Quote Originally Posted by Raygun View Post
Hi Gary,
Sorry but I can't agree.

You are not growing crops to entice birds in, it's just a by product of growing the crop.

It's nonsense to say you are just feeding song birds, it may be your intention, but it's a practical impossibility. It's the feeder that is attracting the birds in and you won't even get the RSPB to back you on the saving songbirds plea.

It would be an extremely tenuous argument in Court and a defence that I certainly wouldn't attempt to rely on, especially as the offence carries a maximum of £5000 fine and/or 6 months inside for each bird.
I don't dispute that anyone has the right to feed birds. They just can't comply to the Licence if they do. Feeding is hardly demonstrating that you are trying to deter the birds.

The last problem of this sort was extensively discussed on here and the subject was a person who was successfully prosecuted for baiting Starlings into his garden and shooting them. Starling were on the list at the time but baiting them in wasn't allowable.

I will however contact BASC to see what their take on this is.

ATB
Ray.

With respect Ray, I teach shooting to pest controllers and listen to the legal people from pest control companies detailing the minutae, so with the greatest respect, I know I am correct.

You contradicted yourself, feeding the birds is not the issue, the predation of magpies on the local songbirds IS the issue, otherwise there would never be a license to shoot them
I am sure the fella has filled the table with songbird mix that the magpies don't eat (if not he must do so) and therefore this is not attracting them (he's never seen one on his table after the food) and shoots them when they are after the songbirds.
You must take reasonable steps to scare them, unfortunately bird scarers are a no no because you would scare the songbirds, therefore you have tried constantly to shoo them away but still see the distressing picture of nests being raided by the over population of magpies. Therefore, to protect the songbirds you have no other option but to shoot the magpies.
The issue is safety and pellets leaving the boundary.

To be convicted of any offense there must be a confession / witness / forensics (2 out of 3) as to the offense, and there must be certainty beyond a reasonable doubt.

No way on gods good earth could he be convicted IF he kept his ducks in a row