Mega birds on a OSR

[Cookiemonsterandmerlin.]

Today I dropped some logs off to a customer and on returning passed a some OSR poking though the snow we have very little in our area.

 

There is three fields and I have never seen so many birds on such a small area and birds where dropping in the hundreds ever minute.

 

I would guess nearly 10000 birds amazing site I think they must be moving from berksire and surrounding counties .

 

And it was nearly 1545hrs so must off been roosting close by .

 

Cheers OTH

[Rasher]

They are getting desperate for anything that shows. The only problem is they will soon be loosing condition.

[bramble]

the birds i shot on sunday had nothing atall in there crops i think they are starving at the momment and will decoy easy

[proTOM1]

Yep thousands hitting the rape hard now but most on the big estate which unless im told to have ago which is unlikely i will have to wait till feb , got plenty to go at tho when i will be allowed out is another thing all together

Still got a few clients so they can fill there boots

[Ferret Master]

got 4-5 inches here and all my rape is covered!

 

FM

[kyska]

got 4-5 inches here and all my rape is covered!

 

FM

 

That makes you sound like a prolific sex offender.

[TJ91]

no snow here, pigeons are spread out still with plenty of options

[mossy835]

all my rape is covered

[Ferret Master]

That makes you sound like a prolific sex offender.

Try sitting in the school common room and having a phone conversation along the lines of 'You say the birds are loving the rape but being difficult to lure in close? Yeh, I've got a semi and some heavy loads to fire, I'll bring that!'

 

FM

[wattsowatts]

Hi "Over the Hill",

I was wondering if these fields were near Warminster as I see your location is Wiltshire. This morning on fields both on the Bath side and Salisbury side of the town there were hundreds on OSR. I wanted to stop to watch, but wasn't allowed by 'her that must be obeyed'!!!!!!

[Cookiemonsterandmerlin.]

Hi "Over the Hill",

I was wondering if these fields were near Warminster as I see your location is Wiltshire. This morning on fields both on the Bath side and Salisbury side of the town there were hundreds on OSR. I wanted to stop to watch, but wasn't allowed by 'her that must be obeyed'!!!!!!

 

No there on one of my permissions just over the glouscester border near leachlade.

 

Cheers OTH

[Fisherman Mike]

No there on one of my permissions just over the glouscester border near leachlade.

 

Cheers OTH

 

I know just where you mean..... There has always been a lot of Pigeons in the Lechlade, Highworth, Faringdon triangle.

 

I shot a feild near Highworth in 87 with three freinds, it was one of the few rape fields about and we all shot over 200 birds each in 1 1/2 days and didnt even put a small dent in the numbers.... Only 2 dozen shell decoys, no magnets or flappers or wands or any of the modern gismos, just cold weather, rape sprouting through snow and 1000,s of pigeons desperate to feed. The strange thing was although there were thousands of birds about and sometimes 50 + in the air within shootable distance it was far from easy shooting, particularly choosing which crossing bird to point at.

 

I dont know how many birds were flocked up that particular year but since then ive done quite a lot of flock census work for the BTO and have learned to estimate reasonably accurately how many birds in a flock to the nearest couple of hundred...

I would suggest 8 to 12000 but my friend still reckons there were more like 15,000 + birds hitting that one 20 acre rape feild for nearly two weeks. The amazing thing was although they actually mowed it down to an inch or less in many areas the Farmer still rekons it was one of the best yeilds hes ever had from a rape field....is that amazing or what, almost suggest that the birds did it a bit of good by removing the frost bitten leaves and leaving the stronger heart

We were only talking about the "Halcyon" days of pigeon shooting the other evening and that weekend in particular and each of us agreed that we wouldnt see pigeon shooting like that again in our lifetimes, particularly with the sheer volume of rape being grown in all areas now.

[yickdaz]

yep seeing 1000s meself now on various rape fields 500 on a field 200 another 700 another so on so on..

i don;t shoot most the fields i am seeing them on some are shot by syndicates and some guys have payed the farmer to shoot a certain field but funny you don;t see anyone shooting these fields when they are plastered with birds;and i pass by them daily..anyhow good to see so many pigeons about..