mikee Posted December 22, 2015 Report Share Posted December 22, 2015 I've been out scouting round my land today, 4th time in a bit over a week, areas which are normally full of birds are empty, just a few single floating around and a few sat in the trees, someone must have some somewhere Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farcombehall Posted December 22, 2015 Report Share Posted December 22, 2015 Same here in kent very small numbers I think it must be down to this warm weather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salop Matt Posted December 22, 2015 Report Share Posted December 22, 2015 Early to mid October we had hundreds maybe more on acorns but that didnt even last a week and they are gone again ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stevo Posted December 22, 2015 Report Share Posted December 22, 2015 had a couple of small flocks bombing about today but noting commiting to any areas as such , there is so much volunteer crop on nearly every field what with no harsh cold weather this year , there food source is everywhere and its hard to pin them down Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackpowder Posted December 22, 2015 Report Share Posted December 22, 2015 Saw a load, at least 200 today on a ploughed field across the A1 from a bean stubble. Also starting to see a few birds on rape fields. Blackpowder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalconFN Posted December 22, 2015 Report Share Posted December 22, 2015 Where I am there never seem to be any on farmland at this time of year. I stick to rabbits until it gets much colder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Essex Keeper Posted December 22, 2015 Report Share Posted December 22, 2015 1000 hitting the OSR where my shoot is coming out one of the woods thursday should see the 4 of us out chasing them around the farm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomo-1 Posted December 22, 2015 Report Share Posted December 22, 2015 While driving around the lanes of the Essex/Suffolk border I am seeing lots of pigeons still mopping up acorns and plenty on the Ivy too. None on the OSR here which is surprising. Too much grub in the woods maybe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr D Posted December 22, 2015 Report Share Posted December 22, 2015 Same here. And they are not in the woods. The beech mast was non existent. It's definitely the warm weather. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted December 22, 2015 Report Share Posted December 22, 2015 No pigeons in this area, apart from the ones on the bird table and a big cock pigeon billing and cooing and then doing a loop the loop flight, they think its spring with this mild weather. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted December 22, 2015 Report Share Posted December 22, 2015 Seen thousands on maize covers and rape near me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon controller Posted December 22, 2015 Report Share Posted December 22, 2015 I travelled downn M42/M40 and M25 from Brum to Caterham on Sunday. All rape fields had birds in the trees and hedges . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milo Posted December 22, 2015 Report Share Posted December 22, 2015 Masses up North on strips or barley that has been left as cover strips for pheasants. Hope they are still there when I get up on the 27th! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougall Posted December 22, 2015 Report Share Posted December 22, 2015 best numbers roost shooting in surrey/sussex for 10 years,all round here are full of ivy and still few acorns.....not hitting any fields in big numbers though so decoying waste of time currently...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yickdaz Posted December 23, 2015 Report Share Posted December 23, 2015 good question I can,t find any on our land, most I have seen was a flock of about 200 leaving a roost wood this morning on my way to work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbox Posted December 23, 2015 Report Share Posted December 23, 2015 same here. Got 3 fields of OSR this year on my permission and was thinking I was in for a good deal of sport... not a sign of them! better after a hard freeze do we think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yickdaz Posted December 23, 2015 Report Share Posted December 23, 2015 tbox, on 23 Dec 2015 - 9:14 PM, said:same here. Got 3 fields of OSR this year on my permission and was thinking I was in for a good deal of sport... not a sign of them! better after a hard freeze do we think? its not essential to get them on the rape seen birds on it recently and they are getting shot on the forum in the mild weather but they always turn up on the rape when it gets cold (around here they do anyway) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penelope Posted December 24, 2015 Report Share Posted December 24, 2015 Got a reasonable number on a couple of rape fields on my shoot out Chelmsford way. Going for a look Tuesday. They have been in the area and on the rape for a wilewhich is all on the boundaries of the shoot. 1000 hitting the OSR where my shoot is coming out one of the woods thursday should see the 4 of us out chasing them around the farm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kody Posted December 24, 2015 Report Share Posted December 24, 2015 They are down here in Oxford Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon controller Posted December 25, 2015 Report Share Posted December 25, 2015 The food table is so vast at present they have no desire or need to eat rape, would you want to exist on sprouts and cabbage. Any cereals left standing will be a definite draw, we have one farm where they have planted three metres of a short type of barley all round the edge of the rape fields. This has the effect of suggesting they are on the rape but they are not. The birds shot last week although decoyed over rape had acorns, green Ivy berries,sloe's ,hawthorns and seed in them. The weather is wet but warm they do not have to eat hard to keep warm just to sustain the body weight. Each year we have new challenges to outwit our adversary and that makes it so fascinating , the passenger pigeon in the USA followed the same migratory lines each year and paid the price to extinction. I would hate the Wood Pigeon to be so predictable that you could set up and shoot hundreds in a session due to you being on a rape field in the winter. Just my thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sitsinhedges Posted December 26, 2015 Report Share Posted December 26, 2015 Just roost shot a dozen this afternoon. 1 had a bit of wheat in its crop, 1 had sloes and the rest were all chock full of OSR. This has been pretty typical for the last month or so where I shoot. All the haw berries seem to have gone now where the birds were stuffed with them into November and the acorns and beech mast never made much of a showing in the first place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Columba Grey Posted December 27, 2015 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 Plenty of birds on rape here in contrast to last year. Lots of rape this year in certain parts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesj Posted December 27, 2015 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 Just been out for a look round and saw 3 on some forage rape, so they're not here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted December 27, 2015 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 I just wonder how much people REALLY look for pigeons. Sometimes they can be hard to find if you don't look hard enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted December 27, 2015 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 Motty, I think I must be one of the ones who don't look very hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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