How To Scare Away Magpies and Get Rid of Them For Good
Magpies aren’t the most dangerous birds out there, but they can be extremely annoying and destructive when they get into your yard or garden and start damaging plants or digging up flowers. Magpies in the yard can cause all sorts of problems. So, let’s go over how to get rid of magpies.
They can consistently damage crops, steal food from bird feeders, and make a mess of your outdoor furniture. Plus, their loud chattering can be a nuisance. The most serious issue with magpies is that they can swoop humans and attack animals, especially during their nesting season.
Magpies are intelligent birds that know how to make you miserable by scavenging through your trash cans and eating your pet’s food, so you want to get rid of them as soon as possible.
Getting rid of magpies can be challenging, especially if you don’t know how to scare them away or what techniques work best to drive them off. Fortunately, there are several ways to scare away magpies, so you can enjoy your yard or garden without having to worry about these pesky birds destroying it.
Scaring away magpies can be done through a variety of methods, including using homemade or store-bought devices that scare magpies away, making an area undesirable to magpies by putting up protective netting, or building homes and habitats that prevent the birds from landing in your yard or garden in the first place.
Here are some simple things you can do to get rid of magpies and have them stay gone forever.
Why are magpies in my garden?
There are a few reasons why magpies might be in your backyard. Maybe there’s a food source that’s attracting them, like an uncovered trash can or pet food left outside. Or, there could be a nesting site nearby that they’re using.
If you have magpies in your yard, it’s important to figure out why they’re there so you can get rid of them for good.
How to prevent magpies in your backyard
The best way to keep magpies out of your yard or garden is to prevent them from coming in the first place. Below is a list of tips on how to scare away magpies: Here are some easy ideas to follow.
-Keep your yard clean and free of food scraps: Like any other animal who ventures into your backyard, they are most likely looking for something to eat. A way to deter magpies is to remove any food sources that they might be after.
Magpies are attracted to food, so if you have a clean yard, they’re less likely to visit. This means getting rid of any food that they might be attracted to and ensuring your bins are well closed and unable to be pecked at by magpies. It is very common to find rubbish scraps everywhere on bin day when someone in your street has not properly closed their bin, allowing magpies to get into them and make a mess.
–Don’t leave pet food outside: If you have pets, make sure to bring their food inside after they’ve eaten. You can also store their food indoors at night. While this may not be possible for everyone, it’s a good idea to get into the habit of doing this as soon as possible if you’re worried about magpies in your yard or garden.
-Place shiny objects in your garden or backyard: shiny objects such as mirrors or sparkly windchimes can keep magpies away. This is because of the glare they cause which blinds magpies and is quite unpleasant for them.
Place reflective surfaces on trees so that when the sun hits it, it emits a lot of light. This light will scare away any magpie who is near by! A common misconception is that magpies are attracted to shiny things. However, this myth has been cleared up, stating that magpies are curious in general and are more likely to go after food than anything shiny.
The Basics: How to Get Rid of Magpies
Before going to extremes and investing in some pricey solutions, it is a good idea to see if you can scare away the magpies by yourself.
If you have magpies in your yard or garden, there are a few things you can do to try and get rid of them on your own. In addition to preventing magpies from entering your yard or garden, there are ways to scare them away once they arrive.
The idea in a nutshell is to make your backyard or garden the most unhabitable and unattractive place for magpies to spend their time.
Scaring Away Magpies in Your Yard
The first way you can attempt to get rid of magpies is to try scaring them away. You can scare magpies away by making loud noises, waving your arms, or throwing things at them. If you have a pet, you can also let them out to scare the magpie away.
Both dogs and cats have a tendency of chasing birds and will likely go after the magpie once spotted. You can reinforce this behaviour by providing your pet with treats, if you are happy for them to continue chasing birds in the future.
The main thing that scares magpies away is when you throw something at them that moves or make some noise near their nest site so they will fly away from it for safety. Another idea for scaring magpies away is through the use of a torch / flash light.
When you shine these at magpies they become startled and are likely to go away, at least for the time being. If you are consistent with this, they will gradually learn to avoid the area.
