Do you think bird numbers are down compared to last year

[Cookiemonsterandmerlin.]

Not going down the old show some compassion thread but do you think bird number are down after the cold winter.

 

In my diary I am nearly 700 birds down on first 4 months of the year compared to last year.

 

Now I new to pigeon watch but I am sad and went thought last years reports on here and a rough guide was there was just short of 600 birds shot between 1st april 2009 and the end of april.

 

Now this year over 600 was reported and if you remove my reports and bags it was only 350ish .

 

I know new members float in and out of posting but some of the regulars that posted bags last year have not reported such good bags this spring and the drilling reports have been really poor.

 

Whats your thoughts mine is in oxfordshire and surrounding areas we have less birds fact .

 

Kind regards OTH

[motty]

I can't see any difference in the number of pigeons around- i have seen huge flocks after all the snow. By the way, i have well over 200 to add to the total in april, but so many people cock the totals up i haven't bothered.

[proTOM1]

I would say there about the same as last year round me with good amonts about but as we all no april is 1 of the harder months as alot are pairing up and in the woods on the tree buds or tall rape which is my problem at the moment .

Same as motty would add to the pigeon count but so many people have not tallyed up its a mess so i have not put mine down .

 

So for me i would say no there not down really but will know more in the coming months

[Cranfield]

I don't think pigeon numbers are down in my area, in fact I think there are more about than last year.

They are so spoiled for food choices now for most of the year, it is harder to get them concentrated in small areas.

They are also more obvious in "no go areas" than they were in the past, a park 5 miles from me had about 250-300 birds feeding on clover the other day when I drove past.

[Guest beechris]

They are also more obvious in "no go areas"

 

Ive noticed this also, they seem to know that we cant shoot in certain area

[anser2]

There were a lot fewer in the first 3 months of the year , but numbers have picked up in the last month , but still a little down on average. However the frost in late winter badly effected the rape giving it a purple apearance and few pigeons fed on it until well after it had its first top dressing. Once it greened up then they styarted to hit it.

 

 

I also noted on two occasions very large numbers of pigeons migrating westwards in late March. On one occasion I was decoying a stubble field after spending 2 blank days covering 7.000 acres of my shooting and a good few more I could not shoot on when 6,000 + pigeong passed overhead with some decoying , but the majority kept going. The following day only the local flock of about 100 birds was seen after again covering a huge area looking for pigeons. A similar event happend a few weeks before a few miles away involving a couple of thousand birds and again those birds were going places and not seen again the day after.

Edited April 30, 2010 by anser2

[bobby dazzler]

lot more about in my neck of the woods

[yickdaz]

on one farm last year we took over 600 from drillings in march and stubble in july aug sept. this year same farm 3 on drilled wheat. but on the other hand different farm always has rape on 1 or 2 fields alternating and in winter for last 9 years you struggle to make a bag. but this year shot around 300 from about 8 shoots. also shot more this month on drill and short rape than i did in feb and march. so all i can say numbers do appear to be down some areas but up in others. and we shoot land 20 miles apart in some cases. so still up for debate.

[hamster123]

i ve had plenty high birds passing me in big numbers but not realy interested i think its a case of to much choice of foods available

[cocker3]

there are far more bird round here then last year but since the big flocks started to break up.they have just melted into the woods and not seeing many only small pockets here and there

[M ROBSON]

On a whole I would say the numbers were slightly up in my area.

 

Some very big localised flocks of pigeons in early spring, spreading out once the drillings came. We had a large number in one area where I estimated 4000+ came past us in 1 day, it's hard to tell exactly when dealing with such large numbers of birds. We shot over 1000 birds from one area in 6 visits spread out through the spring.

 

Cheers,

Mark.

[henry d]

On a whole I would say the numbers were slightly up in my area.

 

Me too !

[CZ550Kevlar]

Ive noticed this also, they seem to know that we cant shoot in certain area

 

 

I`m going to leave the pigeon decoys and floaters at home and try starting decoying with a swing and a slide in the middle of a field.

[Jim Sarakun]

Here in Cambridge, the numbers appear high still, though the bags are definitely down.

 

I don't know if there are more shooters out there on adjoining land and therefore the birds are shot at more, but I do know they are very difficult to decoy of late.