Magpies can overrun gardens and keep smaller birds away from feeders, but gardeners can deter them naturally by hanging shiny or moving objects around the garden, according to Lucy Hutchings and Kate Cotterill, gardening experts and founders of She Grows Veg.
Magpies are striking birds with black-and-white feathers, and many people enjoy having them around because of their bold personalities. However, they can quickly become a nuisance, as they are noisy and can scare smaller birds away. Their loud chattering can be annoying, and magpies are also known to raid nests and eat other birds' eggs. If they become attracted to a bird feeder, they may harass smaller and more timid garden birds, meaning you could see fewer robins, goldfinches or wrens around your garden this autumn.
Expert advice on natural deterrents
Hutchings and Cotterill said: “Classic scarecrows don’t work forever, but rotating deterrents like shiny objects, fluttering tape, or reflective pinwheels can help. We hang CDs, foil strips, or even reflective wind chimes around beds.”
Magpies are very clever birds, which means they are unlikely to be scared away by a traditional scarecrow since it stays in one place and does not move. They will quickly realise it is not human and therefore not a threat, but they will be a lot more wary of an item that moves around as they will not know if it is alive or not.
Why shiny objects work
Shiny objects can also scare magpies as the quick flashes from sunlight can mimic the quick movement of a predator, making magpies believe another animal is in the garden. These objects simply make a magpie feel less safe as they are unfamiliar and unpredictable, so they are more likely to move somewhere else to avoid confrontation.
It is best to place shiny or moving objects near high-up areas where magpies tend to perch, such as tall trees, fence posts or on top of sheds. Do not place these objects right next to bird feeders or bird baths if you want to attract other birds to your garden, as they will just scare them away.
Practical tips for placement
Make sure to place these objects high up, as small garden birds will likely stay near feeders or eat off the ground, so are less likely to notice these deterrents compared to magpies. You can use strips of tin foil, old CDs, takeaway trays or disposable pie dishes as magpie deterrents if you do not want to spend any money. You could also buy reflective garden tape, pinwheels, metallic streamers or reflective bird tape online, as any of these items will keep magpies away.
However, magpies are quite curious birds and will eventually notice these objects are harmless if you keep them in the same place for too long. It will be much more effective if you use more than one object and then move them around every few days. If you keep the novelty up so magpies are too scared to get close to investigate them, these big birds are less likely to come into your garden. Moving the items about twice a week should keep your garden free of magpies for the rest of autumn.
