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pigeon migrants


ditchman
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not last year....but the previous years....round this time and to the end of october....i for a few days had some cracking sport on migrant flightlines.....they would fly in starting at 1.30.....high and low birds and it would finish at 3.30-4 oclock.................

 

last year i didnt see a single flightline of these birds in my norfolk area...........

 

 

did anyone else have some sport on the migrant flightlines last year......i suspect the weather was still good enough for them to stay put...........

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Local or migrant birds ..... Not seen ANY for last few days even with the three day old drilled field of wheat and the abundance of acorns in the woods!! Took a walk around this morning and didnt see a thing! Although I did enjoy sitting and watching a green woodpecker with I presume was its young in a tree!

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Not long to wait!

I have been watching wind direction over past few days and we may start to here of numbers building soon.

Last year was unusual as down here (South Wales)they started flying over early October,then a two week break and then two weeks of big numbers.

Also,last year they flew up until 3.30pm which is unusual as they normally flight between first light and then stop around 10.30am.

There were no numbers counted by bird watchers around here last year which seems strange?

I will try and post a bit more once they start coming through.

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  • 2 weeks later...

are these resident pigeons just moving around or proper migrating birds??

 

normally, moving pigeons will fly in smallish bundles (i.e. 40-100) and fly not too high

 

Migrating birds can be seen in bundels reaching their 1000s and will fly seriously high until they've reached the point they like at which stage they will be swirling and dropping in like mad

 

that's all i shot when i was younger down the south of Europe (Italy, France and Spain) and it's the most amazing, brethtaking sight ever.... a true miracle of nature

 

Cheers,

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These birds passing through are migrating through for sure,as you describe they can be very high in big flocks(on calm clear days)but if weather is poor then we can have them skimming over they roof tops in numbers of 5-200.As you say,an amazing sight.

Winds are favourable again from Wednesday on,so we should start getting sightings of large flocks soon hopefully(some already mentioned today in another post).

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Not so sure about that. Last year I notice quite a few birds first week in November with a distinctive line of fat. Which suggested they had been feeding up hard before I stopped them on route. They passed through here in a week and half. Hope they come this year again

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Saw the first big flocks over this morning,very high and in groups of 150-300.

Also small groups and singles a bit lower,still a bit early for the main passage through.

Also noticed that jackdaws seem to pass with the same determination but in small groups which i remember noting last year.

Any other members noticing unusually large numbers this last week?

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Biggest flightline I've seen all year is maximum 20, been having ago at crows most of it instead and that hasn't provided many big bags either 38 being the biggest, im my area there just doesn't seem to be the numbers and flightlines like the last 2-3years.

Edited by Shotguneddy
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Another big passage this morning of tens of thousands,mostly up high in big flocks but again smaller flocks came through lower.

It's fascinating seeing Hawks hanging around up high now and again,I watched a peregrine this morning showing interest in the lower groups passing.

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Another big passage this morning of tens of thousands,mostly up high in big flocks but again smaller flocks came through lower.

It's fascinating seeing Hawks hanging around up high now and again,I watched a peregrine this morning showing interest in the lower groups passing.

 

 

would be helpful if you said where you are

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I have seen three new flocks in the last week.

 

Two consisted of about 300 pigeons milling about with no set feeding pattern as migrants often do. The third consisted of possibly 800 birds where I have seen few in recent weeks and they were feeding on a field of cultivated bean stubble. If I could work them out I could shoot either of the first two. Sadly the large flock is feeding next to game covers on a shoot.

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goober you are the man when it comes to this subject. We have heard very little from you which speaks for itself.

No migrant birds here as yet which seems a bit odd, we normally recognise them by the behaviour JDog describes and there darker coloured plumage.

 

A very interesting subject when the movement of birds begins.

Edited by aga man
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Thank you Aga man but Im no expert,I just find it fascinating to watch and I've enjoyed reading up on bits and pieces in old books.

I have a Max Baker book from 1934 in which he describes these migrants arriving at these times and I presume there must be numerous gamekeepers and old time pigeon shooters that knew of these passages,yet there seems very little mentioned of it.

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WE HAVE LIFT OFF................was out this afternoon....glorious day...warm dry sunny.....and at 1 o'clock thro' to 3.30 the first of the migrants started coming thro....very high up....not big numbers today only about 5-600.....i had full choke and was using 34gm 5's....pulled 6 down for 9 shots well pleased with that.....i shall be out tomorrow and take some pics........

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WE HAVE LIFT OFF................was out this afternoon....glorious day...warm dry sunny.....and at 1 o'clock thro' to 3.30 the first of the migrants started coming thro....very high up....not big numbers today only about 5-600.....i had full choke and was using 34gm 5's....pulled 6 down for 9 shots well pleased with that.....i shall be out tomorrow and take some pics........

Heavy shells for you Ditchy. Glad you connected with a few.

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That's good shooting Ditchman,I've only managed one so far(21gram 6's in 28gauge)but in my defence they were high and I was running back and forth trying to get under the lower groups whilst also trying to work!

I've got some 32gramme 5 Black gold waiting for the main passage if they're low enough.

The bird was in good condition with a bit of fat,adult bird.

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