LAZ(er)Y WAY TO SHOOT MAGPIES

[Matou]

So yesterday I'm getting peeved at the damned magpies, rooks and squirrels raiding the feeders on the trees near my office (down the bottom of the garden) . . . as it's a garden area with no safe backstop I couldn't shoot them and can't keep getting up and opening the window to request them to far-cough, as it were, so looked around for a deterrent that I could use and not scare the other birds in the garden . . . . so I grabbed a green laser pointer and tried disturbing them with it . . . strangely enough the rooks seemed oblivious (as are rabbits and squirrels) but the magpies were intrigued by the green spot and I had two of them chasing up and down the garden trying to snatch it . . . . you can guess where this is going can't you . . .

. . . today I grabbed my .25 Falcon Prairie with the green laser and brought it with me to work . . . and every time there's a magpie on the feeders or on the fence I've enticed them down onto the lawn to chase the green spot and over to where there's a safe backstop and, well there's 5 less magpies in the village so far today.

So if you've a laser (presume red will work also) and you want to entice a maggie down onto the ground for a nice clean and safe shot, just make the dot dance enticingly near the tree they're in and get ready for some action.

[mark foster]

great tip,
going to try that one out myself,

thanks

mark

[tufty]

Seems a bit strange to put bird feeders out,then get annoyed enough to shoot them when birds try to feed from them

[Raygun]

Seems a bit strange to put bird feeders out,then get annoyed enough to shoot them when birds try to feed from them

Also non-compliant with the General Licences.

ATB
Ray.

[hedgemumper]

Popcorn at the ready

[Tone]

Seems a bit strange to put bird feeders out,then get annoyed enough to shoot them when birds try to feed from them

Magpies are not birds as in the sense of a blackbird, thrush etc.

They are vermin, with no natural predator and are taking over our towns and cities, destroying the nests of our garden birds (which have enough trouble with cats etc), and the magpie population is ever expanding.

Forget waking up to the dawn chorus - its the dawn cackle these days

And the RSPB do nothing but sit back in a smug way, and go and visit some bird sanctuary hundreds of miles away rather than sorting out thier own back yard.

So well done Matou and good tip.

Rant over

[Raygun]

Magpies are not birds as in the sense of a blackbird, thrush etc.

They are vermin, with no natural predator and are taking over our towns and cities, destroying the nests of our garden birds (which have enough trouble with cats etc), and the magpie population is ever expanding.

Forget waking up to the dawn chorus - its the dawn cackle these days

And the RSPB do nothing but sit back in a smug way, and go and visit some bird sanctuary hundreds of miles away rather than sorting out thier own back yard.

So well done Matou and good tip.

Rant over

ALL birds are protected.

ATB
Ray.

[Matou]

ALL birds are protected.

ATB
Ray.

=================

I respect your view Ray, and did expect you to cite GLO6, as you have in previous articles debating the shooting of other species of bird in garden areas.

in response (and I am not offering this as defence) may I state that I have witnessed repeated attacks by maggies on the young of songbirds in my garden - predominantly blue tits, long tailed tits and one goldfinch (I have about 20 nesting boxes situated on my property), and in the past week I have had to put down three baby bunnies that have either been blinded or severely injure by packs of 2 to 4 magpies attacking them on the lawn.

The magpie is an opportunistic killer, IMHO, and I feel that my actions to reduce the numbers so as to protect the songbirds, especially, would stand as equally justified as the use of larsen traps to reduce corvid numbers on the two shooting estates bordering my village.