Allotments 4 All
Produce => Wildlife forum => Topic started by: angle shades on October 17, 2006, 19:46:28
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is RSPB feed the birds day. for details see RSPB Winter magazine or the website of RSPB. :)/shades x
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:)
bringing to everyones attention again :)/shades x not that theres many birds about to feed ::) :P
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I laid out a banquet for the birds but did they take the bait, did they heck >:( >:( I saw 4 sparrows, 2 chaffinches, one robin singing, One bleeding magpie :-[ :-[ :-[ few rooks, few jackdaws and that was it.
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How bizarre - I bought mt first ever bird feeder today from Morrisons and didn't even know it was Feed the Birds Day! Must have picked up on all the good thought vibes that fly around the place!
;D
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I used to have loads of birds use the feeders and bath in the pond.For the past three years I have had magpies nest in a conifer.They have driven all the other birds away.I will be lucky if I even have a sparrow visit now.
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I used to have loads of birds use the feeders and bath in the pond.For the past three years I have had magpies nest in a conifer.They have driven all the other birds away.I will be lucky if I even have a sparrow visit now.
sorry to hear about that day lilly,... something should be done about the magpie situation its getting out of hand and i have seen it happen before,..it usually takes about 3 years from magpies moving in till the song bird population is desimated ,...magpies are protected and i beleive only DEFRA and the rsbd can give permission for them to be culled,???
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Magpies are not protected. Anyone can kill them provided that it is done humanely.
I think there was an EC attempt to protect all corvids a few years back but it was argued that they were not endangered here.
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i must have got it wrong barnowl but i thought you had to have a licence before you went after urban magpies???,...i know its different for magpies on farm land where you can shoot them but only with the farmers permission,..
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Having been brought up in the country, I hadn't thought about urban areas, so looked it up. The law on magpies doesn't seem to distinguish between town and country but since discharging a firearm is illegal in most (probably all) urban areas, that would only leave Larsen traps and there are very specific rules as to their use. This is the RSPB summary:
Magpies are fully protected by the European Union Birds Directive [but] 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 Conservancy Trust will advice 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 Conservancy 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.