Author Topic: Boo hiss to crows (Read 2921 times)

MiriMaran · « **on:** June 17, 2009, 07:56:51 pm »

I was in the garden today and in the space of about 3 minutes 4 crows flew past each with a struggling, naked fledgling in its beak! Nasty nasty birds! I know what sausagesandcash would say "get the gun and shoot the b*****ds!" I think maybe I should have, but I suppose even horrible crows have to eat, but why should their prey have to suffer? Nature is cruel isn't is?!

hexhammeasure · « **Reply #1 on:** June 17, 2009, 10:49:41 pm »

crows magpies, jays, polecats, foxes, grey squirrels.. the list goes on and on. Its a wonder we have any songbirds left. and then if we shot all the marauders we wouldn't have any wild animals left

dixie · « **Reply #2 on:** June 18, 2009, 09:12:57 am »

Think its was the maggies that took my 3 chicks, only a small gap above the mesh door

We're over run with bunnies too, attacking all our newly planted trees

Oh gonna apply for firearms license, air pistols just not up to the job!

Hilarysmum · « **Reply #3 on:** June 18, 2009, 11:39:24 am »

We are plagued by duckling eating herons. They only eat the wild ones though.

Mr Pig · « **Reply #4 on:** June 18, 2009, 12:16:54 pm »

It's interesting the reaction when people witness nature in the raw be it crows or magpies, sparrowhawks, grey squirrels or cats and yes they do all consume songbirds, chicks and eggs but nature is nearly always in balance and in modern history at least, it is only man's predation, not that of other animals, that causes extinction. If there wasn't predation by other birds and mammals then my guess is we would be overrun with certain species of songbirds many of which would starve to death due to limited food supplies.

One aspect that always seems to be overlooked when it comes to the slaughter of songbirds and that is the volume killed every year by cars. Outside my cottage in the last fortnight, three housesparrows - severaly depleted in numbers in recent years - have been left squashed in the road by vehicles that have no interest in eating their prey. When I walk along country lanes, I come across countless corpses of wrens, blackbirds, goldfinches and the like, not to mention toads in the spring and hedgehogs in the summer. And imagine how many more badgers there'd be if it wan't for the motor vehicles taking out dozens every night!

sheila · « **Reply #5 on:** June 18, 2009, 06:55:45 pm »

I see so much road kill. Surely if there is no danger, then the motorist could slow down a bit. As to the crows etc. we must think of it as nature. Red in tooth, Claw and beak!

MiriMaran · « **Reply #6 on:** June 18, 2009, 08:03:24 pm »

I don't hve a problem with them eating its the fact that they don't kill cleanly and the poor chicks have to suffer - I could see them wriggling in the crows beaks!