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.

Magpies most certainly have a massive detrimental affect on songbirds. The National Trust don't advertise the fact they control magpies on their land because of all the backlash they'd get, but they do, because it's absolutely necessary.

Magpies are one of the species that have exceptionally few predators but predate ferociously on songbirds, and their eggs.

Populations of songbirds are substantially higher where magpies have some degree of control.

As humans we unintentionally kill wildlife all the time with our very presence. We can at least utilise this power positively by helping to protect songbird decline from a insatiable, hugely populous predator (legally).

Pigeons however don't prey on other birds but can be issue with crops.

Exactly. It’s like someone stopping you at the door of the supermarket op and removing your food from you. Stay out of it.

It's nature OP and what magpies do to feed their own young. They also take chicks from nest boxes which is horrible to witness but they have to eat.

And I expect you’re a vegetarian OP? You may well be, of course, but if not….you really can’t call a species eating another species ‘evil’!!

Exactly this. We also deter foxes from gardens and other pests. Nothing wrong with looking for kind deterrents and that’s what I’ll be doing. I’d read about the impact on songbirds.

Even vegetarians eat other species.

Yes evil birds. Look how many species they've caused to go extinct. Oh wait, that wasn't magpies - that was humans.

@SerendipityJaneyou can download the Merlin app for free which listens to birds and tells you what they are. Also can identify any photos you take of birds - it’s not infallible but pretty accurate.

😀

Really? 🤔

I just couldn't get sad or mad about wild animals behaving naturally.

Well yes…maybe not sentient ones, as far as we know, but definitely other species😂

😂 ok well as a lifelong vegetarian myself perhaps I should’ve been clearer! I thought it was pretty obvious what I meant but maybe not!

Who says plants aren't sentient ?

https://www.sciencenewstoday.org/how-some-plants-remember-and-learn-without-a-brain

Sentience is about feeling, sensation - plants certainly react whether or not they can ‘feel’ without a nervous system. It’s an interesting question!

They communicate through their roots too, and co operate.

Team plants sentient here 😊

Would’ve thought it was obvious I was talking about eating animals/birds/fish, you know, the usual things vegetarians don’t eat, but no, this is Mumsnet after all 😂

It's true, what they say about assume.

Thanks for that. I’ll give it all the consideration it deserves.

Nature isn't always pleasant. Even your little songbirds can be murderous and violent.
Magpies need to eat. They can't just quickly nip to the shop for something else like you can. It caught it's dinner fair and square.

Totally this! I love birds, birding is my hobby (I’m not a twitcher) and I love them all even the so called unpopular ones like the corvids, gulls and pigeons.

I've got to say, embarrassingly, that I didn't know magpies killed other birds until a few years ago, when I was early 40s.

I saw a little baby bird on the floor as I was walking my dog and as I was thinking I could nip home and get a box or something to put it in, the magpie swooped down and took it.

Horrible to see and as a result I class them as horrible little bastards, but I also understand that they too need to eat and that nature is not always nice 😭.

This. It’s the circle of life OP.

To have so many birds in your garden you’re doing a great job. All you have to do is keep doing what you were doing before 😊

They're not "living in harmony" with the things they eat! The blackbirds in my garden batter snails against our paving stones!

And predation improves genetics 🤷 the smaller birds with smarter nest locations and better predator awareness will pass on those smarts to the next generation.

When they reintroduced wolves intro Yellowstone, the overall health of the elk population increased dramatically. The price being fewer elks.

E2A:spag