aga man Posted December 29, 2017 Report Share Posted December 29, 2017 There's no doubt pigeons are feeding on rape now but this afternoon whilst walking my dogs {without a gun] I have seen quite a number of pigeons feeding on ivy berries. No wonder pigeons are looking well and any I have shot recently are weighty healthy birds in good knick. Anyway no real point to the post, just an observation. Hope you are all having a good Christmas. Thanks for reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIGHTCHOKE Posted December 29, 2017 Report Share Posted December 29, 2017 Plenty of OSR round here in Cambridgeshire but we have been observing the birds stripping all the ivy berries, looking forward to when they are all gone and hopefully they move back to the rape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted December 29, 2017 Report Share Posted December 29, 2017 Your observations are very similar to my own. I shot a couple a few days ago (my first for nearly 3 months) and they were plump birds packed with rape and berries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr D Posted December 29, 2017 Report Share Posted December 29, 2017 (edited) I have struggled to get birds since end of October. There is serious amount of barley on the fields here and food in the hedges. The birds are in flocks of a few hundred but geographically spread far and wide. Also, no migrant birds (well not in noticeable numbers). I suspect their behaviour has changed, because I've been watching the winter birds coming here reduce year on year for the last decade. Having said that i managed a bag of 40 odd flighting last Saturday. I love big winter flocks. Just the sight of seeing a hundred or so birds committing to the decoys, but it seems those days are probably gone. Climate change i reckon?!?!? Same with the ducks. Edited December 29, 2017 by Dr D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MELLYBOY Posted December 29, 2017 Report Share Posted December 29, 2017 All the birds round here are sat on the sprouts or psb - typical flock,one shot and gone,wind may bring some bags as in terms of numbers but its a struggle at the moment - id say overall bird numbers are pretty high in the area with groups of 50+ dotted all over and more in certain places ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aga man Posted December 29, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2017 (edited) Seems a lot of areas in Lincolnshire have had good numbers for a while now. Excuse my lack of knowledge but what is psb? Some sort of sugar beet? Edited December 29, 2017 by aga man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuddster Posted December 29, 2017 Report Share Posted December 29, 2017 could be purple sprouting broccoli? f Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted December 29, 2017 Report Share Posted December 29, 2017 Just remembered, there are many hundreds of pigeons on the game covers around here. I shall see if I can shoot some of them in February. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aga man Posted December 29, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2017 5 minutes ago, motty said: Just remembered, there are many hundreds of pigeons on the game covers around here. I shall see if I can shoot some of them in February. Would be good to read a report from you and the Eminems. been a while now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clodhopper Posted December 29, 2017 Report Share Posted December 29, 2017 I have not shot any birds recently with Ivy berries in the crop, which surprises me a little as I have seen a number feeding on the Ivy. They mostly have Rape. Some with maize from a stubble that is frustrating me to the point of insanity and a fair few stuffed with wheat which i guess is from the feed rides of the neighbouring shoot. We still have good numbers in the area but pinning them down is a little tricky. All part of the fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MELLYBOY Posted December 29, 2017 Report Share Posted December 29, 2017 Purple sprouting broc -- it is indeed - it allows them to land on and keep of the wet/muddy floor - plenty to go at without to much effort for them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GingerCat Posted December 29, 2017 Report Share Posted December 29, 2017 Lots on rape and stubble round here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AYA117 Posted December 29, 2017 Report Share Posted December 29, 2017 I shot 33 Saturday before Christmas weekend on barley stubble, following Saturday 1 pigeon and 1 rook and hardly a pigeon to be seen.Wednesday flighted in a wood in the evening,6 for 7 shots,all had a mix of acorns and ivy berries.Not seen a bird on the rape yet in the part of Dorset I live in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted December 29, 2017 Report Share Posted December 29, 2017 1 hour ago, MELLYBOY said: Purple sprouting broc -- it is indeed - it allows them to land on and keep of the wet/muddy floor - plenty to go at without to much effort for them? I never subscribed to the theory that pigeons don't like getting their feet wet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MELLYBOY Posted December 29, 2017 Report Share Posted December 29, 2017 Ive never subscribed - full stop. If we all put our idea's together we'd still get it it wrong more than enough - no ones perfect? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AYA117 Posted December 29, 2017 Report Share Posted December 29, 2017 1 hour ago, MELLYBOY said: Purple sprouting broc -- it is indeed - it allows them to land on and keep of the wet/muddy floor - plenty to go at without to much effort for them? Enforcer decoy ? Are they as good as I have heard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MELLYBOY Posted December 29, 2017 Report Share Posted December 29, 2017 Do i like them - yes - but there no better than others - they deffo shine in the sun and when you shoot them they'll have holes in - all said and done youll never beat a real bird ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AYA117 Posted December 29, 2017 Report Share Posted December 29, 2017 Thank you,that saved me some money,I will stick to my flocked shells and Flexicoys in that case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MELLYBOY Posted December 29, 2017 Report Share Posted December 29, 2017 In the right conditions yes there good - but as they say dont believe the hype ? i needed new ones and just decided to give em a go - to keep things simple i suppose you can ask - what dont shine when its wet ? ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yickdaz Posted December 30, 2017 Report Share Posted December 30, 2017 26 minutes ago, MELLYBOY said: In the right conditions yes there good - but as they say dont believe the hype ? i needed new ones and just decided to give em a go - to keep things simple i suppose you can ask - what dont shine when its wet ? ? exactly the reason why I bought some, and they work so no complaints from me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon controller Posted December 30, 2017 Report Share Posted December 30, 2017 On our local canal and rail systems the pigeons are right into the city eating the ivy , this year seems a bumper crop, they will get on the rape eventually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harnser Posted December 30, 2017 Report Share Posted December 30, 2017 22 hours ago, motty said: I never subscribed to the theory that pigeons don't like getting their feet wet. It’s not that they don’t like to get their feet wet ,but more that they don’t like to get their feet clagged up with mud and snow . If their feet are claggy with mud and snow they carnt perch . Like walking with golf balls taped to your feet . harnser Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted December 30, 2017 Report Share Posted December 30, 2017 34 minutes ago, Harnser said: It’s not that they don’t like to get their feet wet ,but more that they don’t like to get their feet clagged up with mud and snow . If their feet are claggy with mud and snow they carnt perch . Like walking with golf balls taped to your feet . harnser I meant to say muddy in my original post. From what I witness pigeons standing in, I do not think that standing in snow or mud worries them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MELLYBOY Posted December 31, 2017 Report Share Posted December 31, 2017 Thats why i wrote wet/muddy - when given options i think they use there common abit - just as we might ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dead eye alan Posted December 31, 2017 Report Share Posted December 31, 2017 11 hours ago, motty said: I meant to say muddy in my original post. From what I witness pigeons standing in, I do not think that standing in snow or mud worries them. That's how i have found it too, I've seen pigeons with great balls of mud on their feet decoying with no trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.