Farmboy91 Posted August 29, 2020 Report Share Posted August 29, 2020 Don't think there'll be Mallard here on the 1st.... 1 of two ponds on my biggest perm, watched a few Canada's and Mallard come on and off it over the last year, the other pond is about twice the size of this one but they seem to prefer the smaller one. Never seen it completely dry before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmboy91 Posted August 29, 2020 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2020 Also happened across these two fella's, found the first one on a cut wheat field, thought maybe he'd been caught out by the combine but the bottom one was in a small patch of hidden tree's. Thinking back I've only seen two weasels in my life, the last one being about a month ago disappearing into hedgerow, wasn't expecting to find two dead in one day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackbird Posted August 29, 2020 Report Share Posted August 29, 2020 What part of this island are you located we are constantly under water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmboy91 Posted August 29, 2020 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2020 14 minutes ago, blackbird said: What part of this island are you located we are constantly under water. 😂 It's puzzled me too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jall25 Posted August 30, 2020 Report Share Posted August 30, 2020 WOW We have had it dry earlier in the year but this last week had enough to fill an ocean ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decoy1979 Posted August 30, 2020 Report Share Posted August 30, 2020 Looks like it would have been a good opportunity to have pulled the silt out of the bottom of that pond. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmboy91 Posted August 30, 2020 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2020 9 minutes ago, decoy1979 said: Looks like it would have been a good opportunity to have pulled the silt out of the bottom of that pond. You wouldn't be able to get any equipment down to it, both ponds have well established trees around the entire perimeter. If I owned the ground I'd put some real effort into trying to make it a decent flight pond. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decoy1979 Posted August 30, 2020 Report Share Posted August 30, 2020 Fair enough, it's tricky when you can see the potential but the land isn't yours to do with as you wish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmboy91 Posted August 30, 2020 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2020 42 minutes ago, decoy1979 said: Fair enough, it's tricky when you can see the potential but the land isn't yours to do with as you wish. Trust me, I've made many a plan over a coffee thinking about what id like to do with those ponds 😂 the bloke who owns it is a relative of a dead friend of the family, think it's something I could approach him about in the future. Hopefully as the weather changes it will fill again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mossy835 Posted August 30, 2020 Report Share Posted August 30, 2020 on one of my perms, i have a pond like that, all ways dry this time of year.just been up there and cut trees down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
London Best Posted August 31, 2020 Report Share Posted August 31, 2020 I have always found that ponds surrounded by trees do well for duck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmboy91 Posted August 31, 2020 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2020 4 hours ago, London Best said: I have always found that ponds surrounded by trees do well for duck. Neither pond harbours a massive amount of duck or geese but they do visit and they do seem to prefer the smaller one which is surrounded completely. The larger one of the two still has cover, and would be the far better/easier one to shoot but that's never the way it goes is it. Maybe next year when shooting over it is a more realistic option I might try feeding it up a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalkedUp Posted August 31, 2020 Report Share Posted August 31, 2020 Flighting a pond better later in the season. Get out on the foreshore for early ducks. The marl pits and little ponds near me are all full from the rain, will be good in a month or two. Do you feed the ponds? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmboy91 Posted August 31, 2020 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2020 9 minutes ago, WalkedUp said: Flighting a pond better later in the season. Get out on the foreshore for early ducks. The marl pits and little ponds near me are all full from the rain, will be good in a month or two. Do you feed the ponds? I'll keep an eye on it throughout the rest of the year into next to see if anything uses it, just seems strange that even after the dry years we've had in the past it's never been empty. Wouldn't mind a trip to the foreshore at some point, will have to see if any of the club's have a taster day for next season maybe. And no, never fed or shot it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalkedUp Posted August 31, 2020 Report Share Posted August 31, 2020 Where in the country are you based? BASC organise some day tickets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmboy91 Posted August 31, 2020 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2020 (edited) Suffolk, I did see something about a BASC's one somewhere else but think you had to be a member? Edited August 31, 2020 by Farmboy91 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted August 31, 2020 Report Share Posted August 31, 2020 We have had very little prolonged rain throughout the summer, it will take a lot of steady rain to fill that pond, if it does come good for next year start feeding barley in August. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmboy91 Posted August 31, 2020 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2020 1 minute ago, old'un said: We have had very little prolonged rain throughout the summer, it will take a lot of steady rain to fill that pond, if it does come good for next year start feeding barley in August. I'll bear that in mind, cheers 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
London Best Posted August 31, 2020 Report Share Posted August 31, 2020 What old’un said. It looks a useful pond to me, but you will shoot very little if not fed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmboy91 Posted August 31, 2020 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2020 As there's no water on it it might well push them on the the bigger one, no harm in getting a couple bags of barley in, in the future and having a go. Be nice to have a couple here and there throughout the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NatureBoy Posted August 31, 2020 Report Share Posted August 31, 2020 33 minutes ago, Farmboy91 said: I'll keep an eye on it throughout the rest of the year into next to see if anything uses it, just seems strange that even after the dry years we've had in the past it's never been empty. Wouldn't mind a trip to the foreshore at some point, will have to see if any of the club's have a taster day for next season maybe. And no, never fed or shot it. Have they dug out any nearby ditches/drainage recently? Water running away from pond /water table lowered? Same happened to farm pond my way after change of hands and over enthusiastic farmer. Took a while to work it out. NB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted August 31, 2020 Report Share Posted August 31, 2020 If you can source some from the local green grocers a big draw for ducks is bananas (skins on), pears and old spuds, better if they are a bit rotten, also get your garden rake out and collect the acorns, ducks love them. We have a few small ponds like yours and you will be surprised just how many ducks you can pull to them once they find the food. As London Best said you will see very little if there's no food for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmboy91 Posted August 31, 2020 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2020 2 minutes ago, NatureBoy said: Have they dug out any nearby ditches/drainage recently? Water running away from pond /water table lowered? Same happened to farm pond my way after change of hands and over enthusiastic farmer. Took a while to work it out. NB No not on this farm, these are man made but haven't been tended too in a long time, as far as I know they've not been shot before either. 3 minutes ago, old'un said: If you can source some from the local green grocers a big draw for ducks is bananas (skins on), pears and old spuds, better if they are a bit rotten, also get your garden rake out and collect the acorns, ducks love them. We have a few small ponds like yours and you will be surprised just how many ducks you can pull to them once they find the food. As London Best said you will see very little if there's no food for them. I had read on here about banana's being a good draw for them, do old acorn's work aswell? Thinking about gathering up what's about this year and saving them for next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted August 31, 2020 Report Share Posted August 31, 2020 Never done it myself but the acorns should keep ok, store them in hessian sacks and in the dry. Yep, ducks go bananas for bananas (skins on). If the bigger pond has water in it I would put a couple of bags of barley in the shallows (around 6 inches deep) you don't need to be there to see if they are coming into your pond, just look at where you put the barley, you will soon know if ducks are feeding on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmboy91 Posted August 31, 2020 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2020 46 minutes ago, old'un said: Never done it myself but the acorns should keep ok, store them in hessian sacks and in the dry. Yep, ducks go bananas for bananas (skins on). If the bigger pond has water in it I would put a couple of bags of barley in the shallows (around 6 inches deep) you don't need to be there to see if they are coming into your pond, just look at where you put the barley, you will soon know if ducks are feeding on it. I'll try gather some up, I suppose it would be worth dropping a few down this year even if I'm not going to shoot it just to see if they go after them. I've been reading a bit about wildfowling and flight ponds here and there and I'm itching to try it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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