thousand's of pigeons hit devon

[bevs]

 

Of course you're dead right, I'm still learning, but not only that, the feeding habits of the pigeons have changed noticeably during the period that I've ben shooting them, take a crop of peas for instance, 30 years ago they were an absolute magnet for pigeons from the day they were drilled until after they were combined, nowadays the birds simply ignore them, in my area at least.

 

Anyway, I digress, this thread started on the topic of thousands of foreign migratory birds arriving in the UK, I personally have never seen any evidence of that.

 

I don't dispute for one minute that there are large movements of birds through France and down into Spain, I just don't subscribe to the theory that we get vast numbers of foreign birds over-wintering here.

 

Cat.

NO thousand's of pigeons hit devon

[Catamong]

So the Devon boys must be getting bumper bags then, a pity none have come this way..?

 

Cat

[karpman]

 

Of course you're dead right, I'm still learning, but not only that, the feeding habits of the pigeons have changed noticeably during the period that I've ben shooting them, take a crop of peas for instance, 30 years ago they were an absolute magnet for pigeons from the day they were drilled until after they were combined, nowadays the birds simply ignore them, in my area at least.

 

Anyway, I digress, this thread started on the topic of thousands of foreign migratory birds arriving in the UK, I personally have never seen any evidence of that.

 

I don't dispute for one minute that there are large movements of birds through France and down into Spain, I just don't subscribe to the theory that we get vast numbers of foreign birds over-wintering here.

 

Cat.

According to the BTO Scotland is one of the least populated areas of the uk, and there's evidence of at least 200,000 birds moving south from there over the last few days. Can't leave very many for the Scottish shooters amongst us then lol.

 

Karpman

[Green oak]

I think a point is being missed here called the jet stream last year most of the weather was on a northerly wind eg Scandinavia this year mostly westerly winds eg Atlantic If is was a migrating pigeon I think I would rather fly tailwind than head wind.

[goober]

This report of 200,000 birds from Scotland is it recent?i suspect this is a late report as by now the pigeon should be almost gone,though of course I could be wrong.

Catamong,you mention birds overwintering here but they don't stay they move on to France.I did try to find map of flight lines in an article I read,if I find it I'll post on here.

A couple of weeks ago we had reports of unusual flocks about,if my theory is correct well be back to seeing just the local flocks again.

One thing I'm not sure...do the birds in Ireland that have crossed from Scotland stay in Ireland in numbers or do they also move on?

[jimdfish]

As per my thread on the 26th of October we are seeing ever greater flocks just seemingly doing one. Perhaps 4000 in an hour. Always early morning the don't see any all day

[Penelope]

Why not, some Bar Tailed Godwits from Alaska travel non stop to New Zealand, the longest non stop migration of any bird, yet there are hundreds of suitable places for them to winter down the western seaboard of the continental USA.

 

It would be nice to have some proven evidence of this supposed migration of pigeons overflying us from Scandinavian countries.I just do not believe that pigeons fly hundreds of miles over the north sea to pass over the UK on the way to the south of France and beyond.At the moment it just seems to be based on conjecture of what people want to believe.

[Penelope]

That's the very ting, they appear not to over winter here but travel through as passage migrants.

 

 

Of course you're dead right, I'm still learning, but not only that, the feeding habits of the pigeons have changed noticeably during the period that I've ben shooting them, take a crop of peas for instance, 30 years ago they were an absolute magnet for pigeons from the day they were drilled until after they were combined, nowadays the birds simply ignore them, in my area at least.

 

Anyway, I digress, this thread started on the topic of thousands of foreign migratory birds arriving in the UK, I personally have never seen any evidence of that.

 

I don't dispute for one minute that there are large movements of birds through France and down into Spain, I just don't subscribe to the theory that we get vast numbers of foreign birds over-wintering here.

 

Cat.

[pigeonblasterian]

Why not, some Bar Tailed Godwits from Alaska travel non stop to New Zealand, the longest non stop migration of any bird, yet there are hundreds of suitable places for them to winter down the western seaboard of the continental USA.

 

But they are not wood pigeons and unless i am mistaken that it what the subject is about.

 

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=270380

[Penelope]

[Chad63]

It's not uncommon to see large flocks of pigeon flying high (and when I say high I mean High) over Devon this time of year but they are usually heading west not south. It was always my belief, and I certainly aint no expert, that they were passing through migrating from Northern France to Ireland. I have to say though I have seen some large flocks feeding in this area (again Exeter area) this week.

[turbo33]

That's the very ting, they appear not to over winter here but travel through as passage migrants.

 

 

You're wasting your time Penelope, both Cat and Pigeonblasterian have a major earwax problem and their sight isn't up to much either

[karpman]

Some of out pigeons end up in France, and other country's. This is proven by rings being collected.

 

So it's not unreasonable to assume that some pigeons from over there would end up over here.

 

Seems not many folks are particularly interested in ringing pigeons and certainly in no great number. The more ringed the better and more accurate the results would be.

 

Karpman

[Chad63]

Taking from a birders blog, these sightings were made at Dawlish Warren NNR at the mouth of the Exe Estuary.

 

 

 

Wednesday 13th November

Clear skies and still conditions meant the first frost of the autumn and the hope of more visible migration. Pigeons began moving before 8am and in the next 90 minutes 3565 Wood Pigeon and at least 46 Stock Dove headed high west, also overhead single Lapland Bunting and a Yellowhammer, both of which circled Greenland Lake before continuing west.

[pigeonblasterian]

 

You're wasting your time Penelope, both Cat and Pigeonblasterian have a major earwax problem and their sight isn't up to much either

You missed out gullible.

[turbo33]

You missed out gullible.

 

If the cap fits