# What should I do??



## Fancyfowl4ever (Oct 6, 2006)

Hi, yesterday my Stepdad shot a Magpie that has been terrorizing my birds, stealing eggs etc.
This pair of Magpies has been living on our property for years but this year is the first they acctually came up to the buildings.

Now, I know they have a nest(fortress) with 3 young ones(what ugly lil things they are), now only 1 parent bird remains and I am worried he/she wont take care of the young ones.
What are the chances of the parent abandoning the 3 lil ones?? 

I don't have anything against Magpies in general, but they have eaten some very good birds of mine lately. I love to see them forage around on the pasture though, like they have been doing the past 5 yrs.

What should I do? Sit and keep an eye on the nest/babies?? 

IF, the parent abandons the babies, would it be possible to handrear them and later release the babies in a different area??

I feel so bad, I thought I told my Stepdad that he shouldn't shoot them right now cause they got babies.......

FF4E


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Yes, you should keep a close eye on the babies and the remaining parent. It's going to be very hard for the one parent to provide adequately for three babies without the other parent. The babies could be hand raised, but I suspect these are a protected species of bird in Canada as they are here in the U.S. which would mean you would need to get them to a licensed/permitted rehabilitator if things don't go well.

It's a shame that your stepdad killed the bird to begin with but especially sad because s/he had babies that need caring for.

Terry


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## Fancyfowl4ever (Oct 6, 2006)

I know it is legal to shoot the birds or destroy their nests. I have checked with the Enviroment canada website which has a list of all birds/animals that are protected in some way in canada and the Magpie is not on it.

I know my neighbour(ex-vet, raptor breeder) used to hand raise young ravens, magpies and Jays that people brought to him and he never got into any trouble(he never told anyone either).
But around here the officals have for the most part no clue, to this day I still don't know where to get my Gamebird license.... they just send me in circles.

My biggest problem is finding a rehabilitator, I tried to find one last year for a grouse that was hit by a car, and a baby Robin, but the closest one is 12 hrs drive away.... Amazing how a country that has wildlife around every corner has so few and far apart wild animal rescues.

Well, my Stepdad always hears me rant how the magpie found a hole in the netting and got some of my best birds etc. He meant well, esspecially since we got quite a few here too, only had this one problem bird though....

I'll keep an eye on them.
Maybe I go and shoot some Gophers and place them on the fence posts around the pasture where they got their nest. That might help with feeding, wouldn't it??

FF4E


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Fancyfowl4ever said:


> Maybe I go and shoot some Gophers and place them on the fence posts around the pasture where they got their nest. That might help with feeding, wouldn't it??
> 
> FF4E


It might help but most likely a bigger and faster predator or scavenger would get them .. spare the gophers and just see how the surviving parent does. I'll try to locate some rehab resources in your area .. I know that there are vast areas of Canada with no rehabbers/rescues.

Terry


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## Fancyfowl4ever (Oct 6, 2006)

Well, the rehabber I talk to that lives in vancouver, said their organization has rehab centers all over Canada, except any where near me......

Kinda frustrating, makes me want to make my own rehab center.


Gopher wont be spared though, no matter what.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

I'm sorry to hear about your birds, but it is your responsiblity to keep the coop predator proof.

What kind of netting are you using that has holes in it and allows magpies to get in? Perhaps you should get a stronger fabric or hardware cloth to keep out predators. The magpies were just doing what comes naturally.

Most rehabbers don't get paid for all the work they do, and that is why they are so hard to find in some areas.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

I made the mistake of reading your initial post before I went to bed last night and it was a long night because I feel incrediably sad about the dead Magpie and the vulnerable family left behind. 
I recognize and accept that we don't all value life in the same way.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

continued...
Please keep in mind that the Magpies and Gophers values their own lives just as we value ours. They are deserving of respect too.
Please due everything you can to repair the netting in your aviary.


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## Fancyfowl4ever (Oct 6, 2006)

The gophers sadly make too many holes in our horses pasture, and with 160 acres and thousands of gophers that is a lotta holes our horses can break their legs in.

Breeding a rare breed of horse where we cannot loose a single one to something like a broken leg due to a gopher over population(since there are not many predators, the wolf coyote crosses rather go after deer).

A farmer got to protect his livestock. I wouldn't care if the Magpies would go and raid the nests of the Cowbirds, Starlings and Robins, since those seem to be everywhere.

Anyhow, so far the single parent seems to be doing ok, very busy foraging.
Looked happy when my stepdad and I went on the daily Gopher hunting trip and shot a few, s/he was right there as soon as we were far away. Even the bald- and golden eagles came today to pick up some dead gophers.


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