Just seen a magpie kill a bird in our garden, how do we deter them?

[Magp13]

Been enjoying seeing all sorts of birds congregate in our garden and the variety has really increased this year. Was hoping for tits and lo and behold one appeared only to be pecked to death and carried off by a magpie. By the time we raced out it was gone. So sad a song thrush had been following me around as I tidied up from gardening. Worried all the other birds will be scared off now. How do we deter magpies.

Don't leave shiny things on the lawn?

Find yourself a friendly rook! They're bastards (I know they have to eat, but they're still bastards - even other corvids hate them) but they're also terrified of anything bigger than them, including rooks and angry collared doves. We have them nesting next door and I calmly walk towards them if I see them land in my garden, just to remind them that that bit's my territory.

There isn’t anything shiny on the lawn, it just did it out of spite. 😢

Hope for a red kite to nest nearby...
We've got one which shredded a magpie fledgling and has put the corvids off our garden, leaving the smaller birds in peace.

Magpies horrible 😡😡 they're really wicked...practice your stone throwing, are you leaving out water in the hot weather?

Aren’t they just. Evil thing, there isn’t a single bird out there now and they always congregate after I’ve been gardening. Will they return? Even the dog isn’t keen on going out. 😢

Yay!

It’s not even said magpies garden! I’ve only seen it once before.

Yes to the water and we’ve got a pond. It happened near the pond. Dh thinks the one it got was having a drink from the pond. 😡

Magpies need to eat too! Plus they've probably got chicks to feed. We're the ones invading their space, not the other way round.

I know it’s heartbreaking when you’ve built a bond with your birds but it’s nature. They’ve probably got young to feed too.

my magpies hang out with the jackdaws it’s all quite chill in my garden.

Quite calling them evil or saying to throw stones at them! Bloody hell, what is wrong with people? They are sentient creatures. Just because you don’t like nature in all its tooth and claw doesn’t mean they are doing anything wrong. Get an indoor canary if you don’t want to put up with it.

Hmmm it’s our garden, it was a passing guest. All the other birds are living in harmony. We have baby hedgehogs too, hope they’re safe.

Make sure you write to the magpie council and make sure they know it’s YOUR land. Ask them for their accreditation next time they visit.

Meanwhile in Llanishen, where people are normal: www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy2zwzl2wko

What do you mean, it’s your garden 🤣

It’s their house. It’s not nice to watch but it’s nature.

It’s nature. They have just as much right to be there as any other bird. Nature isn’t there to be pretty and cute the way you want it to be.

You could watch and muse on the violent nature of the natural world and what that means for our own species etc? Practice some acceptance?

It's nature. Its how it is.

We have Magpies visit, lots of songbirds, tits, starlings, robins and a green woodpecker. They all manage to avoid each other.

The magpie is living in harmony to. That’s what harmony in nature is. And as for “it’s my garden”. JFC.

Not great if they’re a pest and impact the numbers of other birds.

It’s only a pest because you’ve labelled it so.

Maybe if you'd ever witnessed a magpie "funeral" you might see them in a different light?

I came across one once and felt quite moved by the sight.

I've had a magpie trying to kill a baby rook in the nest today. There was an almighty battle, mum and dad rook called all their mates to see the magpie off. The noise was incredible.

I think the baby is disabled because not fledged and the nest has been there since late March

Apparently if you hang CDs it can scare them off but not necessarily other birds.

This is Nature I'm afraid. They are all wild creatures. The magpie will have its own chicks to feed, wherever it finds its prey, and you really shouldn't be favouring one species just because it looks pretty in your garden.

Sorry, but there it is.

Magpies, like all corvids, hold grudges and will tell their magpie mates about your ill-treatment of it. You, and only you, will end up being attacked by a flock. They'll leave the rest of your family alone. So leave it alone.

Feed them, it’s hungry.

I feed mine and they don’t bother the nests anymore.