Killing Little Birds

[Biccylova]

Why does everyone seem to think birds of prey are wonderful? with the increase of the killers there is a decline in small garden birds. I know this as my oh and I watch them every day, we don't have nearly as many finches robins and tits as we used to get in the garden. magpies, jackdaws and rooks also are out of control since gamekeepers and farmers are not shooting them. I suppose the only way they will be reduced is when they run out of food and eat each other. I think the only way to keep some of each type is to control the killers.

[douglas9401]

Never saw a magpie up here until a few years ago, now it's turned into a plague.
I'd be quite happy to see control brought in/back, sonner rather than later.

[maggiebee]

Natural selection Biccylova. Has always been this way and always will be. Birds of prey have families to feed too. Small bird populations decline but always rise again.

[woofgang]

human behaviour is the killer.

[xenoblast]

Humans kill way more wildlife through chemicals and depletion of wildlife habitats.

[Togo]

Agree with the Magpie and Crow problem. Far too many of them. Put feral pigeons in that group as well. Our bird feeder is sometimes attacked by a Sparrow Hawk which targets the Tits and Siskins. As much as we hate to see it however, we do accept this as natural behaviour. The Kestrel takes the feral pigeons out of the air in a flash and a shower of feathers.

[Mexican18]

What do you mean by'feral' pigeons ?

[shoota]

The ban on shooting corvids and pigeons doesn't come in to force until midnight today. An interim form of licence starts in 2 days and an overhauled general licence without the legal loopholes that have caused the current one to be scrapped will be introduced when it is ready. (According to Natural England).
Thank Chris Packham and his cronies for sticking their oars in.

[Togo]

Not wood pigeons or doves. They are pigeons that are derived from the domestic pigeons that have returned to the wild. Same things that roost in towns and cities.

// The domestic pigeon was originally bred from the wild rock dove, which naturally inhabits sea-cliffs and mountains. Rock, domestic, and feral pigeons are all the same species and will readily interbreed. Feral pigeons find the ledges of buildings to be a substitute for sea cliffs, have become adapted to urban life, and are abundant in towns and cities throughout much of the world. Due to their abilities to create large amounts of excrement and to carry disease, combined with crop and property damage, pigeons are largely considered a nuisance and an invasive species, with steps being taken in many municipalities to lower their numbers or completely eradicate them.//

[Mexican18]

Thanks,Togo.

[gness]

I have two large oars, Shoota.....
Biccy.......true bird lovers think all birds are wonderful, not just birds of prey.

Perhaps look at cats and people who love to shoot and net small birds.....places like Malta.....a country I'd never visit......before blaming birds of prey.

[10ClarionSt]

As I've said before on here, the biggest threat to small gardens birds in this country is the domestic cat. The simple answer to remove that threat is to put a small bell on a collar round the cats neck. Birds of prey are doing what they were made to do; kill smaller birds.

[Rockrose]

//Birds of prey are doing what they were made to do; kill smaller birds. //
As are cats they are hunters too

[shoota]

It is impossible to refute the contention that corvids predate small birds, eggs, mammals and even full grown sheep.
Saying it is the natural way is tantamount to saying that because the Germans were the stronger race they should have been left to exterminate at will.

[10ClarionSt]

Yes, but cats do it for no reason. They just kill them and leave them. Birds of prey are looking for a meal.

[wolf63]

Clarion - I accept that you are not an animal person and know little about their nature.

If you put a bell on a collar it may work but most likely the cat will 'accidentally' lose the collar or manage to silent it with mud/leaves etc.

Anytime that humans interfere with nature we just make things worse.

[10ClarionSt]

Come on wolf. That wouldn't happen.

[ummmm]

My dog used to kill birds.

[Rockrose]

What wouldn't happen Clarion.
I had 1 cat that lost 3-4 collars a week - she would snag them and then take them off.
My current boy I gave up putting a collar on him after he lost the fifth one in a fortnight

[10ClarionSt]

I just love this web site! :o)

[Biccylova]

We live near a busy main road, not many folk keep cats here. last summer we had an English partridge with 11 young ones, within a week the lot had been taken by magpies, if i had a gun I would have shot the bxxxxxxs.