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Pigeon crop contents.


motty
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I was driving around yesterday, when I spotted a load of pigeons flying in to roost. I quickly decided (with my mate, Sam) to see if I could bag a few. It was flight line shooting, really, and what great sport it was. We only had steel loads to use on them, but they did a good enough job.

It was interesting in a few ways, not least to see some of the pigeons had clearly not long been off the nest. The crop contents of the birds was also interesting. Most of the pigeons shot were jam-packed with ivy berries. Some had cherries in, others maize, and to a lesser extent, rape.

I have been seeing pigeons on the ivy pretty much every day and many pigeons are tucking into rape all over the region. By far the most pigeons I have seen in one location, lately, was on a freshly cut maize field, today. There was easily a couple of thousand pigeons on there.

I hope this little post has been of use/interest to someone.

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Identifying Ivy berries in the crop contents is fine but decoying them on the same is very nearly impossible.

 

 

i have had some quick sessions with decoying on ivy berries using the "flapper"..........take a 1/2" auger and drill a hole in the tree a couple of inches deep and run the cord back to the hide........you can also attatch the flapper using 2 electrical ties to the top of a hedge where the birds are feeding.........

 

i have set up like this on several occasions with the flapper only 10 feet away...........also scatter 1/2 dozen deeks about and a couple on the hedge

 

 

dont use the usual flapper movements, pull the cord to make it look as if the bird is off balanced and have it at an angle......i usually put them in 90 deg's to the tree trunk.....

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I think you will find they were Hawthorn berries and not Cherries. Cherries are an early summer crop and get stripped in days you would not find them this time of the year.

You have now made me doubt myself. However, i'm fairly certain they were cherries. Where they came from I do not know. I will try to shoot some more and see if any pigeons contain the same.

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