May I start this thread with, I know nothing about birds.

[Jeza]

I live in a semi rural area. Houses and road at the front, fields at the back. We see sparrows, starlings, green finch, gold finch, robins and blackbirds. Many more but I don't know their names. This year the only birds are magpies. I know they are predatory birds. Have they eaten, frighten the other birds away, or is there another explanation. Every year we have had sparrows and blackbirds nesting, but not this year.

[ladybirder]

I wouldn't be surprised and if so that is very depressing and worrying. There are quite a few magpies round here but we still have our songbirds and this year's babies have been coming to my window feeder. Have there really been no other birds all this year Jeza?

[Jeza]

Only Magpies Lady. I have stopped putting food out.

[ladybirder]

Don't give up yet. Fingers crossed there are still some about and they will come looking for food in gardens when the weather turns and winter creeps in. Try it again later in the year. Bl00dy magpies.

[baza]

I live out in the country too Jeza and over the30+ years We've been here there
has been a sad decline. Don't see as many sparrows. Haven't seen a song thrush or any finches for several years. The starlings are the most prolific. We too have more magpies, but they are only partly to blame for the songbirds
decline. there is the neighbourhood cat and disease also. There are also more
wood pigeons and collared doves and there is only so much food about. Mrs B has just informed me that there are more wood pigeons in town now along with the feral pigeons.

[Meg]

I've had far more magpies than usual. Still have flocks of goldfinches and the odd robin and greenfinch. Loads of wood pigeons and collared doves. Plenty of feral pigeons, enough said about them, blooming pests.

[doctordb]

Baza, I now see more peregrines, they must be pleased with the increase in doves and pigeons.

[Jeza]

I will not give up Lady

Baza. I know nothing about birds as I said at the beginning. I would not know a pigeon from a wood pigeon. I was just commenting about the magpies.

[ladybirder]

Baza, three of the birds you mention are all on the RSPB Red status list so are in dire trouble. No surprise you are not seeing them I'm afraid. Very sad.

Jeza, good, I shan't give up either.

[jomifl]

Magpies don't spend their entire lives killing songbirds. They mostly eat insects. Blackbirds, robins, nightingales, blue tits and starlings are all 'predatory' too. Last year around us jays were the most common bird to be seen, this year hardly any. All wild creatures have good years and bad years in complicated intermeshing cycles. You houldn't blame magpies, it is too simplistic to do so.

[doctordb]

The magpie is a beautiful bird. It's feathers are full of gorgeous iridescent colours. It gets a bad press.

[Meg]

Do Magpies eat flesh? A couple of weeks ago a mouse was staggering around in my garden (must have tasted my bait) a magpie flew in and took it away, bloody horrible really, much as I want to get rid of the vermin I hate seeing anything suffer.

[ladybirder]

And the bird that took the mouse that took the bait will also suffer:-(

[Meg]

Really Ladyb? I did wonder about that. Would the poison in the mouse kill the magpie if he ate it?

[gness]

Many smaller birds have suffered in our very bad winters. Recovery, if at all, will take a while.
Magpies are beautiful...look closely. They don't deserve a slow death from a poisoned mouse that was indeed suffering.

[gness]

The poison in the mouse will kill the bird and any young it was still feeding.

[Meg]

Christ, I feel really bad about that magpie now, should I stop vermim control and just let the mice and rats over run my house.

[gness]

Do what the rest of us do.

[Meg]

gness, what do the rest of "us" do?

[mike11111]

Don't waste your time grieving over magpies; they are evil little sods.

I once came home to find an injured magpie lying on my drive, surrounded by two others. At first glance I thought that they were trying to help their injured friend, but on closer examination I realised that they were pecking it to death.

[ladybirder]

There's plenty of other birds do that Mike, not just magpies. I've seen blackbirds and robins do it. Horrible but it's what they do to help them survive I suppose.