The aggressive magpies, that swoop on people and harass native birds, are steadily encroaching across Tasman and are now close to the coast.
Tasman District Council spokesperson, Tim O’Connell, says the pest has been in an expansion phase in the region since the early 2000s, with the largest numbers in the intensively-grazed areas adjoining St Arnaud, Tapawera and Wakefield, from where they are spreading into other areas. Magpies have now been seen on the coastal side of the Moutere hills.
A lack of natural predators has resulted in a rapid rise in magpie numbers and their territorial, aggressive nature during the breeding season can lead to swooping attacks on people or anything that may pose a threat to their patch.
Tim says the magpies’ main threat is that they harass and inhibit native birds, particularly tūī and kererū.
Their strong, territorial defence behaviour does make magpies relatively easy to control, he says, as they can’t resist approaching other magpies in their territory and are easily trapped. Since 2001, landowners have been encouraged to control the increasing numbers of magpies.
In Golden Bay, the species has been slow to colonise as a result of the local trapping programmes. Tim says the magpies are listed as an eradication pest species in Golden Bay and people must report sightings of the pest on their land to the council.
