MWildfowler Posted August 8, 2022 Report Share Posted August 8, 2022 I was just wondering with the heat waves and the lack of rain we’ve had down south, how will this effect the wildfowling season? This is only my second season wildfowling so intrigued to see if anyone knows if this will have any make any difference to the start of the season? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nic Posted August 8, 2022 Report Share Posted August 8, 2022 last few years have been warm, doesn't really get to be fowling weather until end Oct. also with it being warmer a lot of birds short stop rather than reaching UK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pushandpull Posted August 9, 2022 Report Share Posted August 9, 2022 The biggest problem could be the impact of avian flu on the birds which breed from Iceland across the high north of Eurasia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nic Posted August 9, 2022 Report Share Posted August 9, 2022 i have been surprised at how little there has been in the national press about this.... due to keeping chickens i get texts and emails re confirmed cases and phone goes off a lot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave at kelton Posted August 9, 2022 Report Share Posted August 9, 2022 Weather first. Here on the Solway warm weather means we don’t see the numbers of geese as they stay north on the stubbles. Avian flu is the greater concern. Conservation bodies aren’t releasing the numbers following the breeding season which crystallises the effect of the winter bout that decimated the barnacle geese here. I fear we will face attempts to restrict or stop fowling in the mistaken belief that it will have any effect on the spread of the disease. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted August 9, 2022 Report Share Posted August 9, 2022 Until the op mentioned the new season is nearly upon us I can honestly say non of the wildfowlers I have recently come across have said a word about the prospects for this years first day which at one time was the day everyone looked forward to . I have just been down the marsh like I do every morning and it is now looking a sight for sore eyes , all the grass is parched and the livestock are finding anything decent to eat , the dykes are low and some have even dried out and we are now entering our second heatwave with health warnings issued out , duck at the moment seem very thin on the ground as all the marshes around our side of the estuary are all now grazing marshes instead of the grain crops that used to draw 100s of Mallard in. You will here shots the first morning from mainly the fed flight ponds that are now let to ( people from overseas ) and one or two of the local diehards who go through force of habit . I now leave it till towards the end of October when the horses are taken off and the first signs of splashes appear , also the bird flu is another worry with 60 % of the Tern population wiped out on the North / Norfolk coast and nobody seem to know how it is affecting the wildfowl population . We will have a season of some sorts , but how good or bad it will be / , only time will tell . GOOD LUCK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aled Posted August 9, 2022 Report Share Posted August 9, 2022 Strangely enough there are lot more ducks on the main river where i go sea trout fishing this year. Is it because many of the smaller ponds may of dried up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poor Shot Posted August 9, 2022 Report Share Posted August 9, 2022 12 minutes ago, Aled said: Strangely enough there are lot more ducks on the main river where i go sea trout fishing this year. Is it because many of the smaller ponds may of dried up? Probably because just above every inland stream and pond has dried up or is at a level that cannot sustain them. I'm in talks with a local farmer about a flight pond for this coming season which currently doesn't have any water in it. The resident ducks have vacated the area probably never to be seen again. Grim 🙃 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aled Posted August 9, 2022 Report Share Posted August 9, 2022 Makes sense Poor Shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWildfowler Posted August 9, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2022 I have a marsh not too far from my home and whenever I go to work I can normally see a lot geese but these last few times I’ve gone into work they’re not there anymore. It does look like the birds have gone to other areas for the time being Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B B Posted August 9, 2022 Report Share Posted August 9, 2022 Like some others here, i fear the Bird flu problem could impact wildfowlng this season perhaps more than the warm weather. Another aspect although have no direct info on, i think could have negative impact on some duck numbers , is the Russian invassion of Ukraine. I dont know for sure, but i think the donbass region is a breeding ground for teal and widgeon. I bought a Skoda Yetti of a Ukranian Ellectrician a few years ago and he was into wildfowling he was from that area from what i remember. Any more Knowledgeably on waterfowl breeding locations could advise on this theory of mine one way or the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry78 Posted August 9, 2022 Report Share Posted August 9, 2022 22 hours ago, MWildfowler said: I was just wondering with the heat waves and the lack of rain we’ve had down south, how will this effect the wildfowling season? This is only my second season wildfowling so intrigued to see if anyone knows if this will have any make any difference to the start of the season? Very good post My take on it is that the last load of years UK been getting warmer all Over,Here in Northern Ireland I stopped