marsh man Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 Hi guys Hope you had or are having a good season ,did you find the number of Pintail had increased ,decreased ,or about the same in your area ,when I put a post on here about Bird Count On Breydon Water the R S P B warden counted over 15,000 Widgeon but only just over 100 Pintail .looking back in my diarys they were never that common but nearly always managed to get a few most years The best morning f light I had in the seventies was 13 all Pintail ,now I douht I have had 13 in the last 20 years, it would be a sad day if they were getting low in numbers as I now get as much enjoyment watching them as I do shooting them so what do you guys think , Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FatFreddysCat Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 About the same down here. I see a few every year but rarely get a shot. I used to see more in the 80s and 90s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoggysreels Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 Think as you have suggested ... watching till the numbers recover might be the most sensible option Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reabrook Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 There have been bigger than usual numbers of pintail here in the west this season with them turning up on marshes I've never known them visit before. I don't think they're in decline at all. Hasn't made it any easier to get under them though!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
take em Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 one windy evening in december on the solway i must have seen two hundred plus flighting along the foreshore in groups of 5-20, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anser2 Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 Nationaly the BTO reports pintail numbers down by 50% in the last 10 years. Looking at a selection of Breydon counts 2010 had peak of 101, 2007- 209, 2003-270, 1996-172 1993-161,1991- 170, 1989-163 and 1988-189. So clearly there has also been a local decline with the most recent counts being the lowest. On my freshmarsh on the North Norfolk numbers apear to be holding steady in the150-200 range over the past 5 years but two thirds are usualy females. I suspect like the wintering mallard short stopping in mainland Europe is the main cause of the low numbers due to global warming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john12 Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 Take em(Adam) do you have to keep bringing that horrific night on the solway up. I am still kicking myself best ever chance at a pintail and still couldn't get one. Well there is always next year!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 Seeing more up here year on year as we are Canada geese and magpies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 Funny year, many are inland on flood water. Shouldn't trust counts this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the pigeon man Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 Seen I few this year a lot less than normal don't Evan rase the gun to them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scolopax Posted February 8, 2014 Report Share Posted February 8, 2014 Never a common duck on the Humber, see them early season passage to the west then a real rarity after October apart from a few on the outer estuary (the sea end). Not shot one locally for a long time but accounted for one in Scotland this year, as always a young cock bird in eclipse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barls2-9-12 Posted February 8, 2014 Report Share Posted February 8, 2014 Seen a fair few in the last few weeks. Hard to tell if there is more or less than normal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted February 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2014 Thanks anser 2 and fellow members ,good of you to tell us your findings ,what I found with Pintail they were less weary to push on to than other fowl with only having a 8 bore on rare occasions we mainly used our 3 inch 12s so we had to get in a lot closer than the punt gunner would have to .It would be interesting to know what House Boat and Mudpatten think as they are both expereance punt gunners and done a lot more punt gunning than I have, also when I wrote about that flight when I got 13 my dog at the time didn't wait to be told to retrieve mind you nor have any the others ive had so that's still the same ,but he was running about backwards and forwards and it didn't make a bit of difference they came in with the dog underneath them at times I shot 2 or 3 that were dropping in to the decoys while the dog was retrieving I don't think other speices of duck would have done the same as they did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted February 8, 2014 Report Share Posted February 8, 2014 I shoot one or two on the marsh pretty much every season. I've only ever shot hens, though. They are always likely to be seen on a good tide, when the sea is a bit rough. Seen I few this year a lot less than normal don't Evan rase the gun to them May I ask why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Mat Posted February 8, 2014 Report Share Posted February 8, 2014 I shoot one or two on the marsh pretty much every season. I've only ever shot hens, though. They are always likely to be seen on a good tide, when the sea is a bit rough. Dale got a drake the other day, up where you've taken me on the marsh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted February 8, 2014 Report Share Posted February 8, 2014 Dale got a drake the other day, up where you've taken me on the marsh Nice. That's where I got my last hen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Mat Posted February 8, 2014 Report Share Posted February 8, 2014 I've only seen a handful of pintail all season, last season i only saw a handful as well. Always flying very high when i've seen them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudpatten Posted February 8, 2014 Report Share Posted February 8, 2014 Very definately a "pintail year" on my part of the south coast. Not that that means lots have been shot, but there are certainly a lot more around this year than in the recent past. As Anser says, they are not in decline, it is simply that their distribution has changed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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