Bird Table News http://birdtablenews.com A place to chat about all types of birds and also exchange bird feeding and other wild bird advice Thu, 06 Jun 2013 10:44:44 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 MAGPIES KILLING OTHER BIRDS http://birdtablenews.com/2013/06/magpies-killing-other-birds/ http://birdtablenews.com/2013/06/magpies-killing-other-birds/#comments Wed, 05 Jun 2013 08:58:04 +0000 Trish http://birdtablenews.com/?p=8716  I’ve received this sad story -

I have just found this after researching Magpies and thier habits regarding stealing eggs particularly Blackbirds by the look of things.

 

 I work for a sign company set in a rural part of east sussex, we were all delighted when a pair of Blackbirds nested in an outbuilding in view of the factory and we delighted in watching the diligent hen bird coming and going and sitting for hours on the nest, after about 16 days much excitement surrounded the nest with both birds coming and going and we guessed the chicks had hatched

 

 you can imagine our dismay when we came into work this Monday to the sight of a Magpie sitting on a beam near the nest and a very ditraught mother Blackbird attempting to return to her nest only to be thwarted by the aggressive Magpie, all the staff are gutted these birds are an absolute menace and I wasn’t aware of thier vicious canibalistic habits until I found this forum and enjoyed reading other peoples experiances with these hateful creatures.

 

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Bob was replying to this Bird Table News article which started it’s life in 2009!

http://birdtablenews.com/2009/07/magpies-raiding-a-blackbirds-nest/

 

June 2009 is when I first wrote about magpies raiding nests and it is June 2013 now.  How many more unseen ‘killing raids’ have magpies done. 
When I visit Manchester and go for a walk in a park  the only birds I see are magpies.   I think a lot of people don’t realise that magpies do so much killing.

]]> http://birdtablenews.com/2013/06/magpies-killing-other-birds/feed/ 1 SPARROWHAWKS – 1st January 2009 http://birdtablenews.com/2013/06/sparrowhawks-1st-january-2009/ http://birdtablenews.com/2013/06/sparrowhawks-1st-january-2009/#comments Tue, 04 Jun 2013 19:33:28 +0000 Trish http://birdtablenews.com/?p=8704 Below  is a blast from the past!  I wrote the blog post on 1st January 2009.  I decided to re-post it now because I am still getting people with sparrowhawk problems

 

If you don’t want to click on the link the actual 2009 article  is shown below the link

 

http://birdtablenews.com/2009/01/sparrowhawk-numbers/ 

 from 2009

I think  the RSPB believe that all hawks should be protected.

I don’t believe that.  Sparrowhawks seem to be coming more common and numerous. 

Sparrowhawks have no natural enemies so if they take up residence in an area and raise young each year they will need food.

A gentleman in this area has seen sparrowhawks take song thrushes time after time.  I think the Song Thrush numbers are  under threat.  The sparrowhawk is not

If the sparrowhawk is protected and has no naturel enemies then they will become common – and then maybe will not need protection.

I belong to the RSPB, but I have also joined Songbird Survival.  Songbird Survival is a charity trying to stop the decline in bird numbers.

It believes that one of the reasons for the decline in bird numbers is uncontrolled predation.

So we have two opposing views. Interesting. 

I’ll put more information on about Songbird Survival soon.  Or you can just google Songbird Survival.