blasterjudd Posted September 23, 2011 Report Share Posted September 23, 2011 There seems a serious shortage of woodies in North Essex. Am I the only one to be concerned? Anyone else noticed a lack in numbers? Interested to hear your views fellas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bakerboy Posted September 23, 2011 Report Share Posted September 23, 2011 Doesn't seem to a lot anywhere at the moment. I have not seen a big flock for a while now, I see more in towns in reasonable numbers than out in the field. Herts/Beds Borders Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catamong Posted September 23, 2011 Report Share Posted September 23, 2011 Doesn't seem to a lot anywhere at the moment. I have not seen a big flock for a while now, I see more in towns in reasonable numbers than out in the field. Herts/Beds Borders Yeah, I'll second that, there certainly aren't as many birds about as in previous years... Cat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stubby Posted September 23, 2011 Report Share Posted September 23, 2011 not many in grays either, went out last week, only saw two (which I shot) but lots of large flocks of ferals everywhere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxie Posted September 24, 2011 Report Share Posted September 24, 2011 There`ll all in Kent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deny essex Posted September 24, 2011 Report Share Posted September 24, 2011 Quiet on most of my permissions around the chelmsford area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted September 24, 2011 Report Share Posted September 24, 2011 A bumper crop of acorns this year means that large numbers of birds could be in the woods and there still seem to be a lot in breeding pairs. We have pigeons sitting on eggs on two nests in our garden at the moment. Once we get a few cold snaps they will start to flock up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Mike Posted September 24, 2011 Report Share Posted September 24, 2011 A bumper crop of acorns this year means that large numbers of birds could be in the woods and there still seem to be a lot still in breeding pairs. We have pigeons sitting on eggs on two nests in our garden at the moment. Once we get a few cold snaps they will start to flock up. True enough...but generally milder winters over the last 30 - 40 years, crop grown food stuffs available 24/7/365 means the birds now breed all year round and dont need to flock up to go foraging on mass as they do in hard cold winters. Theres still millions of pigeons in GB but the really dense concentrations of birds in open arable land are a thing of the past. If you want to see lots of woodpigeon these days vist your local municipal park or playing field early morning or put some peanuts on the bird table. I guarantee WP will be one of the first birds to come calling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Essex Hunter Posted September 24, 2011 Report Share Posted September 24, 2011 A bumper crop of acorns this year means that large numbers of birds could be in the woods and there still seem to be a lot in breeding pairs. We have pigeons sitting on eggs on two nests in our garden at the moment. Once we get a few cold snaps they will start to flock up. The landscape has changed since the 70’s so has the food source, I looked at a 77 acre field with a 65 acre one next to it. Both have been drilled with wheat and only a short track to get your kit on to the field. Where to start? To echo what Cranfield said, there were lots of birds as I pulled on the farm just feeding around the oak trees. The set-aside is a good thing but only serves to reduce the area to shoot. What would be nice if the farms could work out a system for their shooters…. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blasterjudd Posted September 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2011 Well found a few yesterday starting to get on the rape, shot about 30 !!!! Things are looking up a bit, I hope? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted September 25, 2011 Report Share Posted September 25, 2011 True enough...but generally milder winters over the last 30 - 40 years, crop grown food stuffs available 24/7/365 means the birds now breed all year round and dont need to flock up to go foraging on mass as they do in hard cold winters. Theres still millions of pigeons in GB but the really dense concentrations of birds in open arable land are a thing of the past. If you want to see lots of woodpigeon these days vist your local municipal park or playing field early morning or put some peanuts on the bird table. I guarantee WP will be one of the first birds to come calling Shooting on a barley stubble close to home on weds, there were some massive flocks around. I disagree with your comment about dense concentrations on arable ground. I agree there are a lot of pigeons in parks etc, but i have not seen any shortage of birds in the Norfolk/Cambridgeshire area that i shoot. Getting on terms with them is another matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gottsy boy Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 They seem to have vanished around me in saxlinham-norwich had a load about early sep so i took a day of to go decoying and could i find a blooody wood pigeon.. early mornings on the acorns seems a good bet here but there are soo many acorns about they seem to fly off one spot over to the next crop of trees.. havent seen any on the rape yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yickdaz Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 (edited) i find that one year on a particular farm we shoot, produces some 600 plus birds then year after probably 250 or so, same pattern on another farm 800 one year then 150 next. one place is regular as clock work 600 plus every year without fail for last 10 years. just an example how unpredictable they are from one year to the next, and to what fish mike says about not seeing huge flocks on arable land, i have seen 1000 plus flocks through the summer months let alone winter. Edited September 28, 2011 by yickdaz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwb Posted September 29, 2011 Report Share Posted September 29, 2011 nothing much around south oxfordshire this year or last not on our permissions anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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