Dispatching of crows

Gazlam

In light of the latest article about the lads shooting crows that got charged I thought I'd ask here.

Is it ok to take care of the crows threatening disease to milking cows and contamination by being in the milking parlour and amongst the cows feed.

Farmer has tried other means to secure his feed and parlour, while this has not been effective.

My questions are.

Does someone have the right to carry out pest control on these crows?

Does it matter the specie of crow that gets dispatched...

Is it ok to dispatch them out of the trees? (It is safe to do so)

Thanks.

J.R.

You can shoot greycrows and magpies the whole year round - "vector in the spread of animal diseases"

You can shoot feral pigeons if damaging foodstuffs the whole year round

now the tricky, controversial one - Rooks & Jackdaws - if they are damaging animal foodstuffs then today is the last day you can shoot them - 31st May .......... then you can start again in November

If you want to shoot them after today then you will have to apply for a Section 42

https://www.npws.ie/licencesandconsents/disturbance/stop-damage-flora-and-fauna-wild-animals

Applications are investigated by local staff to determine if serious damage is being caused and if so the most practical method of stopping or controlling the problem. In this regard the conservation status of the particular species involved is given every consideration. The decision made to grant or refuse the licence is made by an officer designated by the Minister to issue licences on his/her behalf.

Gazlam

Thanks for the information. Where would Carrion be in there? I know they were classified as Grey crows at some point but that may have changed

Gazlam

Great for identification.

alex90

What's the logic of that summer exemption? Is it assuming that cattle are in the fields from June onwards?

Eddie B

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120664419#Comment_120664419

Yes, I'd say thats it. I don't think any farm would ever NOT have feedstuffs of some sort. Plenty animals kept in and around the farm.

lmk123

Makes no sense whatsoever, cattle, especially calves get nuts in the field on a daily basis on a lot of farms, crows are a nightmare destroying the troughs

alex90

That's exactly what I'm seeing at the minute, calves still indoor

J.R.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120663817#Comment_120663817

Yes - Carrion Crow & Greycrow are classed as in the same group - same laws apply for each

J.R.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120664995#Comment_120664995

Yes - where I shoot the farmer still has some sheep with lambs indoors - calves indoors and some heifers indoors - crows constantly in around the food and nuts.

JP22

If medium/large flocks moving and lots of chitter/chatter early morning and late evening, they are leaving and returning to their roost. The roost may or may not be on your lands, it could be on a neighbours lands, the roost could be several kilometres away, you may just be unfortunate in that that your house/buildings is/are under their established flight path.

Note - all fauna/flora (incl all bird species) are protected so you cannot just shoot them for the sake of shooting them, i.e. recreational shooting is not a valid reason.

See link to court case here – https://www.farmersjournal.ie/two-men-convicted-and-fined-for-recreational-killing-of-rooks-755984

In order to legally control them and other specified pest species you must have a just reason allowable by legislation. Many pest species can be controlled under the Annual Derogation Order as issued by the Minister for Housing, Local Government & Heritage – see link to current derogation order here for year ending 31 Dec 2023. Note - each pest species has a set period when they can be controlled and how they can be controlled.

https://www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/files/general-declaration-1-August-2022-31-december-2023.pdf

I would suggest you read through the documentation (General Derogation Order 2023), possibly contact your local Wildlife Ranger or the NPWS itself for guidance.

End of day you must be able to prove that damage/etc as per the regs is being caused.

Stewball

My parents are having a problem with a single crow attacking their windows every morning - I've sourced a trap and planning on setting it over the weekend.

The mother doesn't want the crow killed, but also wants it gone. I'm wondering if I took the crow to a different location miles away would it just come back in a few days?

Grizzly 45

It wil be back in no time at all. Its a very territorial bird your fellah and it is probably seeing its reflection in the glass and is attacking the invader of its space. You could try a hawk silhouette that you stick up on big plate glass windows to stop small birds from flying into the glass.It might get the message that there is a bigger predator around.

Pawwed Rig

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120664895#Comment_120664895

Well it depends on whose perspective you are seeing it from. From the feeds perspective yes it makes no sense. From the protection of wildlife perspective it makes perfect sense.

It is the time of year that birds are feeding their young and fledgling are leaving nests. This is why hedge and tree cutting is also illegal at this time of year.

JP22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120692171#Comment_120692171

Birds are territorial, they see their reflection in the glass and as they cannot recognise themselves they think it’s another bird who shouldn’t be in their territory, they want to chase it off (maybe mate with it), hence picking at the glass.

We have two blue tits (boss indoors calls them “head bangers”) that do the same at the kitchen window & shed window most days when the sun/light is just right, its gas watching them, once the light changes, they’re gone until the next day.

If you trap it/release it miles away, problem solved but what if it has eggs/chicks in a nest close to your house, most birds have an inbred homing instinct and it will be back in gig time.  If it’s the same window, same place on window/at same time every day, put a small sheet of cardboard/paper to stop the reflection, how about a small pot plant on the outside sill.

Stewball

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120692896#Comment_120692896

I've tried basically everything at this stage - I block up one window, she's moves to another. I put some bird spikes on the window sill and she carried on like they weren't there.

I put a large mirror out at the end of the garden a few days ago and she now spends all her time attacking that and hasn't come near the windows or porch doors.

I'm setting up the trap tomorrow and if I catch her, I was thinking of bringing her on a roadtrip. I live in the southwest and I'll be heading towards Dublin next week - that's why I'm wondering if she'd find her way back from a distance roughly 250km plus?

Odelay

Why not just leave the mirror there?

JP22

I'de leave the mirror in the garden.

If you drop her/him off 250k away, don't be surprised if back the following day.

Stewball

Whilst there is no more pecking on the windows - she's still crowing very loudly at 5am.

It's probably likely she'll be back if I do drop off her on the other side of the country.

Odelay

^ that’s what nature does. And yes she’ll most likely be back in no time. 259km isn’t long distance to them.

JP22

As the "crow flies", pun, it's a hell of a lot shorter than your road drive.

Stewball

Well my parents no longer have a crow problem - trapped and disposed off this morning.

Any truth to the idea of hanging the body up to deter other crows from getting any ideas?

Eddie B

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120698123#Comment_120698123

It works for a short period of time, but seen as offensive in this day and age, especially not a good idea, if you have neighbours.

Stewball

They live in a rural area and in a bit from the road, won't be seen by the neighbours or passers by.

Gazlam

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120663794#Comment_120663794

Where did you find the dates for open season on crows. I've searched everywhere. Do you have a link?

J.R.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120758538#Comment_120758538

general-declaration-1-August-2022-31-december-2023.pdf

https://www.npws.ie/legislation/eu-directives/birds-directive/eu-birds-directive-article-9-derogations

............

Gazlam

Thank you.

Rescueme0007

Very much obliged, I've had a number of my permissions request the dispatch of corvids, I understood (wrongly it appear) that one required a section 42 licence to deal with them.