Vicious Magpie

[Tilly2]

Over the last two days we have had five starling fledglings killed and eaten by what seems to be a horribly vicious magpie.

I know it's nature and the magpie needs to feed its young but honestly, it is upsetting to see.

Funnily enough I don't get upset when the sparrowhawk attacks. I suppose that it's the frequency of the magpie killings that is so upsetting.

Is there anything at all that will deter the magpies?

[Toorak]

I don’t know what you can do Tilly. We lost one of our nesting blackbird pair to a sparrow hawk - not sure which it was but the nest has been abandoned (with 2 eggs inside). Nature can be cruel.

[Tilly2]

Thanks, Toorak. It is sad when a parent bird gets taken. So many little lives lost then.

[Patsy33]

They can be vicious, Tilly. So upsetting to witness, for you.
I remember seeing two magpies attacking a blackbird last year. They chased the poor thing under our caravan. I seen what was happening, and managed to frighten them off. I didnt realise how nasty thet were!

[spathiphyllum]

It's best and easiest to leave nature to do what it does.

From RSPB.

"Magpies are very difficult to deter. They are a dominant and prominent species, but they do far less damage to the rest of the wildlife in gardens than most people believe. Half-full plastic bottles or CDs hung up in trees to scare the predators away. Magpies don't like the way light reflects from the surface."

https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/advice/gardening-for-wildlife/animal-deterrents/magpie-deterrents/

[Tilly2]

Same here , Patsy. I thought that magpies raided nest for eggs and chicks. I really didn't realise that they actually hunted down and killed almost fully grown birds.

[spathiphyllum]

More info here -

"Description. Magpies are large garden birds and are instinctive killers, particularly in the breeding season, when they hunt for other bird eggs, fledglings and nestlings to feed their young. How much damage they do to garden bird populations is debatable, as no research has been carried out."

https://www.lovethegarden.com/uk-en/article/magpies

[Tilly2]

Thanks, Spath. That's a useful link which I had not considered looking at, for some reason.

[spathiphyllum]

I think feeding a magpie to the extent it doesn't feel the need to go after live birds would be the best prevention but that would be very hard to feed so precisely and costly also, getting meat n all.


I often put fat and left over meats out for the birds, not to mention dried cat food. They love it and line up for it.

[spathiphyllum]

As in.. wet cat food that has started to dry out

[tamborine]

Find magpie nest, poke out chicks for dogs to attack, or blast them with shotgun.

[spathiphyllum]

That is also a good way to stop the magpies feeding their young. However it's a bit barbaric isn't it? A shot gun to a fledging? My oh my ;)

[Tilly2]

I couldn't do that in a million years, Tambo.

[tamborine]

a fledgling = often 4 to a nest

[Baldric]

spath @ 18:58
It's country life mate, you do what has to be done, even if it sometimes seems unpleasant to others.

[tamborine]

all duckilings from about 50 wild ducks taken by magpies & crows here - thats OOO!

[andres]

Purely by chance I found that magpies in our garden love pasta twirls I buy it from Morrisons, put it in a pan and cover it with warm water. It softens and in the morning I put it in a funnel on one of my bird holders. All the birds love it and there is a steady stream of magpies, jackdaws, robins, sparrows all taking turns . Now they are feeding young the magpies sometimes drop the pasta into the bird bath ,leave it a few minutes then fish it out and fly off with it to feed their young.Now I am not saying that all magpies will eat pasta but it definitely works for us and they seem to leave the baby birds alone .I also put left overs and sometimes dog food mixed with the pasta out for them. I always thought that Magpies were a dominant species but the pigeons seem to have the better of them . It isn't too expensive to feed them on pasta ---30 pence packet from Morrisons does one day, sometimes two. Their spaghetti is only 20 pence a packet but the little blighters seem to prefer the twirly pasta.I am not saying this will work for all magpies but I think by filling them up it might deter them from killing the baby birds.

[Ryzen]

Ahh...the sight of a crow or magpie pecking out the eyes and tongue of a new born lamb...the miracle of nature...they have very few natural predators and numbers will only increase...unless a few un-natural predators stand up.

[rockyracoon]

I heard a terrible racket in my garden a few evenings ago. I went to see what the fuss was about and found 2 magpies attacking a blackbird, the partner blackbird was trying to fight them off. There were feathers everywhere. My garden was a haven for blackbirds, but I haven't seen one in there since the attack :(
I hate magpies.

[Tilly2]

Rocky, don't you say, 'Good morning, Mr Magpie, how are your wife and children?'

[Togo]

Since I made an acquaintance with the Edgar Brothers and their .22 pellets I have had no issues with the murderous corvids.