pigeon PIGEONS !!!!!!!!!!

[jall25]

Out shooting crows this morning - in the dark really

As the light came the pigeon started - 20,30,40s at first - all miles out of range

Then 50,60 s - as the clock ticked on the sky was full with 100s - no 1,000s and 1,000s 

I have seen pigeon like this a few times but this carried on unabated for 2/3 hours !!!

We must have seen 200,000 / 300,000 pigeon 

Just to sit and witness it was an absolute treat and awesome 

It has me proper buzzing still

 

Ended the day on 63 corvids and 2 pigeons

 

Has anyone else seen this influx / migration ? 

[old'un]

be nice to know which part of the country you spotted these pigeons.

[oldypigeonpopper]

hello, not around the Vale, send some please 😆

[ditchman]

used to see this regular....in cantley ....the flightline started at 2.30 and finished at 3.30....tens of thousands......all just out of reach......not interested in decoying one jot

the lads on the next farm used to arrive in their pick ups (think 5 of them)....and used to stand where the birds started to lose altitude.......each lad used to burn off a case of cartriges each..

this went on for a week and you could set your clock by it......then all of a sudden ....they disappeared....

[JDog]

That would be a great sight

 I have seen migrations but not with those numbers.

Goober who used to post reported 144,000 going over the Bristol Channel in one day, counted by radar.

[jall25]

3 hours ago, old'un said:

be nice to know which part of the country you spotted these pigeons.

This was in North East Derbyshire

I am shoot captain on a shoot in Chesterfield and for the last few weeks we have had several thousand in the woods on the acorns but this was totally totally off the scale - i have witnessed huge numbers in the past - and indeed vast numbers of geese arriving from over the sea when in Caithness but this was just something else 

[old'un]

15 minutes ago, jall25 said:

This was in North East Derbyshire

I am shoot captain on a shoot in Chesterfield and for the last few weeks we have had several thousand in the woods on the acorns but this was totally totally off the scale - i have witnessed huge numbers in the past - and indeed vast numbers of geese arriving from over the sea when in Caithness but this was just something else 

thanks, which direction were they flying?

[jall25]

Due South Old Un

[old'un]

1 minute ago, jall25 said:

Due South Old Un

their on the way to me then,  I better get some more cartridges in.

[jall25]

2 hours ago, old'un said:

their on the way to me then,  I better get some more cartridges in.

 

Hahaha 

Hope so 

It was amazing to see - up here the morning was so clear - i could see them coming from miles and miles away - like streams of smoke 

[Teal]

Saw the same Sunday morning albeit considerably smaller numbers maybe about 5-7000. What you saw sounded truly epic. Two flightlines here constant stream for about half an hour, 7.15-7.45. As you and others have said, they are migrating pigeons. There is a good page here with a bit of info: https://www.birdsofpooleharbour.co.uk/winter-birding-with-birds-of-poole-harbour-woodpigeon/

They fly over the channel to Spain/ Portugal. No one seems to know origins probably Scandinavian pigeons, as our British woodies don't tend to go far. In my experience they do sometimes hang around enroute, but not for more than a few days, so don't get hopes up about building a bag, but right now should be peak migration.

[ditchman]

23 minutes ago, Teal said:

Saw the same Sunday morning albeit considerably smaller numbers maybe about 5-7000. What you saw sounded truly epic. Two flightlines here constant stream for about half an hour, 7.15-7.45. As you and others have said, they are migrating pigeons. There is a good page here with a bit of info: https://www.birdsofpooleharbour.co.uk/winter-birding-with-birds-of-poole-harbour-woodpigeon/

They fly over the channel to Spain/ Portugal. No one seems to know origins probably Scandinavian pigeons, as our British woodies don't tend to go far. In my experience they do sometimes hang around enroute, but not for more than a few days, so don't get hopes up about building a bag, but right now should be peak migration.

there was a post about this ...maybe 12 or 13 years ago...several pages ...radar sightings ....tracking ....members sightings .....quite interesting....i know i made a post about it maybe 8 or 9 years ago....

nice to see it is still happening..

[Teal]

I remember too! Also remember historically quite a lot of scepticism, not on here I don't think, about these migrations. Definitely seems to be more awareness.  It's a cool sight!

[marsh man]

I haven't seen the numbers mentioned above for years but at one time seeing big numbers were a regular occurrence at around this time of the year on most early Winters , then when o s r got widely established the Winter migration seem to had stopped , when we used to take the fishing parties out we would often see migrations of different birds , one week it might be Field Fares , Brent Geese , Lapwings and Wood Pigeons , the Pigeons would be coming in off the sea all day long and we were never sure if they had come in front of any hard weather forecasted in Scotland , or came across the North Sea from the continent , these Pigeons always seemed slightly smaller and darker than our local birds , and as we had very little knowledge of bird migration we always classed them as foreigners .   MM

[jall25]

46 minutes ago, Teal said:

I remember too! Also remember historically quite a lot of scepticism, not on here I don't think, about these migrations. Definitely seems to be more awareness.  It's a cool sight!

 

Its up there together with the morning i watched 10s of thousands - maybe 100,000 s of geese come over the sea to Caithness 

Nature is awesome !

[Fellside]

I have at times seen large flocks of wood pigeons flying over the hills in Northern England and the borders - one after another. All flying in the same direction. They were far from any suitable feeding and seemed intent on some distant other place. Once on hilly ground I shot a couple that were just low enough. Most though were a very long way up - well out of shot. My guess is that these birds were migratory. 

[JDog]

Many thousands passed over Stow On the Wold yesterday morning from first light to midday.

[oldypigeonpopper]

hello, i did see a large flock go over the river up to Culham woods the other day but nothing like what pw members have seen

[ditchman]

if i remember rightly......on the old post about this ocurrence.....several of the members believed that ....of the large numbers of the migrants entering the uK at different points.....members rekoned that a large proportion would be assimulated into the local homegrown flocks ...then the migrants would return back to the near continant....but in much smaller flightlines....

there was some talk about the mirants being reconisable ...via careful inspection of the weight and size......and then of coarse the migrants that stayed would be assimulated into the local flocks and take on their feed habits and ......................i also remember in the post about the failure or low breed count of the migrants in the first summer after arrival.....

there was alot said on these 2 very lengthy many paged posts.............

[derbyduck]

I'm sure I read some were that this happens after a previous mast year ,

perhaps the result of a good breeding season last year ?

[Westley]

In the late 1960's and early 70's it was a common occurrence for large flocks of pigeons to leave their roost and make out to fields to feed, then around 3.00pm start to make the return journey.  I used to await a 'good wind' and then 'ambush' them in the morning and again in the afternoon.  Never very large bags, but I seem to recall quite a few cartridges would be fired. Somewhere in the 4 to 1 region  !