Magpie exterminated from Inisbofin, Galway.

Capercaille

The Island population of 20 pairs has been removed. On the positive side Corncrake population has increased to 15 calling males, maybe as a result. I don't know who did it, but I would assume the NPWS. Thoughts?

swifts need our help!

something about it here
https://www.facebook.com/anthonymcgeehan?fref=ts

Birdnuts

No big deal - it is the type of legal vermin control thats carried out in places like Boora when endangered species populations drop to critically low levels. On an island like Inishbofin magpies would not have their usual predators present and are probably breeding at very high densities as a result. I've noticed similar high densities(and probably for similar reasons) in other parts of the West coast


PS: Before anyone asks, Magpies can be legally trapped and shot in this country

Woodville56

I was on Inishbofin a few weeks ago and there was at least one magpie still on the island. While the extermination of magpies on the island has benefits for other species in terms of reduced predation risk of nests and chicks, a more pressing reason given by islanders for the elimination of these birds was their tendency to nest build on electricity pylons and poles on the island resulting in the occasional power outage and resulting inconvenience. Although regarded as a pest species, I would have mixed feelings myself about such as cull from a predation perspective, given that the only rarity there currently is the Corncrake and I wouldn't know if the magpie is a known predator of this species.
I was on the island for the Anthony McGeehan led birding workshop and we recorded 60 species over the 3 days on the island, including some seabirds from our boat trip round Inishturk and Inishark. Notable absentees from the list were tits and chaffinches . The star bird of the trip was a Rose Coloured Starling and a nice sighting Storm Petrels from the boat off Inishark Island .

Capercaille

Woodville56 wrote: »

I was on Inishbofin a few weeks ago and there was at least one magpie still on the island. While the extermination of magpies on the island has benefits for other species in terms of reduced predation risk of nests and chicks, a more pressing reason given by islanders for the elimination of these birds was their tendency to nest build on electricity pylons and poles on the island resulting in the occasional power outage and resulting inconvenience. Although regarded as a pest species, I would have mixed feelings myself about such as cull from a predation perspective, given that the only rarity there currently is the Corncrake and I wouldn't know if the magpie is a known predator of this species.
I was on the island for the Anthony McGeehan led birding workshop and we recorded 60 species over the 3 days on the island, including some seabirds from our boat trip round Inishturk and Inishark. Notable absentees from the list were tits and chaffinches . The star bird of the trip was a Rose Coloured Starling and a nice sighting Storm Petrels from the boat off Inishark Island .

Early in the season if the area is lacking in early cover plants then corncrake are very vunerable to predation by magpies. If the habitat is good they are less vunerable.