Neighbour shooting birds

Hi everyone,

Last year we had 7 or 8 dead birds in our garden. Mostly pigeons and magpies. We caught one magpie falling from the roof of our house on cctv. I caught one of our neighbours using an airgun. None of the birds looked like they were injured or sick. We reported it to the police, who told us it wasn't illegal to shoot birds?!? But since it was out of his boundary they would speak to him. They also said they would let us know the outcome. 

We never heard from them.

I came home on Thursday to find another dead pigeon on our decking, which I now have to deal with. Birds don't just drop dead from trees do they? This one doesn't look as if it has been attacked. The thought of looking to see if its been shot is really unpleasant. I don't know what to do now. The police were useless the first time.

  • You could contact your local councillor or even MP. Or why not alert the local media? I had the same thing happen, but it stopped after my local newspaper started asking questions.
  • Thats pretty disturbing,regardless if the birds are regarded as pests by some.
    Crop and livestock damage seems to be the deciding factor here to resort to killing them.
    Air guns require a license and as far as i can see shooting into a neighbours garden without permission could be classed as illegal if 'bullets' are entering your land.This is true for shotguns/rifles if no permission is given.
    Shooting feral or pest birds should be the last resort if there are no other option's like noise makers or bird proofing.
    If it continues I'd certainly be looking further into it and continue to contact the police or RSPCA for advice.