hello. Im having a bit of a dilemma. Some friends of mine keep pigeons and race them and they live out on a farm a with their 100 pigeons. (i think its a bit weird my self but each to their own). On occasion he will kill some of them as they ill, or no good at racing. For whatever reason this does not bother me that much. Today i have been at their house and there was a cage in the garden with a magpie in so i asked the my friend why and she said she wasnt sure but her bf put it there and there had been 2 in it this morning. I asked him what it was all about. he said he caught it so it can act as a lure to other magpies. they fly in one end of cgae but cant get back out he them will kill them. He says its because they kill of smaller birds and hes doing it from a conservation point of view for native song birds because numbers are falling. He does it at this time of year because the magpies go for the eggs in the nest. Im not sure if i believe him as he talks about killing a local harris halk because its getting his pigeons. He hasnt killed the halk but he wants to. I again take the halks side on this one. maybe i just dont like pigeons and as he ends up with about 70 babies a year its not like hes going to run out. Can he do that with the magpie? are his reasons even close to true? i know nothing about birds atall so he could tell me anything
I think he needs a licence to trap magpies. http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/m/magpie/legal_control_methods.aspx https://www.solwayfeeders.com/blog/post/2012/12/17/Trapping-Crows-and-Magpies
It's against the law to kill Birds of Prey I think, but not sure about Magpies. Maybe ring the RSPB and see what they say?
its a bit confusing. i says you need a licence but that a licence is given to an area and you should check if your area currently has one. i think. its wrote in a very confusing way. May give them a ring and ask. he hasnt killed the hawk but i know he wants to. Guess im just not happy about it as its a wild animal and who is he to say what happens to it, he can do what he wants with his own pigeons but the magpies are not his. Its really not happy about being in the cage was sad to watch
Magpie is allowed to be trapped and killed by licence-holding landowners under strict conditions. Does he own the land? He can not trap or kill Birds of prey
no his boss owns the land. He works on the farm and gets to live in small cottage for pennys rent. I doubt they have a licence. But if i report him he will know its me as its so remote and the other people that will have seen it are all pigeon people like him. I also made it clear what i though of it all
I used to work with the wife of a gamekeeper, and when I went round to their house they had the same thing - a magpie in a cage. It was horrible to see. I'm assuming that as he was a gamekeeper he would have been granted whatever kind of licence is needed. Strange world - killing one type of bird to protect another type of bird which you are then going to kill.
i dont think hes killing the magpies for his pigeons he was talking about song birds. He wants the hawk because its got a few of his pigeons when their coming in from a race but he says he wont as he knows its illegal. But he claimed magpies wernt protected so he could do it. I just think we shouldnt be messing with wild animals full stop its not our concern. Half the mess with wild animals has been caused by men meddling
Thankfully his girlfriend also thought it was cruel and wrong. So when she saw it had 4 birds in this morning she tipped the trap over and blamed the dog. But thats only 4 saved. But ive told her its ilegal so shes goung to try speak to him
