Bird fanciers miss this one

[Snatcher]

blackbirds,tits,spuggies are a rarity around my way. In towns I think cats do loads of damage to the bird population. Last year actually seen a cat playing with/killing birds on my lawn on three separate occasions. Multiply that by the number of cats in the country. I think the wearing of neck bells should be made compulsary,at least it would give some of the birds a chance to scarper!

[Chris Goddard]

Terry! You sound just like the man who MAY be able to answer this question. Ever heard of a MAGPIE call decoy?? Know all about the swan vestas1 Usaed them myself to some extent when younger but only with the 16 bore!! Someone was asking teh other day on one of the BBs's I use and I was just wondering.

By the way, yes a VERY good post!! All credit to you!! Where are you by the way??

 

Chris

[Paul_D]

We seemed to have loads of Sparrows at the bird table over the Winter. Literally dozens of them squabbling delightfully in the shrubs. Also seemed to get an unusually large number of Goldfinches visiting. Defies all the recent press about falling numbers. I agree totally that there seem to be far too many Magpies around. Same with Crows. We're also having a job trying to 'disuade' bloody Collared Doves from nesting in our trees.....persistant (and noisy) beggars!

[Snatcher]

On the way into work this morning counted 37 mags and that was just on the road or side of the road during a 25 minute drive. Have also noticed quite a few mags flying around our street,a built up area,you would never see one a few years ago.Looks like the invasion has started chaps.

[poledark]

Snatch (may I call you that ), That invasion has been going on for at least 15 years.

 

Magpies are in fact the one bird we could all do without, crows do at least eat vast numbers of pests.

 

Den

[Snatcher]

Poledark I am quite partial to Snatch!

[Scott]

If you are really set on shooting birds then may I suggest you only shoot Cormorants.

[Leon Roskilly]

Scott:

If you are really set on shooting birds then may I suggest you only shoot Cormorants.

I had a phone call from a very conservation-minded sea angler a couple of weeks ago.

 

He'd called to inform me of around 30 cormorants he'd found drowned in a gill-net.

 

My spontaneous whoop of delight completely threw him!

 

Utterly shocked he was!!!

 

Tight Lines - leon

[awaaar]

hope you told him to keep up the good work too Leon

[Norm B]

The shooting of magpies and other vermin is permitted under an "open licence" but you must have a reason for shooting them. I shoot every one I can as they cause absolute devestation to the birds nesting in my garden, and this is a deemed good enough reason under the open licence. This year there are no baby robins, one blackbird's, one thrush's, one doves nest destroyed, and that's just in my suburban garden, think what they do nationwide. They also killed a fledgling blackbird being fed by it's parents on my patio, I got that one. Unfortunately I am surrounded by houses and only half the owners will let me shoot them off their roofs, the others, "like to see the pretty black and white birds". What a bunch of ignoramuses, or is that, ignorami? Cheers, Norm B.