Maybe you've met him? He's got everything he needs. Comfy chair. Cold beverage. Unobstructed line of site. Odds are in his favor, even if history isn't completely on his side.
Can't make out the brand of cold beverage, but this Backyard Ivorybill Hunter could have an advantage over certain big institutions because (off camera) he's got this motivational poster to keep him honest.
Wow. What an adventure! There is something extremely powerful and intriguing about birds!
Any suggestions about how to help Magpies go elsewhere? They come for the cat food. We've tried to move it elsewhere but they're smarter than that! Our cars are a tell-tale sign that they've dropped by.
Organic birdlady had some interesting suggestions on dealing with magpies here. I'd be very curious to know if any of this really works, so let me know if you try any of these ideas.
Magpies are really smart, and learn to avoid individuals that give them grief. One suggestion was to trap the birds in a live trap (just to annoy them) and then release them. Sounds like more experimentation is needed!
Here's a homemade trap design you can use. Of course, magpies are protected by federal law and may be protected also by state laws, so check with USFWS officials and state wildlife agencies about state in your area to determine what you can do about nuisance magpies. Here's more info on that from Montana.
BTW, Heidi, I see from your profile that you are from Cache Valley. While I grew up in Oregon, I've got some Cache Valley roots (Peter Maughan) and my wife grew up in Nibley. My father in law has a dairy there, and he's not a big magpie fan!
Can't make out the brand of cold beverage, but this Backyard Ivorybill Hunter could have an advantage over certain big institutions because (off camera) he's got this motivational poster to keep him honest.
ReplyDeleteWow. What an adventure! There is something extremely powerful and intriguing about birds!
ReplyDeleteAny suggestions about how to help Magpies go elsewhere? They come for the cat food. We've tried to move it elsewhere but they're smarter than that!
Our cars are a tell-tale sign that they've dropped by.
Organic birdlady had some interesting suggestions on dealing with magpies here. I'd be very curious to know if any of this really works, so let me know if you try any of these ideas.
ReplyDeleteMagpies are really smart, and learn to avoid individuals that give them grief. One suggestion was to trap the birds in a live trap (just to annoy them) and then release them. Sounds like more experimentation is needed!
Here's a homemade trap design you can use. Of course, magpies are protected by federal law and may be protected also by state laws, so check with USFWS officials and state wildlife agencies about state in your area to determine what you can do about nuisance magpies. Here's more info on that from Montana.
ReplyDeleteBTW, Heidi, I see from your profile that you are from Cache Valley. While I grew up in Oregon, I've got some Cache Valley roots (Peter Maughan) and my wife grew up in Nibley. My father in law has a dairy there, and he's not a big magpie fan!
ReplyDelete