Viewing 39 posts - 41 through 79 (of 79 total)
  • Magpies
  • Milkie
    Free Member

    I'll see if I can borrow a larsen trap.

    I'd buy one, you're more than likely going to need it every year. I've seen them pretty cheap at a few countryman fairs £30-£50 for a half decent one.

    Surf-Mat, Roughly what part of Bristol? North? South?

    jimmy
    Full Member

    weird, I've been thinking how there seems to be tonnes of Magpies about these days. Annoying, too, because I'm not superstitious but find myself HAVING to salute each one which makes me look (more of) a tool on the cycle paths.

    Handsome birds, but they attack others so I'd be all up for some air rifle action.

    Surf-Mat
    Free Member

    IM – you don't appear to be very "rural" at all. Same with Yoss (East Kent) and Mol (Farnborough, Surrey).

    Milkie – used to live in Bristol but grew up mostly in Cornwall and been back "home" for 5 years – nearish Truro.

    Jimmy – LOL! I used to do that too!

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    IanMunro
    Free Member

    IM – you don't appear to be very "rural" at all. Same with Yoss and Mol.

    That's because I'm not. (Though I'm slightly surprised that this has worried you enough, for you go to the effort to check)
    Again, what have you found 'warrior like' in my comments here?

    Forge_Master
    Free Member

    Burn 'em

    Surf-Mat
    Free Member

    You (IM, Yoss and Mol) are all "advising" me on what I should do yet all live urban lives.

    A bit like townies ramming their views down people's throats on foxhunting IMO. It's about as helpful as me advising on football tactics – which is why I don't even try.

    You don't know the issues yet try to take the moral high position anyway. Often happens on here.

    Jamesy
    Free Member

    pmsl@samuri 🙂

    oh and to the OP your a bit like a magpie, a pest and annoying but we dont all try to shoot you with an air rifle do we??? 😉

    coffeeking
    Free Member

    I still think those who say "leave them alone" are largely naive fox cuddling townies who just don't under

    ahh yes, the I'm more countryfied than you so my opinion is right argument 🙂

    Was I also wrong to have got pest control to remove a hornet's nest? Poor cuddly things meant no harm after all?

    Was it causing you immediate harm? Can't see the need to remove it if not personally. We've had a massive bees nest in our house wall for 2 years, regularly get bees in the house and all over the patio. But I can't see a reason to kill them off?

    People are far too eager to jump to killing things off that they find even slightly annoying. And then claim that their location in the country makes them more justified in taking that route, which is odd, as it's not hard for even the most die-hard townie to understand the situation you might be in, but it allows you an easy way of dismissing their views when they don't suit.

    IanMunro
    Free Member

    You are all "advising" me on what I should do yet all live urban lives.

    a) Could you quote me where i've advised you what to do?
    b) What have I said that is 'warrior like'?

    Surf-Mat
    Free Member

    Jamesy – you live in the West Midlands yet bang on about MTBing all the time. A bit like a dutch guy going on about DH skiing.

    Jog on laddio.

    ck – are you completely daft? Not only are they a major threat to little kids and dogs, they are also very nasty to adults.

    Jeez – why is it that a simple question (answered really well by a few STWers ages ago) has to turn into yet another failed-smartar5e-geeks vs doers "battle." A simple question, a simple solution (I hope).

    Now keyboard warriors, isn't it time to "advise" on some other thread on some topics you know almost nothing about?

    IanMunro
    Free Member

    Wow, You really do have a quite a fragile ego!
    Now I know, I'll take into account how sensitive you are in the future.

    coffeeking
    Free Member

    ck – are you completely daft? Not only are they a major threat to little kids and dogs, they are also very nasty to adults.

    Hornets/bees/wasps are a minor inconvenience to a handfull of people who might disturb them. You really are not showing any "rural aptitude" if you consider them a major threat to anyone. Christ I can see farmers turning in their graves at the thought that hornets are a threat lol. How do you survive in the big wild countryside without a minder?! Ohhhh I see now, you kill everythign off that scares you, fair point.

    Jamesy
    Free Member

    Thats the funniest insult i have ever heard, thats brightened up my day 🙂 plus it makes you look even more of a plonker if thats possible, excellent.

    'surf-mat the new handbag warrior of stw'

    brick
    Free Member

    We had a problem with a crow tapping on our 19 month old daughters window every morning at 5am and waking her (and us) up.
    A life size-ish cut out of Flaming Lips singer Wayne Coynes' head, stuck to the window did the trick. I'm sure it would work with any other pop star. I think Magpies would probably find Brett Anderson of Suede or UB40's Ali Campbell a deterrent.

    coffeeking
    Free Member

    Excellent solution brick, love it!

    deadlydarcy
    Free Member

    We've been here four years – it's only this year that they seem to have got aggressive

    Maybe they've decided they don't like you anymore. Can't think why. You seem like such a nice guy.

    Surf-Mat
    Free Member

    Jamesy – the IT geek Brummy MTB warrior of STW…

    ck – even more evidence that you simply don't have a clue when it comes to rural issues. The farmers I know regularly get rid of hornets, wasps, moles and (just found out) magpies as do the major landowners. Many rural issues in Glasgow?

    Brick – UB40 might well do the trick – their later stuff of course. I shall see if I can hold of any…

    And so the frustrated keyboard warriors resort to simple insults again… Now there's a surprise.

    slowjo
    Free Member

    Aren't birds reacting to their own reflections wen they tap on widows?

    Surf-Mat
    Free Member

    Slowjo – I think so (we had chaffinches doing similar not long ago) but what do we do, smash all the windows?!

