What news on the Pinks?

[Stonepark]

Flying past me south of Dundee at 0300 last night in moonlight in large numbers heading south

[Salmo]

Large numbers through uist the other day and loads on lochleven now 

[London Best]

A big skein heading East at altitude spotted here this morning over South East Derbyshire.

[greenshank1]

There were pinks going over us yesterday really high , likely enroute to the Solway 👍

[magman]

more over today in cheshire

 

[marsh man]

My first confirmed sighting this morning , I saw a small skein heading towards the South and I wasn't sure these were Pinks as we have got a lot of family parties of Grey's about , then a few minutes later another big skein of two to three hundred certainly were Pinks , non stop calling as if they were glad to be back after been away to the breeding grounds , mind you , by the time they leave they might have a different opinion about how we treat our feathered visitors .

[grahamch]

Quite a few at Lindisfarne tonight but roosting well north of the reserve

[Diabolo]

Skeins heading west early mornings over Lincs side of The Wash not unusual now, skein of about 200 over Skegness yesterday midday (Tesco carpark to ne precise!), looked to be heading north.

Steve

[Fisheruk]

Thousands in Lancashire 

[scolopax]

A few days of Northerlies forecast so that should encourage even more to head south. They could not have had much more favourable conditions this last week as it is.

[edenman]

Very busy with pinks every 15 or so minutes here in Fife this morning.

[B B]

Been seeing a few about for ten days or so now over north lincolnshire, most seem to be high and going west to east, seen a few around local but not big skeins until today, saw a large movement high heading south east near new Holand guessing the wash area. .

[6.5x55SE]

21 minutes ago, B B said:

Been seeing a few about for ten days or so now over north lincolnshire, most seem to be high and going west to east, seen a few around local but not big skeins until today, saw a large movement high heading south east near new Holand guessing the wash area. .

I know of two different wildfowlers who got really excited ( 1 ) morning flight Pink's Infront of them come day break not a sound or sight as they went back on the tide to ???? (2) evening a good few hundred looking good for morning flight next morning nothing heard or seen both these incidents was on the was different area within two days. Typical September Pink's turn up and can be gone in a few hours. I had 3 thousand for day and half then gone most will head east until the October influx when they will then stay in their usual winter haunts 

[bishop]

2 minutes ago, 6.5x55SE said:

I know of two different wildfowlers who got really excited ( 1 ) morning flight Pink's Infront of them come day break not a sound or sight as they went back on the tide to ???? (2) evening a good few hundred looking good for morning flight next morning nothing heard or seen both these incidents was on the was different area within two days. Typical September Pink's turn up and can be gone in a few hours. I had 3 thousand for day and half then gone most will head east until the October influx when they will then stay in their usual winter haunts 

Agreed it's pretty random till Late October. Real sky Gypsie stuff

[Manish]

Why its called a wild goose chase. Good know they are coming 

[Salmo]

We have our first field of pinks . There’s about 2000 on a field north west of lochleven 

[marsh man]

With feeling a bit under the weather ( excuse the pun ) after just had the virus jab, going out this morning was like a Winters morning and the hot barmy days could now be just a memory , I am now seeing a variety of geese most mornings on the South side of the estuary , no doubt the odd one or two have now gone in the bag but it is still early days , one of our main problems is the amount of livestock on the marshland , these will be there for another four weeks until they start taking them off at the 1st of November , on some of the land you are allowed to go but coming off in the dark with a herd of cattle trying to get your dog is not for the faint hearted as I was once knocked in the dyke after a cow reared up from behind , missed my dog and caught the back of my legs , not a pretty sight in the pitch dark when standing in the water and not knowing weather you have broke any part your body while a herd of cattle are only a few feet away , one of the main reasons I now leave it till a bit later on before I make a start .

Going by the shooting I heard last Monday morning when it was a Bank Holiday it sounded like a few three shot auto shooters have already made a start .

