Magpies

[trish1234567]

Something unusual I've never seen before. A whole gathering of magpies, lots of them young ones, even though it's only January! Some magpies were perched on the tip top of fir trees whilst others flapped wildly around. This went on for a long while till eventually they moved along to another neighbour's garden and the whole charade started all over again.

Magpies are now quite a common bird and I've never seen more than two or three at one time, but at this particular time, there was about a dozen or so magpies and it was like a scene from 'Birds'. We do have nearby woods and I was wondering if they were going off to find new nesting sites. The whole thing reminded of a a rookery. Can any Abber enlighten me?

[roopower]

Sorry, can't enlighten you, but I saw thirteen all sitting on a section of three barred fence near where I live. Like you, we have a lot of them locally, there are always groups of two or three about.

[Buenchico]

I've seen several dozen magpies at a time but I admit that it's only rarely happened. The RSPB site suggests that it's non-breeding birds (who can't find nest sites) that form up into flocks:
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/m/magpie/life_cycle.aspx

I would refer to a group of magpies as a 'murder' but others refer to a tiding, a tribe, a gulp, a charm, a tittering or simply a flock.

[Tilly2]

I thought it was a murder of crows, Chris.

[Buenchico]

I'd agree with that, Tilly, but there are no fixed rules. 'Murder' is also used to refer to magpies.

[Prudie]

It can't be too unusual as even the song goes up to 10.

[Eve]

There are loads of them round where I leave and it's not uncommon to see a large number in one go. I live near a park so I figured there must be a load of them nesting in there as they do seem to be quite social birds, together a lot and it isn't as common to see a single magpie alone without another nearby.

[Tilly2]

A murder of magpies is nice alliteration.

[trish1234567]

Couldn't understand why there seemed to be so many young magpies at this time of the year.

Also, they appear to be stripping all the bare flowering trees of their buds - so sadly not so many blooms in the Spring but lots of well-fed magpies! Thankyour all.

[FredPuli43]

Yes, divebuddy, that's what gamekeepers did years ago in an attempt to artificially reduce the number of predators on their eggs and chicks. It would mean that the numbers of magpies locally was reduced .Nature intended there to be a balance of food and consumers of it. Me, I wouldn't shoot one; I am not trying to create some outdoor aviary in a garden ! It seems pretty pointless, unless nearly every gardener does it (and/or there are enough gamekeepers at it).

Otherwise, what is your thesis to explain the increase in numbers in gardens as against years ago?

[FredPuli43]

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/m/magpie/legal_control_methods.aspx

[On legal control of magpies]

[wildwood]

After a couple of good years there will not be enough food/nestingsites for all to breed successfully, in fact, with less of their prey breeding there will be a crash of magpie population. It is Natures way and will balance itself out without human interference.

I agree with Tilly, Chris. A 'murder' seems to be more suitable to crows, magpies (Pica pica) is a very different species from the crow. Saying that.... there is the Australian magpie which is very much a crow and has similar colouring to the European magpie.

[FredPuli43]

The effect of magpies on the bird population is minimal. The big causes of a decline in numbers of any species here are the weather and changes in farming methods. But if we wanted to reduce the numbers of predators in our gardens, our best course would be to cull cats; at least the magpies and other predators kill to feed themselves and their young, as needed. The one valid reason for culling predators is that a species has become so rare in some protected area,because of other factors, that it would disappear altogether unless the predators were killed. Even the RSPB has culled for this reason.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/natureuk/2011/06/springwatch-investigates-the-c.shtml

[grasscarp]

Last year I saw a huge group on the ground. It was really extraordinary and I told a few people about it.

[FredPuli43]

"Humanely and for a specific purpose" is exactly right, divebuddy. The lawful specific purpose is not 'shooting them in the hope of increasing the number of songbirds in my garden'. I could shoot them, being a farmer, with a view to protecting pheasant chicks raised or required for shoots; that would be a lawful 'specific purpose'.

[FredPuli43]

I am guided by the NFU. I don't think that shooting in your garden 'to get more songbirds' amounts to a valid reason. The RSPB cull but they only do so when a particular species on the reserve is so endangered that there is a real danger of there being none left unless predators are removed.

[FredPuli43]

The words are "for the purpose of conserving wild birds" . This is permitted when other methods are not available or suitable. The word conserving suggests some need. That's where the difficulty in keeping the RSPB off your back comes in. There is no need to conserve abundant species. The RSPB themselves are safe in culling on a reserve where the species is in danger of extinction; that is conservation.