Magpies, " I Loath Them".

[mark williams 7,550]

Thursday afternoon we were roofing away when that " different noise" makes you stop and listen.

I said to my son, that sounds like a hawk has just caught something.

In fact, when we downed tools to see what was going on and looked in the direction of all the screeching, two adult starlings were doing their utmost to stop a large Magpie from dragging their fledgling chick from their nest, within the roof.

The Magpie dragged the terrified chick onto the roof and systematically pecked and pecked and pecked at it`s head and eyes. It was like watching a Hawk "without the tools" trying to despatch it`s catch, - just awful.

 

The Magpie then went in search of more chicks with the screeching lasting for a good 15 minutes, until all chicks were killed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here`s one of my favourite pastimes of all.

 

 

 

 

 

atb Mark

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[andykllhr 91]

Hate them, there's a couple on me perm, they're too wiley though, I can never get close enough to take one out. If I ever do though I'll cheerfully be sending them a little 11.5 grain gift ;-)

[philpot 4,971]

I must admit, the maggie is a nasty bugger and I have noticed that I always get one or two having a look when I am crow decoying but not coming into range. I was toying with buying a maggie decoy to try and get them in close enough to get the shot, worth a punt I think.

 

Phil

[Jonjon79 13,358]

I must admit, the maggie is a nasty bugger and I have noticed that I always get one or two having a look when I am crow decoying but not coming into range. I was toying with buying a maggie decoy to try and get them in close enough to get the shot, worth a punt I think.

 

Phil

Shotgun them Phil - both barrels mate

I know it's only nature doing it's thing but, they are nasty little b*****ds.

 

I'm going to try for the ones on my permission with some eggs

[j j m 6,537]

I'm not shooting at the minute but had a magies nest at the bottom of my garden in the conifers,the other morning it was like the film the birds,crow maggies all going mad at 5 in the morning I looked out the bedroom window and there was a big cat up the tree with just its back legs sticking out the hole in the side of the nest,having its brekki on young magpies what goes around comes around

[The one 8,468]

They have no fear the minute the dogs are finished at there bowls there right down into the garden to see what they can get

[Rez 4,957]

Good man.

[rick12345 181]

Nature is cruel, but nature all the same.....

[Rez 4,957]

Funnily enough. My Mrs filmed a young starling chick being fed by its parents just on Friday while I was work. Nice fat coincident little chick, taking worms and such from mam and dad. Just didn't have the wings yet to get in the air.

 

I get home, she's buzzin about this little starling... only for us to go in the kitchen and hear her shout "what's that magpie got?!" Bloody savage b*****d had come down and tore the little chick to bits. Quite literally took its head off.

 

Out comes the rifle but the f****r had gone before I could get me pellet pouch.

 

I'm now under orders by the lady, who doesn't really care about shooting and such, to kill as many of the sods as possible.

[Giro 2,648]

Prefer magpies to starlings,they are dirty little buggers..

 

Magpie has to survive like everything..

 

I've two magie nests in my back and I just leave them.Down the fields I'd pop one off, given the chance.

 

I'm forever blocking the roof off but each spring the starlings find away in and shit all over the cars on the drive..

 

Shame I canny pop a few of them off..

[Accip74 7,112]

I like them :-)

 

There is a magpies nest about 20m from where I'm sitting now. Last year they built a nest in the neighbours garden in a tree about 6m high, there was a storm and the fledglings were blown out prematurely onto my garden. One died & I reared the other with my 4 year old boy for something to do, until it became a pain in the arse! Haha....

 

This year they came back, dismantled the nest & re-built it in a little tree a few metres away.........infact it's not much more than a bush, less than 3m high & virtually on my neighbours decking! I guess they weren't taking a chance with another storm....haha

[ftm 3,357]

Prefer magpies to starlings,they are dirty little buggers..

 

Magpie has to survive like everything..

 

I've two magie nests in my back and I just leave them.Down the fields I'd pop one off, given the chance.

 

I'm forever blocking the roof off but each spring the starlings find away in and shit all over the cars on the drive..

 

Shame I canny pop a few of them off.. prefer magpies to starlings????? some things not right mate

[A1WOC 212]

I must admit, the maggie is a nasty bugger and I have noticed that I always get one or two having a look when I am crow decoying but not coming into range. I was toying with buying a maggie decoy to try and get them in close enough to get the shot, worth a punt I think.

 

Phil

 

Decoys I bought didn’t work for me, I’ve had some results from propping up a magpie carcase on my lawn but my best results come from taking one out from a group and then the others come to see what’s happened and get taken out too. Over the years I have thinned down the local magpie population and now they rarely venture into my garden, when they do I am ready with my HW100. The local resident songbirds are now thriving and a joy to watch, lots of unwanted pigeons around but they don’t prey on the other bird chicks so I leave well alone.

[Baldcoot 2,352]

On a fox drive Saturday and my friend had 2 of the murdering so n so,s theyre not nice theyre now at plague levels around here and as wiley as a fox.Nowt worst than watching them dismember chicks and fledglings .Most Farmer,s around here want them dealt with asap.

If you can get a Larson trap and look for the call bird register ,or just keep your eyes pealed they pop up foc on various forums atb

[j j m 6,537]

i just gave a larson trap away on this forum for free in one year,in different permissions i caught and disposed of over 65 birds,you dont need a call bird but it helps to start you off i just put a mirror in with a chick next to it the bird sees its seld and its not long before its in the trap