Mother Nature can be so cruel

[Redcap]

We've been fortunate watching a nest of gold finches in our garden, progressing successfully with fledglings leaving nest just this morning. Wonderful!
One fledgling landed in a laurel bush, and stayed in the same spot for nearly an hour. A short while later a magpie flew overhead, and I'd thought, had gone away....but 5 minutes later it swooped in towards the fledgling (which had been nice and still, and fairly well camouflaged)..which took flight as the magpie approached, and appeared to be making good its escape; but no, plucked in mid-flight by the attacking magpie and carried off in its beak...heartbreaking to witness !

 

[blackcloud]

They have to eat too.

As do waxmoth and varroa mites but we readily murder them!

 

[JamezF]

Saw a magpie do something similar with a thrush chick once. Only the mother was around and went absolutely mental at the magpie, eventually driving it off. Sadly it was too late for the chick.

James

 

[Sutty]

Check out some airgun forums - they reckon there are far too many magpies due to human influence, & they take very many songbird chicks, often clearing whole hedges etc.
That said, I've not shot any, though I've been tempted when I see them robbing nests!

 

[Goran]

While I was kid, there were magpies almost as sparrows.. We use to collect them when they fall from nests and keep in open box, and afterward releasing them when we get bored.. Now they are nearly extinct, I see maybe once in a 6 months few of them.. Now Eurasian jay seems replacing them.. They are also such a menace, especially at our orchard..
Speaking of birds.. This spring I saw only couple of swallows, not so long ago there were thousands of them.. Seems humans put them on the menu also? Lot of birds perished here as it seems a lot is killed and smuggled to Italy as food ( small birds, which my mind cant comprehend that people kill them to eat - size of sparrow or so..). Humans are beasts, not animals..

 

[Redcap]

While I was kid, there were magpies almost as sparrows.. We use to collect them when they fall from nests and keep in open box, and afterward releasing them when we get bored.. Now they are nearly extinct, I see maybe once in a 6 months few of them.. Now Eurasian jay seems replacing them.. They are also such a menace, especially at our orchard..
Speaking of birds.. This spring I saw only couple of swallows, not so long ago there were thousands of them.. Seems humans put them on the menu also? Lot of birds perished here as it seems a lot is killed and smuggled to Italy as food ( small birds, which my mind cant comprehend that people kill them to eat - size of sparrow or so..). Humans are beasts, not animals..

Magpies do seem plentiful at the moment...but not seen a jay for months....as for swallows, we saw two just four days ago, the first this year.

 

[Garry R]

I was fishing in Ireland last week and although there were nests all round the B&B with swallows feeding young. On the lough however it was a different matter, At this time of year there are normally plenty of fly life but barely saw fish rising and swallows and terns picking up flies off the surface were non-existant. Result - two fish for three long days. We did discuss the lack of dead flies on car number plates as a thing of the past

 

[Wilco]

I was fishing in Ireland last week and although there were nests all round the B&B with swallows feeding young. On the lough however it was a different matter, At this time of year there are normally plenty of fly life but barely saw fish rising and swallows and terns picking up flies off the surface were non-existant. Result - two fish for three long days. We did discuss the lack of dead flies on car number plates as a thing of the past

Reports I've heard suggest fish numbers are significantly down as well.

We've been fortunate watching a nest of gold finches in our garden, progressing successfully with fledglings leaving nest just this morning. Wonderful!
One fledgling landed in a laurel bush, and stayed in the same spot for nearly an hour. A short while later a magpie flew overhead, and I'd thought, had gone away....but 5 minutes later it swooped in towards the fledgling (which had been nice and still, and fairly well camouflaged)..which took flight as the magpie approached, and appeared to be making good its escape; but no, plucked in mid-flight by the attacking magpie and carried off in its beak...heartbreaking to witness !

Bird see further into UV than we do so likely picked up on something we couldn't see as many bird feathers fluoresce under UV.

Once saw a magpie (I think, can't quite remember if it was one or a crow) chase down and pounce on a young rabbit. By the time I arrived the beak had gone through the skull, killing it, and the corvid had also disembowelled the kit.

Magpies and jays here depending on time of year. Plenty of oaks planted by the latter in the garden.

 

[WoodenBeam]

Magpies are plenty here in Suffolk - I think some additional lines need to be added to that poem as it stops at 7!
Everyone used to employ a Larsen trap in the olde days to keep the numbers in check - times have changed & people don’t seem to understand the damage they do to eggs, chicks & fledglings

 

[user 819]

Magpies are adamn nusiance here as well , recently seen the odd small bird egg disguarded in the garden so suspect they have been robbing nests.
I have a silenced sighted air rifle but the problem is soon as one makes a movement or slight noise they are off.

The Nuthatch pair are still active in the garden and we have had them resident here for a number of years now, they frequent the large conifer in the garden. Another nice recent sighting was of a female gold crest .

 

[Erichalfbee]

Squirrels do a lot of robbing here if we let them. We usually have a purge every three or so years.