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Magpies how to get rid of them?

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2

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    #32
    bri007
    Registered Users Posts: 1,375 ✭✭✭bri007


    Magpies are vicious little b&stards, I seen 3 of them last summer rip shrewd out of a pigeon outside my house, I tried to run them off but they kept coming back and attacking it. Seen the pigeon the next day in bits on the pathway! I don’t like magpies at all


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    #33
    Spanish Eyes
    Registered Users Posts: 15,865 ✭✭✭✭Spanish Eyes


    bri007 wrote: »
    Magpies are vicious little b&stards, I seen 3 of them last summer rip shrewd out of a pigeon outside my house, I tried to run them off but they kept coming back and attacking it. Seen the pigeon the next day in bits on the pathway! I don’t like magpies at all

    I live in the city, long garden backing on to playing fields and lots of trees in that park too.

    Have noticed over the last say four years, that other species no longer visit our garden much since the magpies took over. I wish there was a way to keep them out. They have virtually stopped the wonder evening blackbird song.

    I have birdfeeders and so on but the magpies frighten the rest of them off most of the time I find. Maybe I am doing something wrong.

    Was never a problem a few years ago.


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    #34
    Pawwed Rig
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 22,294 CMod ✭✭✭✭Pawwed Rig


    bri007 wrote: »
    Magpies are vicious little b&stards, I seen 3 of them last summer rip shrewd out of a pigeon outside my house, I tried to run them off but they kept coming back and attacking it. Seen the pigeon the next day in bits on the pathway! I don’t like magpies at all

    Nature in all of its beauty and brutality. We don't hate lions for killing prey.


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    #35
    PooPooPooPoo
    Registered Users Posts: 33 ✭PooPooPooPoo


    Car99 wrote: »
    Hi,

    Living in the country , recently we seem to have alot more Magpies around , for years we had alot of pied details, robins and the like frequenting the garden and patio area out back.
    Since the arrival of the magpies thats all we seem to have bloody magpies 3 or 4 of em constantly around the place.

    How can I get rid of them , should I just get em shot?


    There are a couple of options open to you really - using a Larsen trap would be fine but time consuming.
    I would shoot them (with a slongshot, air rifle or an M60)


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    #36
    Markcheese
    Registered Users Posts: 8,428 ✭✭✭Markcheese


    It's funny how we are with 1 animal good, another bad
    I like magpies, they are clever and adaptable (like most members of the crow family), they are scavengers and predators, and numbers seem to be increasing...
    If there were Hawks hanging around my garden I'd be thrilled, loads of crows maybe not so thrilled..
    I think I'd take most of the advice above, feeding and nesting boxs for small birds,
    But I'd also get a larson trap ( maybe just borrow one from a gun club), you won't get rid of magpies, but you'll keep numbers down...

    Slava ukraini 🇺🇦



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    #37
    malinheader
    Registered Users Posts: 4,860 ✭✭✭malinheader


    People complaining about the disappearance of smaller native birds and blaming the magpies for this. No word of the poison slurry that's being spread on every bit of land possible. The native worm must be nearly extinct. More detrimental than the magpies.


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    #38
    SlowBlowin
    Registered Users Posts: 1,884 ✭✭✭SlowBlowin


    bri007 wrote: »
    Magpies are vicious little b&stards, I seen 3 of them last summer rip shrewd out of a pigeon outside my house, I tried to run them off but they kept coming back and attacking it. Seen the pigeon the next day in bits on the pathway! I don’t like magpies at all

    Magpies are very intelligent, and do what they can to make a living. I must admit I don't like them in our garden, but they are no less vicious then some of my regulars, like the Pine Marten and Stoat. In fact in the bird kingdom the little innocent Robin, is amongst the most vicious, every year a good proportion of male robins are killed fighting. When two males start a decent squabble there is a good chance one of them will die.

    A few years back I filmed one of our regular pine martens nearly catch a magpie, if you look he gets a mouthful of feathers and you see a feather float off (I was watching out the window)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuZU7WVKCtk

    On a side note we have a lovely sparrowhawk in the valley which has become a magpie specialist, I have seen him several times chasing magpies over extended periods of time. He rarely visits my feeders, he just prefers to go for magpies.

    To keep magpies out of our garden I just use a toy catapult, not anything that would harm them. They soon get the message and rarely visit, I have done this at several places and it always seems to work.


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    #39
    cd07
    Registered Users Posts: 466 ✭✭cd07


    There's a great video of a very clever Sparrowhawk drowning a magpie on YouTube. Well worth finding it ! Just search Sparrowhawk drowns magpie!


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    #40
    berettaman
    Registered Users Posts: 553 ✭✭✭berettaman


    A Larsen Trap is your only man.


