How can I get rid of the magpies but keep the rest of the birds?

By

wordswork

We have this problem as well and the folk at our City (Calgary) helpline recommended the following (humane) options.

Keep a loaded water gun handy on the deck and shoot the birds whenever you see them. (Pellets or scatter shot from other types of guns could harm neighbours.)

Plant marigolds. Magpies are averse to strong odours. Scatter moth balls around your yard.

Ask your butcher for scraps and lace the meat with hot peppers or pepper spray. You may wish to do this only when you can keep an eye on the bait to ensure no other animals or small children come in contact with it.

Good luck!

Rose Anne

By desert sand (Guest Post)

Is there any way of feeding magpies some sort of contraceptive to stop them breeding? This would solve the problem in a year or two.

By (Guest Post)

Good quality accurate air rifle, leave the first magpie carcus out on the ground
and the others will come down to it, you can pick those off as they land. Its the only reliable way of clearing them out.

By karen (Guest Post)

How can I get rid of the magpies but keep the rest of the birds?

By Deb (Guest Post)

I had a similar problem with magpies and squirrels eating the largest portion of the birdseed I left out for the little birds. I was filling the birdfeeder every 3 days and spending a lot of money on seed. Finally I went to Walmart and found a silo shaped feeder made out of plexiglass (or some sort of thick plastic). It has several ports in it that only small birds can access. The crows and magpies don't even try. I only have to fill the birdfeed every 1 to 2 wks., depending on the time of year. Note: I tried using the thin plastic silo feeders which worked for awhile, but were eventually torn apart by either the squirrels or magpies/crows. It's worth spending the extra money ($30.00 Can.) to get a sturdy one. Now all I have to do is try to figure out how to keep the magpies out of the suet feeder.

By Hal (Guest Post)

HI
Go on the internet. go to search engine "Dogpile" type in Magpie trap you should be able to find what you are looking for there. It is a round chicken wire trap. Catch and release type.

Good luck