I’m exploring some trails deep in the hills and i come across something strange.
A wooden frame, walled in chicken wire about 2 metres square.
Essentially a big cage.
In it was a gutted rabbit hanging in the middle and a crow just jumping around going mad.
There was an upturned bucket covered in bird poo.
This was at the outskirts of a farm.
What’s going on here?

You are in danger run run away and dont look back.

Also dont stray from the path.

But mostly run

😯 Demon trap or some sort of ward to defend against witches are my best guesses.

My advice would be to stop exploring trails deep in the hills. Have you not seen Deliverance?

Larsen trap

Why not pop in to the pub and ask some of the locals.

Sensible and correct answer within four posts. I don’t know whether to be impressed or upset 🙂

Larsen trap

Named after Hennrick Larsen a mtber who lingered too long deep in the hills. Bits of his body are still turning up 20 years later

I’m not a country folk, but wouldn’t a Larsen Trap baited with a gutted rabbit be looking to trap birds of prey, not magpies, and therefore be illegal? Or do magpies eat carrion?

Yup. Must’ve been a Larsen trap. Poor bird was going mad in there.
Didn’t want to mess with it in case I end up in a cage with a dead rabbit.

Or do magpies eat carrion?

They’ll eat anything, including baby robins (etc etc etc)

I’m not a country folk….Or do magpies eat carrion?

evidently 😉 although they’re pretty omni-present birds, rural and urban.

Magpies* will eat almost anything! fruits/berries, grains, beetles, flies, spiders, worms, petfood, and yes carrion including small mammals (voles/shrew/mice etc.), other small birds, eggs and chicks….

* They’re basically a Carrion Crow with a fancy shirt on

The ‘bait’ is actually the crow, it will be an outsider which the local crows will want to kill so they go in to kill the crow tand get trapped. You can then do swapsies with someone else in a different area and give them your caught crow to use as an attractor.

That is right but I thought it was because crows / corvids were social birds and went in to see what their mate / relation was up to. not to attack them but you may well be right. They are quite a cruel system I think.

Larsen Traps

How much of a pest are corvids though? As much as city foxes? More? Less? I’m sure someone here knows.

Magpies try to get into our chicken house for the eggs

How much of a pest are corvids though?

Apparently they are quite partial to the eyes and tongues of newborn lambs

Their success as adaptable omnivore?s is another pressure on other birds along with habitat loss, human encroachment, industrial pollution, pesticides etc.

Cruel things. If there was no perch, or shelter or water it’s illegal and a wildlife crime, apparently. Report its location to the police.

I don’t care what anyone says about the ‘menace’ of magpies or crows, its a cruel method and there’s no need for it. The poor bait crow will be tortured at night by foxes etc and will probably have a long, painful death.

That’s from a Country Lad!

I thought magpies ate only jewellery?

That RSPB link is interesting, wonder what the licence requirements are for the traps.

Also interesting about the magpie research. We have three in our back garden area, beautiful plumage.

Apparently they are quite partial to the eyes and tongues of newborn lambs

Who’d blame them- delicious.

Magpies raid the nests of other birds, blue tits and the like.

http://www.againstcorvidtraps.co.uk/corvid-traps/larsen-traps/

We came across one once and smashed it up / freed the captive bird. Horrible things.

I thought magpies ate only jewellery?

Durr – and milk bottle tops.

Epic fact: this magpie is called Murgatroyd

Crows are pretty horrible. They will eat the eyes, tongues, belly button, arse hole, of newly [or being] born lambs which don’t have a good mother.

Yup, I had a lamb this year which had it’s tongue and eyes taken by a crow. Horrible, particularly as you’re usually left with a lamb that is perfectly healthy but can’t suck or see. The lamb in question this year died within minutes of lambing, presumably of shock.

In a strange way I’d rather lose them to foxes – I usually lose them to a vixen who takes the whole lamb for her cubs.

I was out shearing in Colorado a few years ago, the couple I stayed with had a mountain lion climb their fences (8’+), then take a 30kg lamb back over the fence! They now have livestock guardian dogs (not to mention an arsenal of weapons to rival many small countries!). In many ways I think we, in the UK, are pretty lucky with predators (although out of control pets is another issue…).

I know of one farm-owner who uses these. His hatred of magpies is so complete that he cooks and eats all of his captives in a kind of vengeance ritual. I kid you not.

My mates “poor bait crow” is a pet. He found it injured and it cannot fly, Shame really as its a fantastic bird and really clever. You can see why small birds have no chance against em. I suspect we underestimate just how good at food sourcing they are. I reckon the various corvids near us mark out were all the other birds nests are too make sure they aren’t short at any point. They can get real sneaky when it comes to raiding our hen food and the eggs.

Given the profusion of some corvids I’ve nowt against the use of Larsen traps, in fact I have it on good authority the Blue-tits have been lobbying for an increase in there use. Mind there’ll be a Great-tit along shortly to disagree.

😯

It’s not a Larsen trap from the description. They have two distinct sections , one with a call bird, which by law must have perch and water, and the other side has an entry point for the bird to be captured.

Crow traps are larger, as described, and are baited. The crow enters the cage to take the bait and cannot escape. They are often M shaped with a distinct middle channel. The OP sounds to be describing a crow trap, or ladder trap.

^ I always wondered why they put water in there. It didn’t seem to make sense to me if they simply wanted to kill them anyway.

Seen a few of these knocking about near us in Norfolk, never understood why they needed to be trapped and not taken with shotgun?

How much of a pest are corvids though?

Since when did gamekeepers need an excuse to kill whatever takes their fancy?

How much does a shotgun cartridge cost?

mt – Member
Mind there’ll be a Great-tit along shortly to disagree.

Perfect internet arguement tactics here ^ straight in with “anyone who disagrees is a ****” 10/10

Cartridge. 20p

Magpies will eat cat shit. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes* I wouldn’t have believed it.

* obvs

The persecution of magpies doesn’t seem to be working. Just sayin’

“Cartridge. 20p” bit low that, Brexit an all that.

yeah it’s a crow trap, I used to work for the local council doing tree surveys and we’d find loads of them in places like golf courses. Largely illegally managed sadly.