Shooting Magpies

[goddardo]

If I offend anyone here, I really do apologize, but we're getting to the end of our tether. Our neighbor has two massive Monkey trees with two magpie nests in them. We are a Nature/bird loving family. We have a bird table & feeders hanging in the trees & as I'm sat here, I can see every 5-10 mins two or three Magpies swoop down & frighten all the songbirds away. I've grown to loath the things. I have a friend who had a similar problem & he has increased the number of Songbirds around his garden by carefully & methodically shooting the Magpies. I think I know where I stand legally & I only intend to shoot within my own garden boundary.
Any advice & information would be appreciated here.
Also I realize there will be some here who strongly oppose all this.
All I will say here is, if you had to put up with them skriking away at 4am everyday & terrorizing the little birds, you'd get pretty hacked off with them too.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

I think that's what got the goat originally of derrick bird

 

[lifesagasman]

I'm with you on that Goddardo. If i still had a gun magpies would be the only bird i would shoot. They are systematic when it comes to clearing out other birds. A farmer friend trapped and killed 72 of them on a small farm and all the small birds returned. Jays have similar habits but they aren't present in plague quantities.
Cats are as bad, one across the road took a beautiful mistle thrush yesterday, and a blackbird in my garden which will come within 2 or 3 feet of us will probably be next to go.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Do you not need a special licence to shot magpies and that's if you are the landowner and can prove it is the only way of dealing with the problem?

 

[LastMagicBean]

When it comes to magpies.............

A simple.......LOAD...AIM.....FIRE.........from me on this one.

 

[Lincsbodger]

Magpies are fully protected by the European Union Birds Directive. The UK Government has derogated (made an exception) from the Directive in relation to control of magpies.

Under annual general licence issued under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (for which it is not necessary to apply individually), magpies may be killed or taken by ‘authorised persons’, using permitted methods, for the purposes of:

* preventing serious damage to agricultural crops or livestock
* preserving public health/air safety
* conserving wild birds.

An ‘authorised person’ is a landowner or occupier, or someone acting with the landowner’s or occupier’s permission.

Legal control methods
The RSPB does not oppose legal, site-specific control of magpies, as long as control does not threaten the conservation status of the species. The RSPB is seeking to develop non-lethal methods of controlling crows (including magpies) on its reserves.

The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust will advise on the use of the Larsen trap. This is a wire cage trap with a spring-loaded door, designed to catch the bird alive. It can be baited with food, or with a live decoy magpie. This is legal as long as the decoy bird is humanely treated and given food and water daily.

The trap must be checked regularly, at least every 24 hrs. Any magpie or crow caught may be humanely destroyed. Any non-target species must be released. Further information is available from the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, Fordingbridge, Hampshire (Tel: 01425 652381).

Magpies may be shot, again only by a landowner or someone acting with the landowner’s permission, for the purposes outlined above. Shooting must be well away from public roads and houses, so is seldom possible in urban areas.

It is also legal to destroy a magpie nest, even if it is in use. However, old magpie nests are often used by protected species, such as long-eared owls in rural areas and blackbirds in suburban areas, so check very carefully first.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

It's illegal to destroy the nest of any nesting bird.

 

[lifesagasman]

Do you not need a special licence to shot magpies and that's if you are the landowner and can prove it is the only way of dealing with the problem?

Shoot first, let the magpie ask questions later...

 

[Lincsbodger]

It's illegal to destroy the nest of any nesting bird.

not according to http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/gardening/unwantedvisitors/magpies/thelaw.asp

See my post. It legal to destroy magpie nests.

 

[Infidel]

Pop them off , we have a problem with peacocks honking and hollering at 4am I'll swap you.

 

[EddieM]

Without looking it all up I'm pretty sure LB is on the money. You don't need any special permission of shoot magpies as I think they're classed as vermin. But as said, you have to be very careful where you shoot, anywhere near roads or houses is a definite no no and will land you in a lot of trouble,

Silenced air rifle may be your best bet.

Shame in some respects as magpies are very intelligent birds, and have complex social structures. They're just a bit of a nuisance.

 

[oompah]

I know some one local who traps magpies then rings their blooming necks,so no problem with them,its Jackdaws that are a bit of a problem here they will raid and steal aswell.Had the pleasure and awe of watching a brood of tomtits fledge from a box hung above my decked area to the bottom of the garden under a canopy of shrubs away from the barstewards.

 

[lifesagasman]

Although I don't like magpies, I did have the privelege one year to see a 'parliament' of magpies on a field close to the Open University buildings in Milton Keynes.
There were probably in excess of 200 of them. I believe it's a kind of love-in where they they choose mates and chill out for a while, but I suspect they may have been waiting to enrol as social workers.

 

[oompah]

I did have the privelege one year to see a 'parliament' of magpies

Don't think its a parliament of magpies that would be owls.

 

[lifesagasman]

As far as I'm aware it's a parliament, but I won't be checking it.
Someone else will!!

Edit: maybe it's a minge of magpies?