shoughton Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 I was speaking to the farmer last night and he commented that whilst drilling he has observed a fair number of dead pigeons on the field. At first he thought that they may have been ones that not been picked up but then noticed that they were all under wires between pylons. It would seem that the birds had somehow struck the wires? Seems really odd. Anybody else seen this? Nobody has really been shooting very much around these parts over the last few weeks so I don't think that they were merely pricked birds dying, but I guess that would always be a possibility if they had travelled a distance before resting. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humperdingle Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 Might be a bit of both. I've been shooting in woods before, only to have a pigeon almost fall on my head 5 minutes after shooting it! Could be they're resting on the wires, and finally bleed-out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 It is more likely with larger birds such as geese and swans, I`ve even been to a major stubble fire that was caused by a goose that had hit electric lines, that were across a field, and it`s burning body set light to the stubbles. Did he say how many ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoughton Posted October 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 It is more likely with larger birds such as geese and swans, I`ve even been to a major stubble fire that was caused by a goose that had hit electric lines, that were across a field, and it`s burning body set light to the stubbles. Did he say how many ? I believe that there were about 6 in one field and about 8 in another. These guys have worked the land for many years and hadn't ever seen this before, that's what seemed odd. They did comment that the birds looked very thin and in poor health, although they would have if they had been laying there for a while I suppose. It's hard to identify exactly what's going on, I shall keep watching. I just thought it interesting to see if anybody else had similar in their areas just in case there were any outbreaks of disease. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 .......... I just thought it interesting to see if anybody else had similar in their areas just in case there were any outbreaks of disease. Sometimes we get outbreaks of Trichomonosis(sp?) when the beechmast and acorns are being hit hard and the birds are generally found in the woods in very poor condition Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 I would guess at disease, or a some kind of poisoning, rather than pigeons hitting the wires. It is quite surprising how far a bird can fly, appearing not to be hit, but suddenly drop from the sky stone dead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluedunnock Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 Thirty years ago I made a decent pigeon pie from birds that had hit wires in strong winds, inlcuding some who had lost their heads on impact! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harnser Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 All very interesting . If it was possible it would be interesting to pluck a couple of these birds to try and determin how they died . Never heard of this before . Harnser . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluebarrels Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 Im no expert,however i have heard before,of some sort of disease that kills pigeons off someone will have the answer on here??? BB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smig4373 Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 (edited) Surely if the birds died of electrocution,There would be obvious signs of it....Burning etc.... :lol: A quick pluck would show internal burning...wouldnt it..?? Edited October 2, 2009 by smig4373 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoughton Posted October 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 (edited) Surely if the birds died of electrocution,There would be obvious signs of it....Burning etc.... A quick pluck would show internal burning...wouldnt it..?? Unlikely to be electrocution. If the wires were to blame then it would be through striking them. I will look in the morning to see if I can find any new bodies and do as Harnser suggested. Unfortunately the ones that the farmer found have been been though the drilling machine :lol: Steve Edited October 2, 2009 by shoughton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webber Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 Electrocution is out of the question. I remember reading many years ago that woodies can gorge themselves on acorns, to the effect that they are poisoned. Sorry, but I can't remember where I read it. Can anyone check John Batleys book? Someone borrowed my copy and failed to return it. webber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smig4373 Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 Doh....My mistake....Ignore my ramblings..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davecooper1 Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 Its a no no with electric cables, I work with big cables underground and overhead, only seen a few pigeons, over the yrs that have hit a cable by mistake, and there is just a mass scattering of feathers every where, mostly in big substations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy. Posted October 4, 2009 Report Share Posted October 4, 2009 I can't believe that there's such confusion over this. If I shoot a bird and it gets pricked, then lands in the nearest tree, I send the dog to sit under it and wait for it to drop out. Obviosly you've pricked a few and they've flown off, found a place to sit and then died of blood loss/fainted and the impact has killed them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonevo Posted October 4, 2009 Report Share Posted October 4, 2009 Just a thought but I read this yesterday pigeons Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alanl50 Posted October 4, 2009 Report Share Posted October 4, 2009 Hi Ive found a few either totally exhausted or poisoned laying in the fields when picking them up very little breast meat at all, Dispatched of course. I'm in the Ipswich area. Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoughton Posted October 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 4, 2009 I can't believe that there's such confusion over this. If I shoot a bird and it gets pricked, then lands in the nearest tree, I send the dog to sit under it and wait for it to drop out. Obviosly you've pricked a few and they've flown off, found a place to sit and then died of blood loss/fainted and the impact has killed them. I can't believe your confusion over this! Read the first message in the thread again; Nobody has been shooting on these fields for over a month. Maybe your dog has another theory Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tis1979 Posted October 5, 2009 Report Share Posted October 5, 2009 My ten pence worth is disease or poisening, Very unlikely to be hitting the wires in flight & pretty much impossible for a pigeon to electricute itself On overhead mains. Interesting though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markbivvy Posted October 9, 2009 Report Share Posted October 9, 2009 http://www.fwi.co.uk/community/forums/gett...eons-35775.aspx look at the last post on this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pyr8 Posted October 9, 2009 Report Share Posted October 9, 2009 they would have to sit on the wire and ground them selfs to get electrocuted.have seen many dead birds from striking the wires but only one or two at most in a single incident.sounds like poison.they must have fed at the same time to have all died roughly together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scolopax Posted October 12, 2009 Report Share Posted October 12, 2009 Well, no confusion on my part. Had the weather been at all misty or foggy prior to the pigeon been found? They had flown into the power lines, seen it happen twice. Once found about 6 carcasses under some pylons and last year in almost the same place picked up 17 dead woodpigeon. They all showed physical damage to some extent but no burns. On both occasions the weather had been foggy prior to me finding the birds. Geese and swans are vulnerable due to their habit of flying at night, also seen a fair few seagulls dead under powerlines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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