Spray Magpies with Water or Vinegar
If the magpie still doesn’t leave, you can try spraying it with water or vinegar. However, these methods might not work on really stubborn magpies. Sometimes they will just fly away when they are wet.
The Secret is The Crow Call
Another common deterrent is initiating the “crow call” through your smart phone or other device. First, find a place where you can stand without being seen by the magpies. Then, make sure you have a good view of the area where the magpies are.
Next, take out your crow call and start making the sound. The sound will scare the magpies away and they will likely never come back.
Make Nesting Areas Uncomfortable for Magpies
Another way to get rid of magpies is to make their nesting areas uncomfortable for them. An easy way to achieve this is to place speakers outside where they roost.
The sound from the speakers will keep the magpies awake all night long, so when morning comes, they will be too tired to fly around looking for food and will instead leave your property quickly.
Trap and Relocate the Magpies
A more hands on and time consuming approach to getting rid of magpies is to trap and relocate them. You can trap magpies by setting out food that they like, such as bread or birdseed, in a cage or on a platform with a one-way door.
Once the magpie is inside the cage or platform, you can release it far away from your home.
Still Have Magpies in Your Backyard? Try These Next Steps
Once you have tried all of the methods you can on your own including; personally scaring them away, trying to trap and relocate them and making their nesting areas uncomfortable through loud noise – it may be time to consider some options which require a small budget and a trip to your local hardware store.
Buy a Crow Decoy
If you want a permanent solution to keep the magpies away for good, you can buy a Crow Decoy. It looks like a fake bird but when the magpies see it, they think that their enemy has arrived and so they leave your property.
Invest in Sonic Devices
Scare away magpies using sonic devices. Pair a crow decoy with a device, specifically designed to emit a “crow call”, and they are very likely to avoid the area. These devices produce sound waves that startle the birds and cause them to fly away from their territory.
Try Wire Fencing
Important to keep in mind is that magpies hate wire! Another option that will make your backyard uncomfortable for magpies and scare them away if by putting up wire fencing around trees or plants where you think that these birds might roost so that it’s difficult for them to land and then fly off again.
Install an Automatic Sprinkler System
You may want to try using a motion-sensor sprinkler system. When the sprinklers go off, the noise startles the magpies and scares them away. They also dislike getting wet so will definitely choose to avoid the area. In the meantime, your grass also gets a nice watering.
Try Chemicals with Caution
If none of the above methods work, the last resort is using chemicals. Obviously this is not ideal as you would most likely like to avoid the use of chemicals in your beautiful garden or backyard, but you can get rid of magpies for good by using chemicals.
There are many types of chemicals that claim to be able to get rid of magpies but be very careful if you allow pets or children to spend time in the same area you use these chemicals.
Some people swear by chemicals, but do they really work? Chemicals that have been rumoured to scare magpies away include; Mothballs, Peppermint oil, Ammonia and Garlic. Magpies are smart creatures and the smell of most of these things do not scare them away.
There is one chemical known to seriously affect magpies, but is advised against as it could be considered immoral and that is phachloralose paste.
The poison alphachloralose paste is a narcotic that knocks the magpies unconscious rather than killing them outright. Magpies quickly sleep off the effects in warm weather, so the best time to poison is early in the morning on a cold day.
There are such things as magpie repellent sprays and these will be the most humane option when it comes to using chemicals.
If you’re considering chemical options, please note that they can be very harmful to your gardens and backyard and should only be used as a last resort.
So before you go this route, try some of the other techniques we’ve discussed here first!
Professional Help as a Last Resort
If the magpies still don’t go away after trying all of the above methods, it might be time to contact a wildlife removal company that specializes in getting rid of pesky birds like magpies.
They should be able to come take care of the problem for you, but it might come at a cost. They will either come out and put some kind of bird repellent on the ground that will deter the birds from coming back for weeks at a time, or they will install nets over your fruit trees so that the birds cannot access the fruit.
Either way, it is much better than having to look at those pesky magpies every day!
If you’ve already had an infestation, don’t worry! Keep these tips in mind and consistently try a combination of these ideas to see what works best with the magpies in your yard or garden.
It may take more than one year to completely rid yourself of these pesky birds, but following the above guide will help you greatly reduce the number of times they come back!