    Every year when the brood has hatched you can see a mob of magpies combing the ditches for other birds nests, 2 on each side and two up top.. Very efficient.


    First year we started we took a lot of magpies out . , the songbird population thrived afterwards.



    Do we need a few magpies around..yes do we need flocks of 10-15 ..no..It is all about balance..


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    #41
    SlowBlowin
    Registered Users Posts: 1,884 ✭✭✭SlowBlowin


    cd07 wrote: »
    There's a great video of a very clever Sparrowhawk drowning a magpie on YouTube. Well worth finding it ! Just search Sparrowhawk drowns magpie!

    Thanks for that, just watched it, definitely some intelligence being displayed there !!


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    #42
    loveisdivine
    Registered Users Posts: 2,463 ✭✭✭loveisdivine


    The amount of people that think they have some right to control nature and mould it to their own desires is baffling.


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    #43
    magicbastarder
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 48,327 CMod ✭✭✭✭magicbastarder


    yep; it's a good thing humans arrived on the scene to control nature, it was a mess till we arrived.


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    #44
    hawkwing
    Registered Users Posts: 1,804 ✭✭✭hawkwing


    loveisdivine wrote: »
    The amount of people that think they have some right to control nature and mould it to their own desires is baffling.
    We should save and feed rats and grey crows too.


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    #45
    ytpe2r5bxkn0c1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    Let's clear the area of Magpies, Sparrowhawks, Hooded Crows, and every other creature that might kill another. What an absolutely wonderful example of the lack of understanding of Nature, coupled with ignorance of the impact of predation on bird numbers.


    I despair at times.


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    #46
    looksee
    Registered Users Posts: 28,052 ✭✭✭✭looksee


    I think the pine marten went for the magpie out of simple irritation. Bird hops around going 'look at me, look at me, I want to drink, would you ever move over, leave some of that food for me, I'm here, can you see me'.


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    #47
    berettaman
    Registered Users Posts: 553 ✭✭✭berettaman


    loveisdivine wrote: »
    The amount of people that think they have some right to control nature and mould it to their own desires is baffling.


    The amount of people that think they can get through life without impacting nature in some way..


    The minute that humans built a house, started to farm or built a road they were altering nature to suit their needs.


    Vermin have to be controlled. I never said eradicated.


    Do I control magpies, grey crows and foxes...yes
    Do I feed song birds, pheasants and grow habitat...yes.


    You have to be realistic.


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    #48
    malinheader
    Registered Users Posts: 4,860 ✭✭✭malinheader


    Hedge cutting at wrong times, pesticides, weedkillers, natural habitats being destroyed, slurry and septic tanks not properly working. The list goes on but people never want to speak about the real reason why were losing so much of our native species. The salmon is a great example.


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    #49
    berettaman
    Registered Users Posts: 553 ✭✭✭berettaman


    malinheader wrote: »
    Hedge cutting at wrong times, pesticides, weedkillers, natural habitats being destroyed, slurry and septic tanks not properly working. The list goes on but people never want to speak about the real reason why were losing so much of our native species. The salmon is a great example.




    Totally on the same page..


    Hedge cutting, weedkillers and habitat are all part of the problem and have to be and are being addressed..just like the magpie.


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    #50
    magicbastarder
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 48,327 CMod ✭✭✭✭magicbastarder


    berettaman wrote: »
    The minute that humans built a house, started to farm or built a road they were altering nature to suit their needs.
    does not compute. 'i built a house, therefore that justifies killing magpies'?

    i work from home, and sit facing out onto the back garden. i'm currently watching a pair of tits comb the blossoms on the plum tree, presumably for insects, and about 15m away the magpies have made very good progress building their nest in my big birch.


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    #51
    Discodog
    Registered Users Posts: 15,822 ✭✭✭✭Discodog


    berettaman wrote: »
    The amount of people that think they can get through life without impacting nature in some way..


    The minute that humans built a house, started to farm or built a road they were altering nature to suit their needs.


    Vermin have to be controlled. I never said eradicated.


    Do I control magpies, grey crows and foxes...yes
    Do I feed song birds, pheasants and grow habitat...yes.


    You have to be realistic.

    Says the man named after a gun :pac:

    And then the use of the V word. Class it as vermin & it's open season.

    Posts like this belong on the shooting forum & have nothing to do with appreciating nature.

    Larsen traps are cruel.


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    #52
    Tiercel Dave
    Registered Users Posts: 797 ✭✭✭Tiercel Dave


    SlowBlowin wrote: »
    .....On a side note we have a lovely sparrowhawk in the valley which has become a magpie specialist, I have seen him several times chasing magpies over extended periods of time. He rarely visits my feeders, he just prefers to go for magpies.

    Just to point out, in the interests of equality, that that would be a female Sparrowhawk, a male wouldn't be able to handle a Magpie.....


