group called "SAVE OUR JAYS" never heard such rubbish as some of the above threads,,this bird is so destructive its just as bad if not worse than a magpie,the only difference is there is not as many,yes it is a stunning looking bird but lets not be distracted at what a killer it is.

 

just because they plant acorns does not give them a get out of being shot card because that is what grey squirrels do but you dont hear anyone saying "dont shoot them cos they plant acorns" what a total load of rubbish

 

a jay is a very destructive pest (YES PEST) and believe me if i come into contact with any they wont live to tell their grandkids neither will a grey squirrel

 

oh before you all start that is my opinion and i,m sticking with it

[hawkfanz]

theres loads round my neck of the woods,as many as magpies,

 

right on evo got 3 and 30 magpies this year.

[Lord Geordie]

Quite a few in the NE if you look around

[Reece]

why dont some of you start a group called "SAVE OUR JAYS" never heard such rubbish as some of the above threads,,this bird is so destructive its just as bad if not worse than a magpie,the only difference is there is not as many,yes it is a stunning looking bird but lets not be distracted at what a killer it is.

 

just because they plant acorns does not give them a get out of being shot card because that is what grey squirrels do but you dont hear anyone saying "dont shoot them cos they plant acorns" what a total load of rubbish

 

a jay is a very destructive pest (YES PEST) and believe me if i come into contact with any they wont live to tell their grandkids neither will a grey squirrel

 

oh before you all start that is my opinion and i,m sticking with it

 

Grey squirrels tend to bite the tip out of acorns before they bury them, so many of their acorns cannot grow anyway. Not the case with jays.

 

Besides, I don't know a single shooter who wants jays protected, but the key is control, not shooting every one on sight. That policy is reserved for alien invasive species such as grey squirrels, where you do need to wipe them out whenever you can.

 

To benefit songbirds, control also needs to be targeted. Control them in mid to late summer and most birds have finished breeding, and before next season, more jays will move in to fill the gap. So controlling from mid summer onwards will bring little benefit. To bring the biggest benefit to songbirds, it's better to control them just before and during the bird breeding season.

Edited December 3, 2012 by Reece

[timmytree]

why dont some of you start a group called "SAVE OUR JAYS" never heard such rubbish as some of the above threads,,this bird is so destructive its just as bad if not worse than a magpie,the only difference is there is not as many,yes it is a stunning looking bird but lets not be distracted at what a killer it is.

 

just because they plant acorns does not give them a get out of being shot card because that is what grey squirrels do but you dont hear anyone saying "dont shoot them cos they plant acorns" what a total load of rubbish

 

a jay is a very destructive pest (YES PEST) and believe me if i come into contact with any they wont live to tell their grandkids neither will a grey squirrel

 

oh before you all start that is my opinion and i,m sticking with it

 

So because jays will eat eggs and young birds in season you would be happy to wipe them out? Why not shoot barn owls for eating voles? Kingfishers for eating fish? Golden eagles for taking hares?

They are just one small occasional predator in a large predatory food chain, the damage they do is small compared to natural mortality so why persecute them to the point of extinction?

Control IF they are a serious problem but otherwise why shoot them?

I agree you are entitled to your opinion as are the others that posted but your attitude does nothing except give the antis another nail to bang in the shooting coffin.

[evo]

Besides, I don't know a single shooter who wants jays protected

 

i think there is a few on this thread,,

 

reece i cant understand what your saying :hmm:

if i see a jay and it is within shooting range , then i,m sorry but its bang wallop from me , i am not going to let it fly off because i dont think its the right time of year,only for it to go and breed somewhere else,sorry mate not getting at anyone but that is how i feel and no-one will change my mind

 

i know what squirrels do bud,,i have watched how they behave for years,,but the point is yes it is vermin and thus deserves to be shot at anytime possible , i,ve shot 94 this year so i,ve got three weeks to hit the ton

[evo]

So because jays will eat eggs and young birds in season you would be happy to wipe them out?

the answer to this question is "" how can i "" ,, i cant be all over the country at once but i will certainly do my bit

 

Why not shoot barn owls for eating voles? Kingfishers for eating fish? Golden eagles for taking hares?

the answer to this question is,no now you are talking rubbish,, just think for one minute ,, i only shoot creatures that are vermin,pests or other species fit for the table and above all it is totally legal to shoot

 

timmy its not my attitude, it is how i feel and what i do,,as regards giving the anti,s another nail i think you will see that from your posts i think you have the hammer in your hand for that

 

jays have been put on the list for a reason,,not to be molly coddled that i am sure of

[shootnfish]

i used to shoot them but havent for quite a few years now, my reason being because i cant remember ever seeing a jay taking eggs or young birds, and theres plenty about around my way. i sometimes wonder how many people on here who go on about protecting songbirds own cats.

[Rimfireboy]

When they're not raiding nests in the spring they're raiding pheasant feeders in the winter.

[evo]

rimfireboy thank god for your reply,,for one moment then i thought i was on the RSPCA website :lol: :lol:

[lakeside1000]

I used to run a shoot in nottinghamshire in the 70's and we were overrun with jays and magpies, needless to say we hit them hard but they kept coming back, the lure of all those defencless songbird , pheasant and partridge nests was too much for them to resist, we had hedgrows full of bullfinches,chaffinches, linnets,song thrushes and many many more, but where are they now, yes removing hedges and spraying has had its affects on numbers but so have these killers, just because it has pretty feathers dosn't make it a benefit to the countryside, as for cats, try tying a bell round their necks, it works on my cats, a little bit of sense goes a long way.

[evo]

now thats what i call a true PW member,,well said that man :good:

[Reece]

Besides, I don't know a single shooter who wants jays protected

 

i think there is a few on this thread,,

 

reece i cant understand what your saying :hmm:

if i see a jay and it is within shooting range , then i,m sorry but its bang wallop from me , i am not going to let it fly off because i dont think its the right time of year,only for it to go and breed somewhere else,sorry mate not getting at anyone but that is how i feel and no-one will change my mind

 

i know what squirrels do bud,,i have watched how they behave for years,,but the point is yes it is vermin and thus deserves to be shot at anytime possible , i,ve shot 94 this year so i,ve got three weeks to hit the ton

 

I'm not saying jays should be protected. It's just what I chose to do this year. This year, I didn't see many until mid summer. Numbers do seem to be increasing so I probably will take the odd one next breeding season. Especially as some rare birds have been seen once or twice in the wood this year.

 

Just saying that the aim is control, not extermination. Which is why I left them alone this year. I won't be doing the same next year though.

 

94 squirrels this year? You're ahead of me - I've only had 88. Do you add your kills to the pigeon watch grey squirrel kill count? If not, see my signature for the link.