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Post by standing stone on May 28, 2016 10:07:23 GMT
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Post by deserttraveller on May 28, 2016 10:38:50 GMT
If someone can tell me how to stop magpies raiding my House Martins nest I'd be pleased. The last 2 years have seen the nest destroyed at 7am; they have taken most of the songbirds nests too.
No, its not nature because the magpies have been encouraged, along with the rats, into the area bacause of people feeding birds randomly with in some cases daily half loaves of bread!
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Post by sc on May 29, 2016 7:29:17 GMT
If someone can tell me how to stop magpies raiding my House Martins nest I'd be pleased. The last 2 years have seen the nest destroyed at 7am; they have taken most of the songbirds nests too. No, its not nature because the magpies have been encouraged, along with the rats, into the area bacause of people feeding birds randomly with in some cases daily half loaves of bread! Well I was going to suggest (slightly tongue in cheek) a good quality, high powered air rifle, which I thought was legal, but then looked it up and the RSPB say this: www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandlearn/birdguide/name/m/magpie/legal_control_methods.aspx So, not so simple, particularly if you live in a built up area, traps are another option but it seems you need an official ticket. We used to have lots of them, (and lots of trouble from them, particularly from them attacking and robbing Garden Birds nests) living in a colony in a group of trees in neighbours gardens, the neighbours eventually removed the trees (except one of the trees by one neighbour). Now that one tree has only one Magpie nest in it so the Magpies have dramatically reduced, by the removal of suitable nesting trees. The remaining Magpie family seems to only now focus on harassing a family of Wood Pigeons, and those battles can be very very noisy! But the other garden birds seem to be now left alone. Good luck  |
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Post by standing stone on May 29, 2016 10:04:15 GMT
Shooting and destruction of habitat is as unnatural as feeding birds bread, and the more habitat we cover with drives, astroturf, paving etc, the more we reduce the natural food and nesting resources, fragment habitats and isolate populations. It is awful having nests predated, I know, and I've not found an answer from a five minute search on this either. I'd like to think that putting up more house martin nest boxes would at least give a better chance on the safety in numbers scale of things, but know many perish for the few to survive.
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Post by standing stone on May 29, 2016 10:08:05 GMT
This brught some answers to concerns I've had over thhe years about the geolocators fitted to birds. After evolution has created the perfect body shape and mass for each bird, this gets shot to hell by fitting a geolocator - at least that's what I thought, and while it has been shown to be to the detriment for some species, others have no ill effects. Great that research has now been carried out and we are aware of the consequences as well as benefits to gathering information ths way: wadertales.wordpress.com/2016/05/27/are-there-costs-to-wearing-a-geolocator/ |
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Post by sc on May 29, 2016 10:59:24 GMT
Shooting and destruction of habitat is as unnatural as feeding birds bread, and the more habitat we cover with drives, astroturf, paving etc, the more we reduce the natural food and nesting resources, fragment habitats and isolate populations. It is awful having nests predated, I know, and I've not found an answer from a five minute search on this either. I'd like to think that putting up more house martin nest boxes would at least give a better chance on the safety in numbers scale of things, but know many perish for the few to survive. It's all about getting the right balance SS. Of course Shooting and destruction of habitat is unnatural but, as humans we have dramatically altered the environment that animals live in and as it is us that have altered it, it is down to us to manage the problem we have created. I did say in my comment that "shooting" was said "slightly tongue in cheek" but, because of the problems man has made "culling" is sometimes a viable option. If you think of the deer in Richmond park, they have to be culled, because they no longer have natural predators to control their numbers, because we killed off all of the wolves. One cannot sit back, shrug your shoulders and say that nature will sort itself out, if your house is overrun with Cockroaches, Mice and Rats should one simply think, "well it's nice to share my house with nature" of course not, you kill them, you don't relocate Cockroaches and Rats. Re the trees that came down, happily they have not been replaced with drives. astroturf or paving, they were in back gardens, they did not come down "because" of the Magpies, but a reduction in Magpie nesting places did have a positive effect, in that we now only have about 4 Magpies visit our garden, two of which "own" the surviving tree. Doing the right thing is difficult not only doing it but also knowing what the right thing is, lets just hope that man can learn from it's mistakes (I doubt it will), but as you inferred from your other post, research and understanding how nature works is vital and I believe man-kind has only just started to research that. |
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Post by standing stone on May 29, 2016 15:45:37 GMT
I agree with much you say, S.C. and would love to think that we are capable of managing the problems we (mankind) have created; rewilding is something that, in my mind, we owe the planet and ourselves. There are so many properties around here which have had trees, gardens, hedges etc replaced with fencing, drives, paving, astroturf etc, along with house building in conservation areas etc, it really saddens me that there is such a landgrab going on - back in the 50's and 60's, gardens were treasured; I read something recently saying that property is less attractive to buyers if there is a gardento maintain; people don't have the time for this anymore..... I agree that the more we learn, the more we understand, the more we can make the best judgements as to what the "right thing" to do is. It is in all our interests, though I wonder how many people are actually interested these days when you see what is happening in our own backyhards. I'd like to be pleasantly surprised Saw a heron on its nest today along with damselflies and a stonking four spotted chaser |
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Post by deserttraveller on May 29, 2016 17:11:06 GMT
I have considered trapping the magpies but the numbers dramatically declined last year, someone culled them I think.. I could do it under the guidance and licence of a pest controller I know, yes as you say welfare considerations are important.
They attack the nest which is right at the top of the gable by gripping onto the render, short term solution is to put a piece of clear perspex under the nest so they cant get a grip thats if the nesting pair return to rebuild the nest. I have seen them loving eachother on the other wall so I'm hopeful.
Long term solution is to fit a woodcrete 'nest' around the nest after they have gone back to Africa which is what I should have done last year.
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Post by sc on May 29, 2016 21:39:17 GMT
I have considered trapping the magpies but the numbers dramatically declined last year, someone culled them I think.. I could do it under the guidance and licence of a pest controller I know, yes as you say welfare considerations are important. They attack the nest which is right at the top of the gable by gripping onto the render, short term solution is to put a piece of clear perspex under the nest so they cant get a grip thats if the nesting pair return to rebuild the nest. I have seen them loving eachother on the other wall so I'm hopeful. Long term solution is to fit a woodcrete 'nest' around the nest after they have gone back to Africa which is what I should have done last year. Hi DT, I have sent you a PM, Cheers SC |
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Post by standing stone on May 30, 2016 7:00:38 GMT
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Post by standing stone on May 30, 2016 7:02:05 GMT
Stone curlew and Brett Westwood - we're off - YAY!!!!! Esta, story developer talking about the egg- laid 24th May Blue tit nest - four chicks, should fledge during the series if all goes well Just Mum looking after; not sure what h happened to Dad. |
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Post by standing stone on May 30, 2016 7:05:48 GMT
Great tit nest next six chicks remain, female keeping them worm, male coming in to feed her and bring food for chicks Chicks hatched two days ago. |
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Post by standing stone on May 30, 2016 7:08:37 GMT
Oh, wow; sparrowhawk nest - female on five eggs......... male won't be bringing caterpillars to this nest; it'll be other chicks....... everything has to eat..... |
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Post by standing stone on May 30, 2016 7:10:08 GMT
Thre's a camera on a log pile where male sparrowhawk makes food drops for female to pick up. |
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Post by standing stone on May 30, 2016 7:11:47 GMT
Swallow nest - unsure as to how many eggs |
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