    Zulu-Eleven
    Free Member

    Not too difficult to build a Larsen!

    http://www.thehuntinglife.com/html/sections/articles/various/larsen-trap.html

    Did a few myself some years ago, and they worked fine 8)

    Surf-Mat
    Free Member

    Cheers Zulu (and someone else who posted a "how to make one" guide – most handy! Got many of those bits in the shed.

    coffeeking
    Free Member

    ck – even more evidence that you simply don't have a clue when it comes to rural issues. The farmers I know regularly get rid of hornets, wasps, moles and (just found out) magpies as do the major landowners. Many rural issues in Glasgow?

    You're getting more sad I'm afraid. Spent most of my years around farms and looking after country parks (as an employee) and have never met one that destroyed wasps/hornets, (I knew one who shot rats, but only if he caught them in his chicken runs) in fact I knew one in Salcombe who used to *take me to see* his hornets nests in two hollowed out logs. Their general advice to me was that if they looked after nature and their surroundings, it looked after them. I've followed that train of thought since, and never fallen foul of it personally. Who are they to know eh, generations of them, all wrong clearly.

    Regarding rural issues in Glasgow, probably not, but I don't live in Glasgow, it's just the next largest place most people would know of 😉 Grow up (unless, of course, you live in the whole of Cornwall too?).

    Zulu-Eleven
    Free Member

    I prebaited them with bottle of milk and a couple of eggs to get the first one, after that its easy.

    Ladder traps are good for the old corbys as well, just be patient in prebaiting so they get used to them first.

    of course, with five acres – FAC and a moderated .22 RF 😈

    ZaskarCarbon
    Free Member

    Surf-Mat – Member
    Cheers Zulu (and someone else who posted a "how to make one" guide – most handy! Got many of those bits in the shed.

    My grandad's traps work a treat. I farted next to one once as I was putting the bait in and it shut on my hand.
    😕

    yunki
    Free Member

    I'm not going to get involved in the country/townie debate.. but in Mats defence.. Hornets were definitely considered a hazard where I grew up in very rural Devon..

    errr.. bickering aside..

    My friend had a problem with a crow tapping on her window last year.. It turned out that the crow was the tame familiar of an evil witch.. and contained the soul of my friends great great grandmother..

    So be careful before you kill those magpies.. It might be your granny.

    I believe that if you shoot one with an air rifle.. and a squirrel.. and a rabbit.. and a wood pigeon.. on the same day.. you can get a certificate from air rifle collectors magazine.

    coffeeking
    Free Member

    Hornets were definitely considered a hazard where I grew up in very rural Devon..

    Anything that stings is considered a hazard. Whether it actually IS one is a different matter, other than to the one in 10K people who's allergic! Still, if it pleases you to shoot/trap/kill stuff who am I to argue eh! War on the peanut next!

    Jamesy
    Free Member

    lock yourself in doors princess and close the curtains. they can't hurt you then ha ha

    Reluctant
    Free Member

    I love it that my neighbourhood is hopping with magpies – they're brilliant birds. It's in their nature to kill nestlings of other spiecies, but that's life – it doesn't make them evil. I encourage and nurture all bird species – the bird feeders have something for everyone, including catfood for the corvids.
    Killing corvids and moles seems crazy to me. The fella with the lawn should be grateful he has a lawn, and moles and magpies – what's nicer than a garden full of beautiful creatures?
    I could go on, but I've got foxes to cuddle 😉

    yunki
    Free Member

    hmm.. I think you've added 2 and 2 and made 5 there oh wise and masterful coffee jockey..

    I don't kill ANYTHING if I can help it being a strict buddhist..

    I just happened to be raised in a rural area where we were warned to keep away from hornets nests cos they're dangerous to kids.. If a nest developed anywhere near the house it was dealt with swiftly and with maximum discrimination.

    don't drag me down to your level this afternoon please.. I was just trying to be helpful.

    GrahamS
    Full Member

    The local cats are also a threat to the songbird population and take evil delight in evilly playing with unfortunate birds before killing them (evilly).

    As a member of Surf-mats Songbird Protectorate am I allowed to trap and drown the cats?

    Surf-Mat
    Free Member

    All cats are potential targets. Apart from the nice ones.

    coffeeking
    Free Member

    hmm.. I think you've added 2 and 2 and made 5 there oh wise and masterful coffee jockey..

    TBH it wasn't aimed "at" you, it was a general comment. Don't think I added anything up wrong, but maybe it was misconstrued! 🙂 I'm done, we'll agree to disagree 😉

    Blacklug
    Free Member

    my goshawk takes down the local magpies lovely.

    At the beginning of last year it was taking 4-5 a day. Nowadays we are lucky if we see 2 a week.

    Blacklug
    Free Member

    my goshawk takes down the local magpies lovely.

    At the beginning of last year it was taking 4-5 a day. Nowadays we are lucky if we see 2 a week.

    Surf-Mat
    Free Member

    Blacklug – do you rent him/her out?!

    The buzzards here are useless!

    yunki
    Free Member

    When I say 'strict Buddhist' what I actually mean is that I have a very short haircut… and when I say that the crow contained an ancestors soul… this was merely drunken speculation..

    for the record like..

    greyman
    Free Member

    Still LOL ing at Mackem … ya c*nt 😉

    G. (Toon)

    Blacklug
    Free Member

    buzzards wont bother the magpies one bit. The buzzard is a lazy scavenging bird.

    Contact your local bird of prey club. Sure to find somebody there all too happy to help.

    amodicumofgnar
    Full Member

    its a countryside thing, if you can't hack it move to a town.

    Think that arguement is better saved for people who move from towns and object to tractors / cows / muck or anything else associated with reality rather than some channel 4 fantasy lifestyle programme. The countryside thing where I grew up was trap and kill.

Viewing 39 posts - 41 through 79 (of 79 total)

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