Magpie kills young blackbird

[barnie41]

I've a mate in another part of South Yorkshire who sets traps and catches/ kills magpies. All above board and the right authorities know. Too many of them about and becoming a right pain killing young birds of other types.

[Odd-jobs]

I've a mate in another part of South Yorkshire who sets traps and catches/ kills magpies. All above board and the right authorities know. Too many of them about and becoming a right pain killing young birds of other types.

 

Before anyone kills or advocates the killing of magpies on here it should be a condition that they publicly execute their beloved pet moggies first. Pet cats are apart from farmers the greatest danger to songbirds.

[RiffRaff]

As has been pointed out already, it is (regretfully) nature.

 

It is a horrible sight to see, though - we lost a bullfinch nest last year courtesy of a pair of magpies working in tandem.

The male bullfinch, ordinarily a beautiful bird with an almost inaudible call, was going crazy - his female, normally within a few feet of the male, was for once nowhere to be seen, so with it being a two-pronged attack, he didn't stand an earthly in saving the chicks....

[Harrystottle]

This is the sort of thing Magpies do; as has been said, it's nature red in tooth and claw.

[taxman]

A BTO report established that magpies do not significantly reduce songbird populations.

 

They are a part of nature.

 

Cats and cars are not.

[ANGELFIRE1]

A BTO report established that magpies do not significantly reduce songbird populations.

 

They are a part of nature.

 

Cats and cars are not.

 

As a country bumpkin I get the cat but how do cars kill songbirds.

 

Angel1.

[Becky B]

Why did I bother posting?

 

Yes, why did you if you feel the responses don't agree with your opinion? Did you expect unqualified sympathy?

 

The magpie needs to eat. They are intelligent opportunists.

Birds such as blackbirds (as with many other species) have large broods to increase the chances of some surviving to propagate the species, as some will be lost to predation.

 

As Odd-jobs has already pointed out, there is another problem. Cats get fed. Often at several places. They take small birds because of their "instinct" but play with them and don't need them as food.

 

Which is more unfair to the blackbird?

[Vaati]

As a country bumpkin I get the cat but how do cars kill songbirds.

 

Angel1.

 

Bird doesn't make it before the car hits it...not a nice sight.

[Eater Sundae]

Just heard a terrific commotion outside. I went to investigate and saw a magpie in our garden with a young blackbird in its beak, the parents going frantic around it. I chased it away and it dropped the bird but it was too late, it was dead.

I have never seen this before, I knew that magpies took baby birds out of nests but not one of this size, it was almost full grown. sickening.

 

So you chased the magpie off, but the blackbird died anyway. Now we have a dead blackbird and a (still) hungry magpie who will no doubt find another you bird to eat. So that went well, didn't it?

 

A bit of advice for you if you have such a reaction to seeing nature like this...

 

... Don't watch the peregrine falcon live cam.

[loraward]

Just heard a terrific commotion outside. I went to investigate and saw a magpie in our garden with a young blackbird in its beak, the parents going frantic around it. I chased it away and it dropped the bird but it was too late, it was dead.

I have never seen this before, I knew that magpies took baby birds out of nests but not one of this size, it was almost full grown. sickening.

 

So now the magpie as got to kill another to make up for the one it lost.