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    #53
    loveisdivine
    Registered Users Posts: 2,463 ✭✭✭loveisdivine


    berettaman wrote: »
    The amount of people that think they can get through life without impacting nature in some way..


    The minute that humans built a house, started to farm or built a road they were altering nature to suit their needs.


    Vermin have to be controlled. I never said eradicated.


    Do I control magpies, grey crows and foxes...yes
    Do I feed song birds, pheasants and grow habitat...yes.


    You have to be realistic.


    I think it's important for everyone to try and reduce their impact on the land and on nature.

    There's a huge gap between imposing on nature to build a home that's needed and deciding magpies are vermin and deserve to be shot and killed because you prefer pretty song birds.


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    #54
    the_syco
    Registered Users Posts: 37,295 ✭✭✭✭the_syco


    Perhaps try large googly eyes? It works on keeping some larger predator birds from airports, but not sure about magpies. It would not keep song birds away.


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    #55
    SlowBlowin
    Registered Users Posts: 1,884 ✭✭✭SlowBlowin


    looksee wrote: »
    I think the pine marten went for the magpie out of simple irritation. Bird hops around going 'look at me, look at me, I want to drink, would you ever move over, leave some of that food for me, I'm here, can you see me'.

    I think the pine marten hates the magpie, as you say they continually irritate them.

    I have watched many times the magpies peck at their tails while they are feeding. I have also filmed magpies pecking the tails of foxes, they seem to enjoy the game.


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    #56
    Odelay
    Registered Users Posts: 3,784 ✭✭✭Odelay


    SlowBlowin wrote: »
    I think the pine marten hates the magpie, as you say they continually irritate them.

    I have watched many times the magpies peck at their tails while they are feeding. I have also filmed magpies pecking the tails of foxes, they seem to enjoy the game.

    I’m sure the foxes don’t enjoy it! That’s very cruel of the magpies.


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    #57
    SlowBlowin
    Registered Users Posts: 1,884 ✭✭✭SlowBlowin


    Tiercel Dave wrote: »
    Just to point out, in the interests of equality, that that would be a female Sparrowhawk, a male wouldn't be able to handle a Magpie.....

    True, I thought of that when I wrote the post but I have never been close enough and its a small bird. I have seen many tiercels bring over-sized prey into nests

    The bird that sometimes visits the garden is a large female.

    BTW I would hate to meet feminist sparrowhawk..


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    #58
    cd07
    Registered Users Posts: 466 ✭✭cd07


    Tiercel Dave wrote:
    Just to point out, in the interests of equality, that that would be a female Sparrowhawk, a male wouldn't be able to handle a Magpie.....

    True! I saw a young male Sparrowhawk hit a juvenile magpie once...big mistake! He was mobbed by 4 others within seconds and had his ass handed to him!! Life lesson learned for the young spar!


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    #59
    upupup
    Registered Users Posts: 605 ✭✭✭upupup


    I had a lone magpie in my garden a few years ago ,he was a sorrowfull sight
    but he got a mate and they were both a joy to look at.
    they had a chick soon after and I think it was a girl magpie
    Last year the tree of them attracted another magpie which was a boy magpie i think.
    I decided to cull them and set up a larson trap.I caught five on the first attempt and made a little money selling them.
    Second catch was six magpies!..I had struck gold with my magpie trapping.
    I usually catch seven at a time now but i cannot tell you what I do with them..thats a secret never to be told:)


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    #60
    cd07
    Registered Users Posts: 466 ✭✭cd07


    upupup wrote:
    I had a lone magpie in my garden a few years ago ,he was a sorrowfull sight but he got a mate and they were both a joy to look at. they had a chick soon after and I think it was a girl magpie Last year the tree of them attracted another magpie which was a boy magpie i think. I decided to cull them and set up a larson trap.I caught five on the first attempt and made a little money selling them. Second catch was six magpies!..I had struck gold with my magpie trapping. I usually catch seven at a time now but i cannot tell you what I do with them..thats a secret never to be told


    Hahaha very good!


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    #61
    Tiercel Dave
    Registered Users Posts: 797 ✭✭✭Tiercel Dave


    upupup wrote: »
    I had a lone magpie in my garden a few years ago ,he was a sorrowfull sight
    but he got a mate and they were both a joy to look at.
    they had a chick soon after and I think it was a girl magpie
    Last year the tree of them attracted another magpie which was a boy magpie i think.
    I decided to cull them and set up a larson trap.I caught five on the first attempt and made a little money selling them.
    Second catch was six magpies!..I had struck gold with my magpie trapping.
    I usually catch seven at a time now but i cannot tell you what I do with them..thats a secret never to be told:)

    I wish you would tell us, maybe if you catch eight!.....


This discussion has been closed.
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