[6.5x55SE]

Apologies for straying off topic. Unfortunately John unless the shooters are on Club ground or Foreshore where hopefully they will be brought before a committee these types will always give Semi Auto Pumps and 3 barrel guns a bad name along with wildfowlers in general. Each season for more years than i care to mention let's just say I've educated several know doubt this season will be no exception. Numbers of Pink's steadily building i know of three different two thousand plus which seemed to have settled for the season 👍 

[marsh man]

42 minutes ago, 6.5x55SE said:

Apologies for straying off topic. Unfortunately John unless the shooters are on Club ground or Foreshore where hopefully they will be brought before a committee these types will always give Semi Auto Pumps and 3 barrel guns a bad name along with wildfowlers in general. Each season for more years than i care to mention let's just say I've educated several know doubt this season will be no exception. Numbers of Pink's steadily building i know of three different two thousand plus which seemed to have settled for the season 👍 

I am glad you have got good numbers in your locality , part of the fun is finding them while another part is trying to outwit them before the final part is putting one or two in the bag .

I fear the dreaded bird virus might be putting a spoke in the works this coming season as in the local paper this morning it stated the country is in it's worst ever bird flu outbreak with more than 130 cases reported in England including five new cases in Norfolk in the last seven days , all the birds in the new cases are being culled with a 3km protection zone around each farm concerned and a 10km Surveillance around some of the new outbreaks .

As for the three shot auto followers , I have got nothing against them whatsoever and the majority of them know exactly what they are doing , it's the ones who are constantly firing three shots as fast as they can at whatever they fire at , As you and I well know you don't always get the chance to fire two shots let alone three when you are flighting a flooded bit of marsh , many a time you watch a single duck swing round before he or she make it's mind up to commit to dropping in , by taking it on at the right time it is very often bagged with the first shot or a second if needed , I agree there are times when a bunch come in and you have got time to fire three shots at selected birds , but this don't happen every time you get the chance for a shot , either the ones who need to fire three shots every time there finger touch the trigger are either fairly poor shots , or are very lucky in getting in at the right place at the right time and enough fowl in range to warrant firing three shots , it not only happen once on some nights later on in the Winter but throughout the flighting period and on some nights when it also turn pitch dark , I know there eyes are better than mine but how they see what they are firing at is beyond me , then to put the final nail in the coffin , when they do finally call it a day you see the powerful torches come into play to look for anything they have got , this is not fiction , it really do happen . 

[6.5x55SE]

Totally agree John they are not wildfowlers just gun blasters who like hear their guns fired as quick as they can or as a good friend says they just " Spray an Pray " myself personally i keep reporting at every opportunity. Since i last posted a landowner phoned to say Geese everywhere ☺️

[scolopax]

I would estimate the geese are at least two weeks early in these kind of numbers. Seems to be plenty of young ones too. Let’s hope they can steer clear of AI. if not we may be in for a short season.

[Manish]

To rub it in the stock on my 525 3.5" has just broke so it might have to be the semi. Sorry guys.

 

Good to know they are early though 

[Big Mat]

46 minutes ago, Manish said:

To rub it in the stock on my 525 3.5" has just broke so it might have to be the semi. Sorry guys.

 

Good to know they are early though 

The geese don't mind which gun you use ! 

[Manish]

56 minutes ago, Big Mat said:

The geese don't mind which gun you use ! 

I normally miss anyway 🤣

[marsh man]

1 hour ago, Manish said:

To rub it in the stock on my 525 3.5" has just broke so it might have to be the semi. Sorry guys.

 

Good to know they are early though 

No problem and looking forward to reading about your first treble at the Pinks this season 

Your 3.5 was a big ole gun and no doubt the cartridges you fed into it were bigger than the ones that went into a under lever 10 bore I used to have , it was a decent gun but the only problem was I couldn't afford the cartridges , all my wild fowling I done at the time was with a Midland Gun Company 3 inch I had and apart from a belt full , or nearly belt full of Eley 3 inch cartridges I couldn't remember ever buying any three inch shells , my favorite cartridge in the lead days were the Eley Hymax  for duck, and when I sold a few fowl I would treat myself to a box of Alphamax for the geese , in those days a slab of 250 was unheard of and whatever you used you tried to make them count , although now I can just about afford a slab I still try and make everyone count .