Magpies and how can they be beneficial?

An truicear tochasach

Hey all

Whilst out trying to get on the ladder for the mixed bag competition I was chatting to a farmer on one of my permissions. He's plagued with winged vermin and for some reason doesn't have a shot gun (or any kind of gun for that matter - he has problems with foxes as well).

Anyway, he's a bit eccentric and specifically asked me not to shoot the magpies as they clean up a bit by eating dead rats and mice. (where the dead mice and rats come from, I have no idea).

Fair enough I'd say but is there an argument against them? Do they actually do any harm around the farm? I know all about the old song bird argument but I don't think he's much concerned about that. Funnily enough his wife hates the magpies and specifically asked me to target them!

TriggerPL

An truicear tochasach wrote: »

Hey all

Whilst out trying to get on the ladder for the mixed bag competition I was chatting to a farmer on one of my permissions. He's plagued with winged vermin and for some reason doesn't have a shot gun (or any kind of gun for that matter - he has problems with foxes as well).

Anyway, he's a bit eccentric and specifically asked me not to shoot the magpies as they clean up a bit by eating dead rats and mice. (where the dead mice and rats come from, I have no idea).

Fair enough I'd say but is there an argument against them? Do they actually do any harm around the farm? I know all about the old song bird argument but I don't think he's much concerned about that. Funnily enough his wife hates the magpies and specifically asked me to target them!

There not eating rats and mice on farms there eating the same as the crows and Grays there eating meal and deficating , around the shed

An truicear tochasach

TriggerPL wrote: »

There not eating rats and mice on farms there eating the same as the crows and Grays there eating meal and deficating , around the shed

Yep - thats what I thought but you'd never know......

Like I said - quite eccentric!:)

hedzball

TriggerPL wrote: »

There not eating rats and mice on farms there eating the same as the crows and Grays there eating meal and deficating , around the shed

Being fair they do do a little.. Id imagine the fox is doing most of it mind..

They are omnivorous birds ..

If the farmers would have looked after themselves rather then shooting/poisoning all the goshawks of all kinds there would be less of the heors..

The increased road traffic doesn't help either mind..

Funny enough I always thought they were a native bird but they were absent from Ireland up to the later 1700's..

Hate em but jesus they are a gorgeous looking bird.



'hdz

Boiled-egg

There great for boosting morale when you find 4 of them in the Larsen !

lb1981

Rats with wings

.243

only one good thing about them,
they're great at giving away a fox's location,if you see them going mad following the tree tops or a ditch line,nine times out of ten theres a fox moving under them

J.R.

.243 wrote: »

only one good thing about them,
they're great at giving away a fox's location,if you see them going mad following the tree tops or a ditch line,nine times out of ten theres a fox moving under them

yes - and blackbirds do the same

Birdnuts

hedzball wrote: »

They are omnivorous birds ..

If the farmers would have looked after themselves rather then shooting/poisoning all the goshawks of all kinds there would be less of the heors..

The increased road traffic doesn't help either mind..



'hdz

To be fair the vast majority of farmers now respect laws on protected wildlife and the ban on the use of poison baits other than certain indoor non-meat based rodenticides for rats/mice. They are also more educated on beneficial wildlife like owls and other raptors that control rats,crows and other vermin. Its just the few ignorant law breakers
that do the damage.

I take your point though on the number of mags in this country and the reasons for that. Certainly in most other European countries you see alot fewer mags and corvids in general, along with a much healthier/higher raptor population compared to most parts of this country. I've also noticed on my regular travels to my small holding in North Mayo, that the number of mags and hoodies appears to increase in number and visiblity the further West you go in this country, which would also fit in with this theory.