Oh dear. I was right, the RSPB was wrong!
The Songbird Survival Trust charity blame the larger birds - known as Picus picus in Latin - for contributing to the decline in other feathered garden creatures by raiding nests and eating eggs.Culling magpies is legal under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, providing it is done humanely and for a specific purpose, for example to protect crops or conserve wild birds.
The most common method is to use a trap and then wring the bird's neck.
Nick Forde, a trustee of the SST, has said in the past: 'This is a difficult subject because talk of culling magpies or grey squirrels does not go down well with the public and that's why the government is ignoring this issue.”
He told the Daily Telegraph: 'I don't like the idea of harming animals but if they are destroying our biodiversity, then we have to take action.
“Unless the population of some predators is controlled, there is little, if any, hope that the small bird populations can recover.'
Mr Picton, who lives with partner Amanda Eeles, took the photograph in mid-morning from his bedroom window.
If you have a legal shotgun or even a powerful air weapon, please kill every magpie you possibly can. Saving our songbirds is impossible without this measure. Or - buy your own Larsen Trap.
Those areas which have seen the proliferation of magpies have had horrific falls in the numbers of songbirds.
The RSPB MUST get its head out of the sand before all areas succumb to this wretched menace!
