caeser Posted February 22, 2014 Report Share Posted February 22, 2014 I was out decoying yesterday over rape, I had shot a few and put them into the decoy pattern and around about lunchtime, when things had gone a bit too quiet, I decided to take a walk through some woods, to see if I could bag a squirrel or two. I was gone for, maybe an hour at the most, and on my return I noticed a few loose feathers around one of the pigeons that I had shot earlier. I went to have a closer look. Now this particular bird had dropped only about 5 yards from my hide in front of me, and all I had done was , run out and prop it up where it was as a decoy. When I got to it, I was surprised to see it's head had gone. Something had feasted on it's head in the short period that I was away. I think that the top half of it's skull was still there. No skin on it or anything. You can just see it in the picture. Now what did that ? I'm was thinking, weasel, stoat, rat ? There was also a sparrow hawk hanging around for a lot of the day. I also took a picture of the rainbow. Looked great in reality, but the picture looks a lot less special, almost boring, sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentalmac Posted February 22, 2014 Report Share Posted February 22, 2014 Sure your not a secret ozzy osbourne tribute act? Haha :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bongaanie Posted February 22, 2014 Report Share Posted February 22, 2014 ok ill own up it was me sorry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deny essex Posted February 22, 2014 Report Share Posted February 22, 2014 Hawk, had seen it several times on a farm I shot, so I always left one behind for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodfordpigeon Posted February 22, 2014 Report Share Posted February 22, 2014 Henry 8th he is well known for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aga man Posted February 22, 2014 Report Share Posted February 22, 2014 tricky one that, i would of thought a sparrohawk would of made more mess with feathers etc. Is there any buzzards in the area? failing that i woul say stoat/weasel. fair bit of slug damage on that rape too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleeh Posted February 23, 2014 Report Share Posted February 23, 2014 Stoats love chomping the heads of things, so I'd go for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Mike Posted February 23, 2014 Report Share Posted February 23, 2014 A BOP would have carried it off to a plucking post and the head wouldn't have been eaten. The flesh would have been stripped from the breast first. A Stoat would probably have moved the carcass also, whereas a weasel would struggle with an adult pigeon and they normally eat larger carrion insitu so my best guess would be weasel. Is your hide set in front of an oak canopy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalconFN Posted February 23, 2014 Report Share Posted February 23, 2014 A BOP would have carried it off to a plucking post and the head wouldn't have been eaten. The flesh would have been stripped from the breast first. A Stoat would probably have moved the carcass also, whereas a weasel would struggle with an adult pigeon and they normally eat larger carrion insitu so my best guess would be weasel. Is your hide set in front of an oak canopy My first though was stoat or weasel. I like your reasoning so on balance I thick a weasel is most likely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha Mule Posted February 23, 2014 Report Share Posted February 23, 2014 It was The Beast of Bury!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted February 23, 2014 Report Share Posted February 23, 2014 I have seen rats eat the tops of the skulls of pigeons before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rim Fire Posted February 23, 2014 Report Share Posted February 23, 2014 If your decoying the first thing dropping into your pattern you would have seen so BOP not likely i guess it must have been a ground predator as said Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNAP SHOT Posted February 23, 2014 Report Share Posted February 23, 2014 Thats been a sparrowhawk and the reason for lack of feathers is it has been disturbed before it has begun to feed properly. Often on bigger birds like pigeons and partridges the sparrowhawk removes the head and begins to eat from the back rather than the breast like usual. This is because they struggle to move the bird after take down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aister Posted February 23, 2014 Report Share Posted February 23, 2014 I had a hooded crow do that to a mallard. I had hung the mallard on a fence meaning to pick it up on the way back to the car as I had forgotten my bag, when I got back I saw a crow get up from where I had left it. I was expecting the crow to have destroyed it but it was just the head gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misser Posted February 23, 2014 Report Share Posted February 23, 2014 ground predator.... possibly stoat....atb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul223 Posted February 24, 2014 Report Share Posted February 24, 2014 Thats been a sparrowhawk and the reason for lack of feathers is it has been disturbed before it has begun to feed properly. Often on bigger birds like pigeons and partridges the sparrowhawk removes the head and begins to eat from the back rather than the breast like usual. This is because they struggle to move the bird after take down. My thoughts too, seen the same in pheasant pens with young poults Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TACTICAL SNIPER Posted February 24, 2014 Report Share Posted February 24, 2014 I WOULD AGGREE WITH BUZZARD OR SPARROWHAWK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kippylawkid Posted February 24, 2014 Report Share Posted February 24, 2014 Sparrowhawk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maddaftspaniel Posted February 27, 2014 Report Share Posted February 27, 2014 Sparrowhawk. I had one did that to a live pheasant poult. It clung on to its head and stripped it while the poult was still alive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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