In most areas, the overall population of crows and magpies is far greater than the number of breeding pairs. This is the period of maximum prey vulnerability and the time when Larsen traps are most effective. We suggest that trapping effort is restricted to spring and summer. In this way, the whole effort quickly grows to an effective scale within a single breeding season. Because Larsen traps are small, they can easily be moved around to address further pairs of crows or magpies, and a few traps can therefore cover quite a large area. It has also been proven to benefit wader species such as lapwing and curlew.Ī second reason to catch corvids alive is that each may in turn be used as a call-bird to attract further captures. Recent GWCT research shows that corvid control can contribute to the conservation of some, but not all, songbird species. There is no ‘natural balance’ between corvids and the birds they prey on, because they also feed to a great extent on other foods provided, directly or indirectly, by man. Of course, many legally protected bird species, as well as gamebirds, suffer from corvid predation on their eggs or young, and the Larsen trap is potentially an effective tool in the conservation of these birds too. Finches and tits often visit them, but are too small to trigger the mechanism. In a survey of over 10,000 birds captured, only 1% were non-target species. Having said this, we have experienced very few captures of non-target species in Larsen traps – another point in their favour. It is important to remember that in today’s countryside, the future of shooting depends on game management being conducted responsibly and professionally and in a way which delivers wider environmental benefits. Virtually all non-target birds are protected by law, and the licences allowing Larsen trapping stipulate that they must be released alive and unharmed. Why catch alive? Because of the risk of catching non-target wildlife other than corvids. The perch gives way, and the bird’s momentum takes it past the bottom of the door, which flips up – et voila! Later variants of the design have introduced other, alternative door mechanisms. To enter the trap, birds the size of a magpie or crow inevitably drop onto the perch. In the original design, the trap mechanism involves a spring door to each catching compartment which, when set, is held open by a split perch. Territory-holding birds attempt to drive it away and get caught in the process. The Larsen trap contains a separate compartment for a ‘decoy’ bird, which is seen as an intruder in any corvid territory in which the trap is placed. crows, magpies, jackdaws, jays, rooks) at all times of the year, but their particular value is in catching crows and magpies when they set up their breeding territories. Larsen traps will catch all corvid pest species (i.e. In Denmark it has been suggested that this trap alone was responsible for a significant reduction in the national magpie population from 1965. Larsen traps were designed by a Danish gamekeeper in the 1950s. How to dispatch a captured corvid humanelyīuy Larsen Traps on Amazon (sponsored link) >.
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