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Larsen Traps in Action

A fake nest, often effective in catching a first call bird.   This can work all year round but is most effective in Spring and early Summer

A call bird and catch.

Notice the two cage cups for food and water.

The health and welfare of the call bird is very important - both morally and legally.  It must be provided with water, food and shelter.

 

The trap must also be inspected at least daily.

This one is using the ‘pop bottle drinker’ described in the book. 

The Larsen Trap

The Larsen trap is mainly a trap for magpies, although it also has been known to catch crows, jays and other corvids.

It is one of the few traps where it is legal to use a live bird to catch others - not as ‘bait’ in the usual sense but by using the natural instinct of these birds to guard their territory.  Dominant birds, or new birds entering an area, will approach the call bird and in the course of the encounter will be caught.

Other Variations

This is an example of a different design of door and trigger mechanism.  As the diagram illustrates door opens outwards to set the trap and is propped open by a small block placed between the cage side and the return edge of the door.  This block is connected to the end of a long perch by means of cord or wire.  The other end of this perch is pivoted off the opposite of the cage.

The weight of a bird landing on the perch is enough to pull the block out of place and release the door.

One advantage of this design is that by closing inwards the door helps to capture any bird that may be escaping.  It’s also probable that the cage would not need to be as deep as a conventional Larsen trap as it does not require the bird to go a ‘door depth’ into the cage.

On the downside the door would need to be firmly sprung both to prevent the door being pushed open as even a partial opening could lead to the captured bird injuring itself.  The spring must also be strong enough to hold the door firm when set otherwise a gust of wind could wobble the door, release the block and spring the trap.  Some sort of ‘stop’ behind he door may prevent this.

Hints on a side opener

Personally I have found the most difficult aspect of making a side entry trap is getting the springs right.  Commercial Larsen Trap springs are designed to close a top opener by pushing the door outwards where as with a Side Opening trap they need to push the doors inwards. 

 

Unfortunately this means that the legs of the springs don't quite orientate as well as you would like and don’t line up neatly against the trap ‘leg’.

 

To get around this I have fitted the spring to the side of the door using staples as normal—although you’ll notice it’s the other way round.  You will see that in order to give the spring arm some degree of purchase I have place the short leg on top of the frame, secured it with a staple and trimmed it shorter. 

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