What is the law regarding the shooting of birds at this time of year?

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by eve miles

My query is threefold - 1. is this type of cage a legal one? - the whole thing is circular, made of mesh like chicken-wire, there is a kind of 'trap-door' which obviously leads the bird to a bait of some sort and he then ends up in the central circular cage which is tiny.

Larsen traps are legal (for the control of corvids) - the bird in the inner cage is there to lure others through the funel and into the outer cage - I'm not 100% sure but i think the legal requirement on size is that the bird has to be able to spread its wings.

incidentally if you ever find a larsen with pigeons in the inner cage - call the rspb investigations unit asap as these are probably being used for illegal raptor control (note in the inner cage - you sometimes get pigeons in the outer cage of a legally set larsen where the call bird is a corvid, because pigeons are stupid )

Originally Posted by eve miles

2. is there any kind of time limit on how long a bird be left in a cage before being shot ?

not as such - the law only provides that the bird is not stressed and is provded with food and water - usually the call bird is changed every 24-48 hours being killed and replaced with a newly caught one - the trap should be being checked at least daily

Originally Posted by eve miles

3. what is the law around shooting a gun ? - if you need a licence to own and use a gun what /if any kind of training do you have to undergo to use a gun?

It depends on what kind of gun - it is fairly easy to get a shotgun certificate (so long as you can demonstrate good cause and dont have a history of crime or mental instablity), while its harder to get a FAC (firearms certificate) for rifles and air rifles exceeding 12ftlbs muzzle velocity (or air pistols exceeding 6ftlbs)

no licence at all is required for Air weapons below the above maximum's

pistols (except for air pistols) and automatic weapons are illegal in the uk and cannot be owned by a private citizen unless deactivated

[Foz]

Eeyore, FAC pistols can still be obtained for humane dispatching of animals but you must demonstrate that a pistol is the only legal way or the only safe way, eg horses and large deer species.
Larsen traps will be checked at least twice daily by responsible people, and the captured birds will be killed away from the lure.
Magpies do take a lot of eggs and chicks of smaller birds, but these breed a few times a year anyway.
They also wreck bird feeders, they pull my peanut feeders apart and chew through the wire regularly.
But magpies do have a good use, thier chicks usually fledge around the same time as my local sprawks, so its good training for the chicks and a good food supply.
The local goshawks also do thier bit in corvid management.
And it seems to make no difference how many corvids get shot, trapped or taken by BOP, thier numbers dont decrease much.

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by Foz

Eeyore, FAC pistols can still be obtained for humane dispatching of animals but you must demonstrate that a pistol is the only legal way or the only safe way, eg horses and large deer species..

fair enough i didnt know that.

looking into it you can also get a FAC for a trophy of war if acquired before 1947, or for historic pistols (flintlocks, muzle loaders etc), or for shot pistols in 9mm or .410 rimfire for killing rats in confined spaces

none of which is really germane to this thread

[RKB]

Originally Posted by eeyore

note that the provision of the general licence does mean he has to have a good reason, just shooting them in his garden because he doesnt like them is not sufficient and is thus illegal ( unless he can demonstrate that they are causing him loss, damage or significant nuisance.) - if you dont want to get involved you could make an anonymous call/letter to your local police wildlife liaison officer, who can have a quiet word with your neighbour without getting you involved.

Indeed. There was a test case brought by the RSPCA against someone shooting Starlings in their garden for fun (when Starlings were on the general licence), and the RSPCA won.

You can't just shoot corvids etc becasue you don't like them. If you're in a domestic setting, as opposed to a farmer/gamekeeper, then you have very little cause.