ok im new and not very knowledgable- out with the dog yesterday in the countryside and i saw what i thought to be a magpie in a cage. it dident seem like it was trap like cage, just that it had been put there. i almost let it out but wasent sure what the right thing to do would be.- any advice/ feedback?- thanks-Wayne
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magpie in cage (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter wayne2467
- Start date
Hi Wayne, it sounds like you stumbled on a Larsen trap, in which a captive Magpie is used to trap other Magpies. Though extremely distasteful and misguided, it is alas not illegal, and though releasing the Magpie would have been a thoroughly laudable things to do, its also illegal.
Welcome to BF.
Welcome to BF.
Precisely.
Dougie Preston
I live for this S**T
It's a simple case of without the right abundance of prey, the predators can't survive. So it stands to reason the more Magpies there are, the healthier the songbird population must be!
Am I wrong?...........
You could always have let the bird go, after all, it's only illegal if your caught
For those who don't want to read through the whole thread above...
http://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=259229&postcount=105
http://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=259229&postcount=105
liverpool_bob
scarce migrant to yorkshire
Ah now that IS true!
This is similar to the argument for shooting Grey Squirrels. If you eliminate some from a certain area, then there is more food available and others move in to take their place. Reduce the competition and the breeding rate increases.
It's called the balance of nature and it tends to work better than human intervention.
Stu.
It's called the balance of nature and it tends to work better than human intervention.
Stu.
Capercaillie71
Well-known member
In a word, yes!
Unlike birds like sparrowhawks, corvids are omnivorous and only feed on other birds for a short period of the year, so there is always the possibility that alternative food sources could support a high magpie population that could in turn impact on songbird populations.
In practice there is little (if any) evidence that this happens. However, there is evidence that corvids can impact on the populations of ground-nesting waders.
There is an interesting review of the science here:
http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/Predator Report_tcm9-177905.pdf
Left it. Like it or not, the gamekeeper was carrying out a perfectly lawful activity
Capercaillie71
Well-known member
Left it. You could be liable to legal action if you tamper with a legally set trap.
I would have checked if the Magpie had adequate food and shelter. If not I would have taken photographic evidence, and called the local wildlife protection officer.
might have told these people too
http://www.againstcorvidtraps.co.uk/
might have told these people too
http://www.againstcorvidtraps.co.uk/
I found one once that had been "adapted". The part of the cage where the decoy bird goes had been fitted with extra fine netting. This side was baited with a live sparrow, and caught in the other half was a very p*ssed off sparrowhawk. Needless to say, this contraption was found on a pheasant feeding ride, next to a release pen (just outside York).
I brought the police out, and the keeper was prosecuted
I brought the police out, and the keeper was prosecuted
Mary Evelyn
New member
I would have released it ,sod the law.
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