"Paul D.Smith" wrote in message .net...
Living in North London, I can attest to a magpie "taking" quite a large (out
of nest but still figuring out how to fly) starling chick. But this is
nature in action and as upset as some people might get, nothing should be
done about this.

Paul DS.

It's quite a mystery why, despite so much anecdotal evidence to the
contrary, the 'experts' in RSPB and other bodies maintain that the
huge explosion in magpie numbers over recent years has absolutely
nothing to do with the decline in the songbird population.

Undoubtedly there are a few contributory causes, but 'too many
magpies' would be way up on my list. Two or three months ago, I saw
from my window 24 magpies having a meeting - and this was before the
start of the breeding season! A few years ago, if you saw a party of
four, it was remarkable, as the famous little ditty proves.

Actually I love watching magpies. They are most handsome and
intelligent. They appear to be good parents. Their nest-building is
something to behold - I have one just outside my (second floor) living
room window. But they are also very aggressive and predatory birds.
They will think nothing of chasing off other predators (corvids and
raptors) with whom they compete. They compensate for their somewhat
clumsy flight in sheer aggression and persistence.

Previously, gamekeepers helped keep magpie numbers down, but
gamekeepers have themselves become something of an endangered species,
and now there are very few people who want to control their numbers.
In my view this is pity, because too many magpies is undoubtedly too
much of a good thing. If one could reduce the corvid population by
80%, smaller birds would not be disappearing so fast.