Corvids

[waltjnr 6,377]

Anyone noticing an increase in numbers ?,I back on to woods an the dawn and evening chorus was music to my ears ,now it's just chattering magpies ,crows cawing ,and the cackle of jackdaws ,it's like living in a rookery ! I'm doing my best a couple a day with air rifle, but not making a dent ! 

[waltjnr 6,377]

Thier noise grates on me,Mrs thinks I'm crow obsessed, when I nail one it's like a scene from the birds they go mental

[Arry 20,352]

Yeah even Rooks now come in on the sunflower hearts feeders. Jackdaws massive increase even caught one in a live trap set for squirrels, must be going soft I let the bugger go lol. Magpies to hunting down Blackbird nests the b*****ds. Never used to see corvid land in the garden when I was a kid. Suppose we all had air guns and nobody gave a f**k if you took then out. You have to be careful now with all the greenie twats soon have the law round.

I have a paintball plow pipe I fire up the garden when they get on the feeders I just aim for the wheel barrow that put the shits up them.

Cheers Arry

[WILF 45,994]

It’s lifting with them here…..I see a corresponding lack of numbers in other wildlife and that imho is in no small measure due to the sheer numbers or crows and rooks and magpies. 

But, because of the hunting laws, you can’t do anything about them in any meaningful way.

They are protected except with a very narrow derogation and decoying is illegal ! 

[Aussie Whip 4,026]

Not a greenie but I like the Oz magpies, they eat young snakes, mice and other vermin around the place. With crows over here, if you go out with a gun you will never see one, when you don't have a gun you see plenty, I swear they warn each other.

[Greyman 27,300]

I,m ok with most corvids very intelligent interesting birds, the only ones I do shoot at every opportunity are magpies because of the destruction I see them cause, sat watching a couple of young crows yesterday just fledged the nest and learning to fly had a catty and some pebbles in my pocket would have made a very easy shot but was more enjoyable just watching them think we all go a bit soft in old age 

[waltjnr 6,377]

1 hour ago, Greyman said:

I,m ok with most corvids very intelligent interesting birds, the only ones I do shoot at every opportunity are magpies because of the destruction I see them cause, sat watching a couple of young crows yesterday just fledged the nest and learning to fly had a catty and some pebbles in my pocket would have made a very easy shot but was more enjoyable just watching them think we all go a bit soft in old age 

The crows are everywhere here every roof has one ,the are clever ,but also nest robbers 

[Arry 20,352]

Just been up the garden to close the green house and put the trap I set for a squirrel away so I don't catch a hedgehog.

Woody Twat.

Cheers Arry

[BobDown 681]

25 minutes ago, Arry said:

Just been up the garden to close the green house and put the trap I set for a squirrel away so I don't catch a hedgehog.

Woody Twat.

Cheers Arry

Greedy things them I’ve caught all sorts in trap set for rats , a few feral cats they can be fun trying to release 

[TOMO 25,693]

Watched two crows catch a jackdaw the other day ...battered it for about 30 seconds on the ground...then it managed to get away....I was surprised..thought they had killed it

[forest of dean redneck 11,404]

There’s a wood on edge of village surrounds a old cheese /coleslaw factory always had few rook/jackdaw nests  when it was operatable they controlled the numbers it’s been shut few years now turned into small industrial units and no one bothers . And for last 4?  years noticed the rooks are on neighbours bird feeders and roofs at dawn making a racket , was about 8 on neighbours lawn last week at 6am .

[kanny 20,127]

I've got a murder of jackdaws  hit the bird table daily,  I quite  like the commotion when they come , a couple are quite friendly,  one will sit just out of arms reach if I'm sat in the garden, I haven't noticed a increase I'm numbers though. 

[BobDown 681]

40 minutes ago, kanny said:

I've got a murder of jackdaws  hit the bird table daily,  I quite  like the commotion when they come , a couple are quite friendly,  one will sit just out of arms reach if I'm sat in the garden, I haven't noticed a increase I'm numbers though. 

Them jackdaws have cause me night mare , going in cabin stealing eggs , they paggerin young pigeons of nest next door , it’s like feeding the 5 thousand when they trap come t time , I wouldn’t mind there come in droves 

[Arry 20,352]

9 hours ago, kanny said:

a couple are quite friendly,  one will sit just out of arms reach if I'm sat in the garden,

I had one hanging around I called cheeky like that and it would make chittering sounds none stop used to make me laugh. 

Cheers Arry

[jukel123 7,710]

Magpies have increased to plague proportions near me. The sporting estate gamekeepers used to keep them in check and there would always be an odd one on their gibbets. But the keepers are all gone now.

I hate the way they predate on young song birds but that's the law of the jungle.

 In my neck of the woods the collective nouns are: a murder of crows,a mischief of magpies and a clattering of jackdaws.

I've got a rookery near me and I love the sight and sound of them. They are always the first to nest but they inspect their nests all year round. Their plumage is scruffy compared to other corvids,they look like tramps,but there's a lot going on in their brains.

Every now and again they will gather in ' a parliament of rooks' and somehow communicate something to each other. Jackdaws often join in too. I find them  spooky, mysterious birds. There's a lot we don't know about what goes on in their brains.