going out in September except for the 1st morning as the weather still wasn’t cold enough that’s not to say you wouldn’t get any shooting I always think Start November when it gets frosty in my opinion when the migrants start arriving was always best for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bishop Posted August 10, 2022 Report Share Posted August 10, 2022 On 09/08/2022 at 07:40, nic said: i have been surprised at how little there has been in the national press about this.... due to keeping chickens i get texts and emails re confirmed cases and phone goes off a lot! I reckon the news is always fed to us with an agenda of some sort . Right now the agenda seems to focus the nation on fuel prices. More than likely something else happening around the globe that our elite feel needs downplayed. Bird flu doesnt get most people flustered enough Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poor Shot Posted August 10, 2022 Report Share Posted August 10, 2022 2 hours ago, bishop said: I reckon the news is always fed to us with an agenda of some sort . Right now the agenda seems to focus the nation on fuel prices. More than likely something else happening around the globe that our elite feel needs downplayed. Bird flu doesnt get most people flustered enough Give it a few weeks until gamebird release time and avian flu will be all over the news again from RSPB etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pushandpull Posted August 10, 2022 Report Share Posted August 10, 2022 To be fair, RSPB have put out some very informative press releases, and have deplored the fact that DEFRA seem only interested in commercial flocks. It doesn't matter who you are, you can't make journalists use what you send them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poor Shot Posted August 11, 2022 Report Share Posted August 11, 2022 Almost as if it was on cue.. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/10/calls-to-ban-gamebird-release-to-avoid-catastrophic-avian-flu-outbreak?CMP=fb_gu&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1660127619 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted August 11, 2022 Report Share Posted August 11, 2022 1 hour ago, Poor Shot said: Almost as if it was on cue.. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/10/calls-to-ban-gamebird-release-to-avoid-catastrophic-avian-flu-outbreak?CMP=fb_gu&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1660127619 Wow, 9 cases of avian flu detected in game birds in 2021 from a claimed release of 60 million, think its the RSPB doing a bit of grand standing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted August 11, 2022 Report Share Posted August 11, 2022 To those in the know , Is the Avian bird flu confined to sea birds , wading birds and wild fowl , or can it spread to Pigeons or any other woodland birds ? , all we seem to hear about are birds connected to water Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nic Posted August 11, 2022 Report Share Posted August 11, 2022 due to the risk of cross contamination we have had to have poultry netted in /enclosed over most of last winter... so i am guessing it can transmit to other birds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penelope Posted August 11, 2022 Report Share Posted August 11, 2022 1 hour ago, marsh man said: To those in the know , Is the Avian bird flu confined to sea birds , wading birds and wild fowl , or can it spread to Pigeons or any other woodland birds ? , all we seem to hear about are birds connected to water All birds, John. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWildfowler Posted August 11, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2022 All this bird flu sounds worrying. Now this may sound like a stupid question but if you do shoot wildfowl how would you know if it is infected? Are there any obvious signs to look out for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted August 11, 2022 Report Share Posted August 11, 2022 2 hours ago, nic said: due to the risk of cross contamination we have had to have poultry netted in /enclosed over most of last winter... so i am guessing it can transmit to other birds Many thanks nic . 1 hour ago, Penelope said: All birds, John. Hope your keeping well Paul and THANKS for the update . 1 hour ago, MWildfowler said: All this bird flu sounds worrying. Now this may sound like a stupid question but if you do shoot wildfowl how would you know if it is infected? Are there any obvious signs to look out for? Not a stupid question at all , I shoot a few wildfowl and I would also like to know the signs to look out for GOOD LUCK for the coming season MM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian willetts Posted August 11, 2022 Report Share Posted August 11, 2022 Pigeons carry avian flue but has know I’ll affect from it that info was from a pigeon fancyer I wonder how many more birds carry it with know I’ll affect Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duck all Posted August 12, 2022 Report Share Posted August 12, 2022 Recently attended a talk with a top avian vet who said that ducks can show very mild or no symptoms but are often the main host for the virus. This is a link to the list of recorded infected wild birds https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1096834/AI-findings-2022-wk31_LF.csv/preview Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scolopax Posted August 12, 2022 Report Share Posted August 12, 2022 A lack of rain is good news for the foreshore wildfowler, as I tend to think it keeps some wildfowl on the foreshore and away from flight ponds and floods. Certainly as soon as we get the first wet spell our estuary teal ‘disappear’,. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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