Cheeky blinkin Magpies

[Dave7]

Ive never seen or heard of this before. We get regular visits from Magpies so I have made the feeders 'magpie proof'. This morning one was hopping around the pond then suddenly JUMPED RIGHT IN, caught a frog and flew off with it. Immediately 2 others followed but I chased them off. I know they are greedy and hardfaced but that is a bit too cheeky

 

[DaveReading]

Rossini got it right:

 

[slowwww]

We have loads of them in our garden as they roost in a large fir tree that overlooks it.

I can't stand them. They bully all the other smaller birds off our feeders even though they can't use them themselves as they are magpie-proof, and at the weekend raided a robin's nest and took 2 of their live young despite me trying to shoo it away. I tried to put food on the bird table well away from the feeders in the hope that they'll regard this as their territory and leave the robins, tits, finches and woodpeckers alone, but they just scoff all the food and then beat up the other birds seemingly for fun.

However we now have an exceedingly large crow that visits the garden and seems to delight in seeing-off the magpies, but is disinterested in all the other birds. It's avian Game of Thrones!!

 

[Hicky]

There's a ban on getting rid of Crow/jackdaw/Maggies coming in soon via Packam. The damage they do to all manner of wildlife is frightening both livestock and small birds/mammals.

 

[nickyboy]

There's a ban on getting rid of Crow/jackdaw/Maggies coming in soon via Packam. The damage they do to all manner of wildlife is frightening both livestock and small birds/mammals.

It's all part of the circle of life. If there were no predators we would be knee-deep in Blue Tits in no time at all. There is no evidence to suggest that Magpies have a serious impact on bird numbers. You need to look at the main culprits, cats, for that....oh, and wanton loss of habitat to intensive farming of course

 

[Levo-Lon]

Magpies are murderous little Sods nothing is safe.. Baby birds and pond wildlife .
Been at my pond, frogs with all their innards eaten on the lawn

 

[gbb]

It's all part of the circle of life. If there were no predators we would be knee-deep in Blue Tits in no time at all. There is no evidence to suggest that Magpies have a serious impact on bird numbers. You need to look at the main culprits, cats, for that....oh, and wanton loss of habitat to intensive farming of course

This is of course right....but they are quite relentless predators and their numbers seem to have exploded in the last 20 years, in these parts at least....and you have to wonder if the balance is tipping the wrong way. Ultimately if a species over predates its food source,, its numbers will fall as the food source falls.....its quite natural....but in the short term they possibly can devastate local nests.
I'm 60, and via my dads love of the countryside, ive always loved birdlife in particular. Yet, i NEVER saw a magpie until maybe 30 years ago. The first ones i saw were wonderful to see, just for their apparent rarity (ive lived as a kid in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire...but never saw them). Now, you can't drive 1/2 mile without seeing a pair or two on the roadside and now you even hear them in among the housing estates.
They're quite horribly intelligent, when you see them perched high in trees, they're watching where birds are nesting and are intelligent enough to leave alone until the eggs have hatched...only then they predate the nests (as told by a TV programme some time ago)

I can't say i love em....

 

[Levo-Lon]

Broken magpie..funny without a tail

 

[Salty seadog]

It's all part of the circle of life. If there were no predators we would be knee-deep in Blue Tits in no time at all. There is no evidence to suggest that Magpies have a serious impact on bird numbers. You need to look at the main culprits, cats, for that....oh, and wanton loss of habitat to intensive farming of course

Same for cats, no real impact on bird numbers

 

[Dave7]

We have loads of them in our garden as they roost in a large fir tree that overlooks it.

I can't stand them. They bully all the other smaller birds off our feeders even though they can't use them themselves as they are magpie-proof, and at the weekend raided a robin's nest and took 2 of their live young despite me trying to shoo it away. I tried to put food on the bird table well away from the feeders in the hope that they'll regard this as their territory and leave the robins, tits, finches and woodpeckers alone, but they just scoff all the food and then beat up the other birds seemingly for fun.

However we now have an exceedingly large crow that visits the garden and seems to delight in seeing-off the magpies, but is disinterested in all the other birds. It's avian Game of Thrones!!

Yes they are evil barstewards arent they. Beautiful colours but evil.

 

[Dave7]

There's a ban on getting rid of Crow/jackdaw/Maggies coming in soon via Packam. The damage they do to all manner of wildlife is frightening both livestock and small birds/mammals.

I thought Magpies were classed as vermin so could be shot ? Thats about to change then ?

 

[Dave7]

This is of course right....but they are quite relentless predators and their numbers seem to have exploded in the last 20 years, in these parts at least....and you have to wonder if the balance is tipping the wrong way. Ultimately if a species over predates its food source,, its numbers will fall as the food source falls.....its quite natural....but in the short term they possibly can devastate local nests.
I'm 60, and via my dads love of the countryside, ive always loved birdlife in particular. Yet, i NEVER saw a magpie until maybe 30 years ago. The first ones i saw were wonderful to see, just for their apparent rarity (ive lived as a kid in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire...but never saw them). Now, you can't drive 1/2 mile without seeing a pair or two on the roadside and now you even hear them in among the housing estates.
They're quite horribly intelligent, when you see them perched high in trees, they're watching where birds are nesting and are intelligent enough to leave alone until the eggs have hatched...only then they predate the nests (as told by a TV programme some time ago)

I can't say i love em....

I am 72 and recall seeing one on a country bike ride when I was 10ish. The family stopped to photograph it (with our Brownie 127) and it actually flew at my brother. They are nasty things.

 

[Hicky]

I thought Magpies were classed as vermin so could be shot ? Thats about to change then ?

It’s in the pipeline, crowdfunding by Chris Packham. I think it’s been batted off for a v short period.
(General comment not aimed at you Dave)
I don’t dispute the lack of habitat is having an effect but I also said they have an effect on livestock too. Ask any farmer.

 

[nickyboy]

I thought Magpies were classed as vermin so could be shot ? Thats about to change then ?

I really don't get this classification of wildlife as vermin/not vermin. Seems that "vermin" is used to describe wildlife that impacts on agriculture or livestock. Not their fault, only doing what comes naturally

I would be as upset to see a magpie being shot as I would a swan for example.

FWIW, numbers of magpies being shot by gamekeepers etc has gone up 400% in past 50 years. Is that something we should condone?

 

[Globalti]

Very clever birds, are magpies. A "parliament" of magpies happens when one dies or moves on and the remainder fight over the territory. All the local magpies gather to watch the outcome because they know that will also affect their own territories.