Magpies, your thoughts

[Chris]

Aren’t crows a bigger pest?

 

[Scotch mist]

Quotes from the internet

NEW Forest-based conservationists are planning a cull of crows and magpies at an undisclosed site in Hampshire in a bid to save our dawn chorus. The trust will select a site to trap as many magpies and crows as possible and then kill them by wringing their necks or by shooting them.

Over 40 years these songbird species have fallen by more than 50 per cent. But during that period crow numbers are up 119 per cent and magpies by 98 per cent.

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Magpies are beautiful birds extremely intelligent, they are predominantly meat eaters & are known to be a serious threat to song birds , it’s not that I don’t like them but it’s about controlling their numbers to protect
our song birds , people may say sparrow hawks kill birds BUT Sparrow hawks are thin on the ground while
there is an epidemic of magpies

 

[movan]

The ones we have around here wait until I have cleaned the conservatory roof ,then a bunch of them arrive and pull loads of lichen up off the tiled roof and it rolls down onto the conservatory roof .

Scouse magpies!!!!

 

[Scotch mist]

Aren’t crows a bigger pest?

carrion crows , hooded crows , jackdaws will all raid nests
but magpies are prolific raiders

 

[icantremember]

They steal our Hedgehog food!

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[Shrimp]

I would be happy to see far less Magpies in our countryside, the same for Crows and in some places Jays.
There is a place for all predating birds but not in the numbers that are building yearly.
One CS we use its common to see the lower field almost covered in Crows and about a dozen Magpies!

 

[Lanerboy]

I shoot them along with crows, I get calls from farmers saying GET UP HERE NOW there are hundreds of crows and magpies causing havoc

They are a disgusting bird hence the previous post about a cull by the national al forest conservation they obviously know the issues they cause, there numbers need to be kept under control

 

[Khizzie]

I dislike them intensely, every year at nesting season they raid the nests of sparrows, blackbirds, thrushes and wrens in my garden eating the eggs and if any nests get missed and chicks are born they eat them as well. Cats are a menace but they don't do so much destruction to our feathered friends as these flying rats do. Oh and that goes for grey squirrels as well they do exactly the same. I know it's nature but I don't have to like it..

 

[Kevinthecat]

They are handsome birds, I live central London and the amount of magpies and crows is unbelievable.
We have loads of grey squirrels and all three often can be seen arguing , fighting each other or chasing each other away. They all feed from the bins and love bin collection day as they rip into the black bags.
A few years ago we had a black birds nest in the bay tree on the front step. Once the chicks fledged , they were all killed and eaten by crows.
It's like seagulls , they have moved into towns for the discarded KFC etc. And because life is easier.
I suppose they do need to be managed .
The green parakeets see them off though .

 

[TheAleMan]

I love magpies. Intelligent birds who are adept at earning a living, and they do it very well indeed. If small birds are abundant, they will take them readily, but if not they will seek other food sources...it's just the way that nature works. You have to look beyond your heart and look and understand how nature works. I like all the Corvids - I even see a Jay once take a Blue Tit in mid air into it's claws. Never ever seen that before, and will probably never see it again in my lifetime, luckily I was with someone who also witnessed it.

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[Lenny HB]

3 or 4 Magpies in our garden or the field beside us not noticed any problems. Still have Blue tits, Great tits, sparrows, wren, robins about & nightingales.
Must admit I wasn't aware of their bad rep always think of them as pretty birds.

 

[TheAleMan]

3 or 4 Magpies in our garden or the field beside us not noticed any problems. Still have Blue tits, Great tits, sparrows, wren, robins about & nightingales.
Must admit I wasn't aware of their bad rep always think of them as pretty birds.

Nightingales...Lucky you.

 

[Lanerboy]

Disgusting birds

 

[TheAleMan]

Disgusting birds

Nothing wrong with that at all. I see that as just raiding the larder for it's family. It's more than likely to have alot of young to feed. From experience, I have known Magpies to lay up to 9-10 eggs..that's alot of mouths to feed.

 

[Mikey RV]

These were in spain, loverly looking birds.

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[movan]

How timely is that.. Just walked around campsite and a magpie flew down and grabbed/killed a wagtail.

I understand Nature for food, but to kill unnecessarily... That is human prerogative sadly.