Jump to content

Disappearing Corvids


Recommended Posts

Last week we were requested via a text to shoot a small five acre field  of barley as it was being ravaged by pigeons and corvids. The instructions requested that the corvids be left on the field to deter others. We left the field with approx fifty corvids scattered and processed the pigeons.

The farmer phoned on Tuesday and asked us why we did not leave the corvids on the field as it was devoid of any birds and feathers??

We shot it again on Sunday and this time left seventy birds on the field, had a call today not a bird on the field ??

I can understand a fox or badgers removing a few but not all.

Im just concerned that a local cat or dog has presented there owner with one hundred and twenty " presents" at  there back door!!

 

Any Ideas.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I actually find foxes will rarely take corvids and if they did there'd likely still be a fair bit of evidence in my experience. round my area there are so many red kites and buzzards (I am talking 100+ circling the mower when they silage) and they seem to love the crows they will eat enough where it is until they can pick it up then take the rest off to favourite trees where they eventually let the wings fall to the floor once they've demolished them and they will clear up 50/70 crows in no time at all! so if you have many of them your way could well be those.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting. I would have said foxes and or badgers. We’ve never been asked to leave them on the field, but are often asked to leave a few hanging upside down on the barbed wire fence or hedge.....corvids do not like this at all and will shy away. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, pigeon controller said:

No totally clean field, that's why I reported it , normally some trace of the birds left??

DB did suggest the local Currie house, bad lad!!

hello, ok so in just a few day 50 dead corvids disappear leaving no trace,  raptors ? badger ? fox ?   very intriguing

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, KillStone said:

I actually find foxes will rarely take corvids and if they did there'd likely still be a fair bit of evidence in my experience. round my area there are so many red kites and buzzards (I am talking 100+ circling the mower when they silage) and they seem to love the crows they will eat enough where it is until they can pick it up then take the rest off to favourite trees where they eventually let the wings fall to the floor once they've demolished them and they will clear up 50/70 crows in no time at all! so if you have many of them your way could well be those.

I always leave corvids in a hedge bottom and find they never get touched by foxes , always just rot down naturally. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is it an age thing? Are you sure you went back to the same field?😀

 

Seriously though, that is a large quantity of birds to just disappear. Even if fox etc had taken them I am sure there would be some trace, feathers in hedge or under a fence that the animal had passed through. My guess would be human interference of some sort.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

24 minutes ago, Clodhopper said:

Is it an age thing? Are you sure you went back to the same field?😀

 

Seriously though, that is a large quantity of birds to just disappear. Even if fox etc had taken them I am sure there would be some trace, feathers in hedge or under a fence that the animal had passed through. My guess would be human interference of some sort.

We did think it could be a local , but for what purpose.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 minutes ago, pigeon controller said:

We did think it could be a local , but for what purpose.

Just a random thought is there a chance some local do gooder saw a load of dead birds in a field and collected them for some kind of investigation into how they died? That huge flocks of starlings found dead recently might have buoyed someone to investigate having not realised cause of death was deliberate human activity?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, pigeon controller said:

No totally clean field, that's why I reported it , normally some trace of the birds left??

DB did suggest the local Currie house, bad lad!!

THAT may just not be as batty as it sounds though   ??

5 hours ago, The Mighty Prawn said:

Just a random thought is there a chance some local do gooder saw a load of dead birds in a field and collected them for some kind of investigation into how they died? That huge flocks of starlings found dead recently might have buoyed someone to investigate having not realised cause of death was deliberate human activity?

Perhaps they are making a new Harry Potter film and needed extras  ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...