Off Topic Update to a thread that I started last year

Attract squirrels and rats to a location in front of your safe backstop by putting a handful of peanut or birdseed there. Use stale crumbs for magpies because they are a bit fussier and tend to prefer bird tables.

We keep hens in our garden and, apart from drawing in the odd rat, from time to time they also attract attention from magpies who like to sit in a nearby apple tree.

Obviously for reasons of safety I can’t aim at these corvids directly. Instead, I prop up a concrete slab beneath the apple tree, then crack an egg in front of it and scatter a few vegetable scraps to grab the birds’ attention. The magpies will usually flutter down for a closer inspection, offering a safe shot from my hiding place.

It is legal for persons authorised by the landowner or tenant to carry out vermin control with an air rifle. The legal airgun quarry species include brown rats, magpies, carrion crows, rooks, jays, squirrels, woodpigeons, feral pigeons and collared doves. Other species, such as lesser black backed gulls, herring gulls and greater black backed gulls are best left to professional pest controllers.



taken from https://www.shootinguk.co.uk/guns/air-rifle/pest-control-airgun-38523

 

Thats from February 2020 mate.
I think Cwith Pwackham has had a hand in rule changes since.

 

Edit.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.fieldsportschannel.tv/generallicences/amp/

 

Should of kept my mouth shut.
The other day there was a magpie attacking a fledgling sparrow across on the green.
Other sparrows, 4 or 5 attacking the magpie.
I ran out shouting and clapping to shoo off the magpie but it picked the little spuggy up and flew off with it, other spugs in hot pursuit.


On a plus note, the cat ( not the black one, it's mother, the black and white twàt ) had a young sparrow on the front lawn.
I ran out and the cat legged it.
Put it in a box overnight and trying to ring the local wildlife rescue today for hours.
No fooking answer but sometimes engaged.

Anyways it seemed much calmer and chirpy so I took it out and it flew off to the nearest tree

Hopefully it doesn't die of sepsis from the mangy cat bastard.
But at least i tried.