Wildlife in your Garden

I was down in Merseyside for a long weekend, came back on Monday to find there was no activity in and out of a blue tit box we have in our back garden, decided to have a look inside, It has a hinged flip roof, I found some of the nesting material outside on the floor, the rest had been scragged and there were about five dead chicks inside.
I reckon it could have been a cat which has spooked the adults as I have seen one walking along the top of the fence and over the nesting box.
Bar steward whatever it was.
 
The bird boxes remained unoccupied this year :( but for several weeks I've been keeping an eye on this wood pigeon nest that's in a 40ft bird cherry tree which overhangs the garden. It's difficult to get a good pic from below, but today I managed to catch this snap of the pigeon and one chick (I think there are two in there) The female wood pigeon rarely leaves the nest at the moment and when she does they hunker down out of sight. Very wise given the number of squirrels, magpies etc which are always about.
IMG_2345 (2).webp
 

Ivo said:
Magpies seem to be killing any young chicks we get in our garden. Little feathers everywhere

Any advice on getting rid of magpies?
Click to expand...
Magpies have chicks to feed too you know ;) I don't think it's a matter of 'getting rid' of the magpies.
As you mention feathers, I assume you mean they are predating recently fledged chicks rather than raiding nests.
Perhaps your garden needs more shelter eg shrubs and bushes etc.
Even very young chicks, once fledged, will scurry off into any cover that's available at the first sign of danger.
 
Ivo said:
Magpies seem to be killing any young chicks we get in our garden. Little feathers everywhere

Any advice on getting rid of magpies?
Click to expand...

Same with us virtually every year mate, they got the blackbird chicks this time around.

I’ve tried shooting them with the 22, but they’re wily and they are very hard to kill with an air rifle.

The only way I’ve managed to get rid of them in the past, is lacing eggs with rat poison and placing them on the shed roof. They carry the laced eggs away and you normally don’t ever see them again.

The problem is that the vacant territory is quickly moved into by another pair, so you have to keep doing it,

I know it’s nature, but I despise them.
 

kev said:
Magpies have chicks to feed too you know ;) I don't think it's a matter of 'getting rid' of the magpies.
As you mention feathers, I assume you mean they are predating recently fledged chicks rather than raiding nests.
Perhaps your garden needs more shelter eg shrubs and bushes etc.
Even very young chicks, once fledged, will scurry off into any cover that's available at the first sign of danger.
Click to expand...

The problem with the young chicks, is that they’re stupid and give themselves away by their cheeping.

The magpies watch from a vantage point and just pick them off.
 
larbert toffee said:
I was down in Merseyside for a long weekend, came back on Monday to find there was no activity in and out of a blue tit box we have in our back garden, decided to have a look inside, It has a hinged flip roof, I found some of the nesting material outside on the floor, the rest had been scragged and there were about five dead chicks inside.
I reckon it could have been a cat which has spooked the adults as I have seen one walking along the top of the fence and over the nesting box.
Bar steward whatever it was.
Click to expand...

It’ll be a rat or even a Greater Spotted Woodpecker. I’ve seen them pulling chicks out of nest boxes in the woods by us.
 
In my garden, the wildlife's living the mildlife.

2H6M0Ya.jpg
 

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