sean johnston Posted March 1, 2003 Report Share Posted March 1, 2003 Went out yesterday and shot 35 pigeons over barley stubble that had been covered in s##t.What suprised me most was that a good percentage of the birds were juveniles which didn't have the white flashes on the wings.Is anyone else shooting/noticing young birds? Regards sean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
columbus Posted March 1, 2003 Report Share Posted March 1, 2003 Sean i think at this time of year they are unlikely to be juveniles, as it would have made them born around xmas. if i am not mistaken even juvenile woodys have wing bars but no neck coller,it could be that they were stockdoves. Whitch by the way are protected. I mat be wrong but i dont think so but i am willing to stand corrected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reynard895 Posted March 1, 2003 Report Share Posted March 1, 2003 I think I know what Sean means, I can usualy tell the young from the maturer birds. cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted March 1, 2003 Report Share Posted March 1, 2003 I have never seen juvenile wood pigeons, in late February/early March. However, stranger things do happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
columbus Posted March 1, 2003 Report Share Posted March 1, 2003 Come to think of it i have never seen a juv. pigeon without its wing bars. That is columba polumbus, the wood pigeon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean johnston Posted March 1, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2003 Yes strange isn't it.They were most certainly woodpigeon,as stock doves are much smaller and fly differently to a woodpigeon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
columbus Posted March 1, 2003 Report Share Posted March 1, 2003 Sean i am in no way contradicting you it just that it is puzzeling me what they could be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean johnston Posted March 1, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2003 No probs columbus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supergame Posted March 1, 2003 Report Share Posted March 1, 2003 Been out today for a while, shot 14. One of the birds was an immature bird with no white flashes on the neck. Probably born nov/dec. Never shot any young birds without the white wing flashes. I have shot one at the end of febuary that had yellow down still attached to its feathers, poor little chap must have just flown the nest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzzer Posted March 1, 2003 Report Share Posted March 1, 2003 Ive been out at the woodies today, shot 41 on sring drill, cant say that ive noticed any young birds(pigeons) round these parts, most are in top form Buzzer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THE PREDATOR Posted March 1, 2003 Report Share Posted March 1, 2003 i have noticed sean a few young birds about the birds here are a odd colour sort of browny on wings rather than bluey grey and the head is young looking no markings on neck or green an white colar i kept racing pigeons for many years an for almost a year they would not show adult plumage until first malt which they only throw first flight feather within 8 to 10 months depending on time of birth,birds can be aged the same as racers by flight feathers on tips of wing working inwards dager shaped feather to round edge feather count back jan feb mar till round edge will give month of birth it was a way when buying racers to age birds and not normally far out the birds here are about sept to oct hatched Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny Posted March 1, 2003 Report Share Posted March 1, 2003 I've been shooting young birds all winter on rape I think it may be that there town woodys. But aleast if you get a few of these they are not as clever as the older one's and coy a bit better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THE PREDATOR Posted March 1, 2003 Report Share Posted March 1, 2003 true they are a bit thick :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazza Posted March 2, 2003 Report Share Posted March 2, 2003 We went out decoying on some beans yesterday. We ended up with 46, about 15 of these, were young woodies, so i reckon with this winter being so mild, that they've kept breeding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
columbus Posted March 2, 2003 Report Share Posted March 2, 2003 Yes you have all been having young birds, but with the exeption of supergame, no one has posted whether the young birds had wing bars or not i have never seen a young woodie with out them, but am willing to be proved wrong. So what are seans birds that have no wingbars? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzzer Posted March 2, 2003 Report Share Posted March 2, 2003 Have to agree with you columbus, could it be that they are blue rocks? ive noticed a fare few about this year Buzzer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean johnston Posted March 2, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2003 Whatever they were the ferrets enjoyed them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul collins Posted March 3, 2003 Report Share Posted March 3, 2003 strange that one sean, woodpigeons have been seen breeding twelve months of the year, fact, but no white bars,,.strange,,even birds from over the pond look like ours ,slightly darker and a lot more acrbatic but all have white bars.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjimmer Posted March 5, 2003 Report Share Posted March 5, 2003 The main reason that the woodpigeon is so durable, is it's ability to convert most available food into 'milk' for it's young. In Britain, woodpigeons have been known to breed in every month of the year and with the mild winters we have had recently........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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