Highlander Posted October 25, 2005 Report Share Posted October 25, 2005 Sitting here in my office overlooking a field of sugar beet that they cleared this morning and there's a pigeon landing almost every 5-10 seconds. Do they know I can't get at them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waddy Posted October 25, 2005 Report Share Posted October 25, 2005 (edited) If you have plenty of elastic bands in the office, you need one of these........... Edited October 25, 2005 by waddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorfolkBoy Posted October 25, 2005 Report Share Posted October 25, 2005 If you have plenty of elastic bands in the office, you need one of these........... Aaaah the old Mark IV aircooled Vickers Band-Bunger....... A favourite of office combatants around the world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highlander Posted October 25, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2005 Nah that’s surely an early model 50 cal Maxim. Problem with woodworm though lead to them being withdrawn from service! It’s nearly 1700, bright sunshine and one hell of a wind and the field is smothered in pigeons, several hundred at least and they’re still dropping in, bunches in increasing numbers, a few pheasants, partridges, rooks, a crow or two and a whole bunch of seagulls. What a sight and I’m sitting not 100yds from it. The crop was sugar beet. It’s been mechanically harvested (took all of 3 hours early this morning mostly before first light) and all the leaf has been mashed and spread back on the ground. So is it that that they’re eating or chips of beet or something else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted October 25, 2005 Report Share Posted October 25, 2005 This is your punishment, for doing something terrible in an earlier existence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highlander Posted October 25, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2005 'Er in doors w'd tell you it's for doing it in this one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waddy Posted October 25, 2005 Report Share Posted October 25, 2005 Where abouts in East Anglia are you Highlander? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invector Posted October 25, 2005 Report Share Posted October 25, 2005 Pigeons love beet chips. Why don`t you go door knocking at lunchtime? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highlander Posted October 26, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2005 Pigeons love beet chips. Why don`t you go door knocking at lunchtime? I live here...on a large shooting estate and pigeon shooting in the game season is a big NO NO! This year there are 34 days of partridge/pheasant shooting booked. Mark Woodbridge (ish) Suffolk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highlander Posted October 26, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2005 Just for interest sake I thought I’d keep an eye on the beet field today and see what goes on. Conditions are; The field is about 40-50 acres bounded on one side by a busy road, by other fields (meadows) on two sides and the farm buildings on the forth. Boundaries are low scrubby hedges against ditches with one or two largish oaks. In general the immediate area is fairly open. Weather started off grey, looked like it was about to rain. Windy but not the gale we had yesterday. By 0930 the sun is out and although the skies are cloudy it’s only high stratus with open blue. Some birds started dropping into the field around 0800, not many and in ones and twos only. By 0930 there’s about 50 birds scattered around the margins only. All fully feathered adult birds in top form, plump and showing all the colours. There’s not a single young bird among them. They are walking around more than feeding, just occasionally pecking at stuff, unfortunately I can’t see what. Pheasants and partridges are wandering all over the field but the pigeons are in the main confined to the edges. No rooks, crows or seagulls like yesterday but lets see what the rest of the day brings. Nearly midday and there’s not many pigeons on the field, the rooks (large number) and seagulls have turned up and the pheasants and partridges are still around and there’s one or two ‘blueys’ plus some of our chickens but the woodies are just coming and going in singles and small numbers. No real flight line, they’re coming from all directions. The wind has died to just a breeze. Cloudier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highlander Posted October 26, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2005 It's now just after 1400 and pigeons are dropping into the field constantly in ones , twos and threes. There are two distinct flight lines although there's movement all over the field. Birds are flighting in from some way off below the tree line and coming in at hedge top height (4'-5') Even the b***** rabbits are out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highlander Posted October 26, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2005 After 1530 now and the birds are into the field in dozens. Light wind so they’re just lazily flopping in over the hedges and dropping amongst one or other of the groups around the field. All waddling across the field feeding as they go. Picked a spot to set up a hide…if only, eat your heart out…where they’d be crossing the hedge at low level but at a decent speed making for some nice shooting. Wonder how long they’d keep coming if I were out there with a gun? Must be 2-3 dozen birds in the air with many more on the ground. All the birds, the pheasants, the partridges and the pigeons are looking magnificent, fully feathered and coloured up they’re positively triumphant in the low autumn sun. One cock must think it’s the banging season (and I don’t mean shooting) as he’s chasing a hen around the orchard. By G** this is a place to be; even stuck here working. A pigeon flight line what a wonderful sight, the stuff dreams are made of. Hey ho must get on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorfolkBoy Posted October 26, 2005 Report Share Posted October 26, 2005 "All the birds, the pheasants, the partridges and the pigeons are looking magnificent, fully feathered and coloured up they’re positively triumphant in the low autumn sun" Thankyou for that nice bit of narrative Highlander...... Sounds like a great view from your office window.....compared to mine.... three gas stations, two banks and a BMW dealership....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mossy835 Posted October 26, 2005 Report Share Posted October 26, 2005 some get all the luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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