Magpies

[Juno]

Can someone tell me why the Magpie is a protected bird? I live in a very rural area and there are so many Magpies and they are killing so many fledglings that I am not surprised the small bird population is going down. From about 4.30am you can hear the slaughter going on for a couple of hours.

[Mrs_Pegasus]

The RSPB say

"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 landowners or occupiers permission."

[kempie]

Further to the above text, here are the "permitted methods"

[brooklyn77]

I just wanted to add something.

Its all well and good people moaning about birds killing other birds, cats killing birds, foxes killng chickens etc. But can we please remember what we were all taught in Biology?

If there are thousands of Rabbits and only 10 foxes the fox population will eventually explode due to so much food.

Eventually the food stock for the foxes will get less and less due to the foxes birth rates.

So in turn the rabbits will get less and less in number whilst the fox numbers will get more and more.

One day there will be too many foxes for the food, so their numbers will eventually decrease and in turn the rabbit population begin to rise again.

Its as simplistic way to put it but it is called the circle of life.

If magpies wanna kill. Let them. Its nature taking its course.

If you really want to follow that line. Then what about those animals we call humans that kill whales, bears, dogs, elephants, rhino, tiger, monkeys etc.. we often kill them for non nessasary means. Would it no be more relevant to stop those killings?

[brooklyn77]

I should add that the cats example was probably a bad one. No matter how many birds there are, cat numbers wont actually wont go down due to man made food.

However, when you refer the example to wild animals..it makes sense

[Tim Baxter]

Don't agree.  If magpies' prey gets in short supply they move on to other species but not to the exclusion of their original prey.  In short magpie numbers are forever increasing.

[jimtom]

Get your local farmer to sort you out a Larsen Trap Juno. He may already have one and I bet he'll be happy to put it in your garden for a few days.
There are too many Magpies around here and whilst I agree with Brooklyn that nature usually sorts everything out herself, in this instance , nature needs a helping hand as the countryside in the UK is for the most part man-made.
Magpies are particularly nasty predators not only do they take any eggs or fledglings they can get their beaks into but also peck out the eyes and tongues of weak or newborn lambs. I've had them pecking the tongues of calves while they were still in the process of being born!
Control is the answer, not extermination.
Jim.

[brooklyn77]

Well I see the point about Magpie numbers increasing but come on...magpies I am sure must have been around for donkeys years, and I dont believe that the rest of our bird life is in immediate danger of becoming extinct