eugene molloy Posted February 9, 2005 Report Share Posted February 9, 2005 (edited) norfolk.enchance asked in another thread about ivy berries and if the pigeons feeding on them was a regional thing. Answer...don't know, but how about we find out. In the next couple of weeks, if you get the chance to open a crop or two, post the results here. If we each make a couple of reports we should get a fair snapshot. Just a quick one (as the actress said to the Bishop) I don't believe it's neccessarily a regional issue; ivy grows all over the country. However it's my observation that most ivy grows on oaks, so where you have a lot of oaks you get ivy and pigeon feeding on it; and vicky verky if few oak woods are present in your county then the birds have less opportunity. But let's see eh? I shot four flighting yesterday evening; to kick the ball off here's the result.. Area....South Shropshire No 1..........2/3 rds full crop, exclusively sprouting acorns. No 2..........Bung full (stuffed) crop, mostly beech mast plus a few ivy berries. No 3..........2/3 full crop, wheat plus a dozen ivy berries. No 4 .........Full crop, about half ivy berries, then acorns and beech mast equally Between all four there wasn't a much greenstuff as would fill a teaspoon. Edited February 9, 2005 by eugene molloy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vermin Dropper Posted February 9, 2005 Report Share Posted February 9, 2005 I went out on Monday ( Hatton- West Midlands) it was very still and quite foggy, there wasn't much moving so I just wandered the hedges of a couple of fields where I know there are a few sitty trees and a couple of fairly reliable flight lines. I shot a dozen birds most of which had around a 3/4 full crop, roughly split...... 50%.....rape 25%.....wheat 10%.....acorns 5%.......ivy berries 10%.....mixed and 1 bird was full of "sweet corn" :blink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salopian Posted February 9, 2005 Report Share Posted February 9, 2005 Shropshire/Staffordshire Feeding on woodland edges, not flocking, max numbers observed together 20, more 2 to 4, shot some missed some, crops contained acorns,beechmast, majority.Sunday observed, shot and lifted birds off Ivy, crops contained mostly Ivy some had wheat in them (not much) this was 9am cold and miserable day. Hope this helps a little.Salopian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawn9914 Posted February 9, 2005 Report Share Posted February 9, 2005 shot some birds on saturday 3 had crop 50-50 of ivy berries and rape 4 other birds stuffed with ivy berries and a few acorns cheers shawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eugene molloy Posted February 9, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2005 (edited) Thanks lads, that's interesting already. Not much sign of the Midland birdies getting really stuck into the rape, though some are clearly; but a fair to middling show of ivy berries too. Come on the Jocks, Geordies, Tykes, Taffs, 'Ampshire 'Ogs and Janners; let's know the form. Eug VD. Which Hatton, Warwick or where? I guess the "sweetcorn" was from an old maize game strip. Edited February 9, 2005 by eugene molloy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vermin Dropper Posted February 10, 2005 Report Share Posted February 10, 2005 eug, Yes it is Hatton, Warwick. these particular fields in question are just by the Boot pub Honily if you know it, :blink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ernyha Posted February 10, 2005 Report Share Posted February 10, 2005 eug, Yes it is Hatton, Warwick. these particular fields in question are just by the Boot pub Honily if you know it, :blink: I certainly know the area vd as I shoot just down the road at Wroxall. :blink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Beasley Posted February 10, 2005 Report Share Posted February 10, 2005 and 1 bird was full of "sweet corn" :blink: :blink: Would that be the Jolly Green Giant Variety or Happy Shopper? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eugene molloy Posted February 10, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2005 (edited) VD and Ern, I know "The Boot". My chum and I used to drop in for a pint on Sundays when we were fishing The Grand Onion above Hatton flight. Wroxall? My first girlfriend was head girl at Wroxall Abbey School (does it still exist?) She lived in Chadwick End which ain't so far away. Eug. Edited February 10, 2005 by eugene molloy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old rooster Posted February 10, 2005 Report Share Posted February 10, 2005 I think they are out of the country having a holiday. Seriously doubt that the woods and hedges can have sustained the numbers we are used to seeing. Anyone else got any theories on pigeon migration ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rb5037 Posted February 10, 2005 Report Share Posted February 10, 2005 Love to help on this topic, but i've not been out since xmas Must get out soon :blink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mallinson Posted February 10, 2005 Report Share Posted February 10, 2005 Shot a few in west yorkshire the other day, still full of beechmast and oak nuts One was full of what can only be described as peanuts but they were slighty smaller than the ones found on a bird table??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axel Posted February 10, 2005 Report Share Posted February 10, 2005 Pigeon crops feedback. Cambridge, near mixed woodland, 9 pigeons, late afternoon, crops; 3 empty (had they feed am and digested already?) 3 OSR 3 Ivy berries Hope that helps, Clipper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozo Posted February 10, 2005 Report Share Posted February 10, 2005 N. ireland, co down- mostly acorns and the odd ivy berry :blink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RYAN 2 Posted February 10, 2005 Report Share Posted February 10, 2005 ive been out i went on the weekend they had rape and a few ivy berrys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sniper Posted February 10, 2005 Report Share Posted February 10, 2005 Tykes report. The 15 I got today had various quantities of OSR in them, and that is all. If I explain, where I shot, there are hardly any woods nearby and a good 1/3 of the farmland is covered with OSR. They haven't got much else of a choice, at this time of year. But I'm going out tomorrow, all being well, to some more land that is virtually covered in woods, and that might be another story. :blink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eugene molloy Posted February 10, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2005 (edited) Ryan, Where were you shooting? we need to know because we are tying to build a national picture. The rest of you nerks...thanks. But keep posting, what you see is important to making all the bits fit together. Eug PS ...Sniper; keep up the good work, and thanks. Edited February 10, 2005 by eugene molloy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ernyha Posted February 14, 2005 Report Share Posted February 14, 2005 Roost shooting yesterday in woods surrounded by rape fields and the birds we opened up were stuffed full with ivy berries bar one which had maize seed in it. That was at Claverdon in Warwickshire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted February 14, 2005 Report Share Posted February 14, 2005 In Kent, crops 90% ivy berries, with some beechmast. 1 bird had a very small amount of green leaf, but it wasn't rape, it looked more like hawthorn leaf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob G Posted February 14, 2005 Report Share Posted February 14, 2005 Shot two over the weekend,both had ivy berries in there crop.Im on the essex,suffolk border.They seem to be resting on the rape fields out of the wind round here at the moment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pointer Posted February 15, 2005 Report Share Posted February 15, 2005 Sleaford, Lincs.. Roost shoot sat, dropped 11 most birds stuffed with OSR, 3 had a smattering of ivy berry and drilled bean. Shot 33 today(tue) over drilled bean, I have just finished checking the crops, 5 were full of ivy berry the rest were a mixture of OSR and maize. Not a sign of beech mast (thank god). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitebridges Posted February 15, 2005 Report Share Posted February 15, 2005 Shot 6 Saturday 12th Feb. Location Nr Holt Norfolk 2 empty 1 few bits of maize and half full of rape 1 stuffed with maize (local game cover crop) 1 stuffed with corn ( from a hopper presumably) 1 1 acorn and about half dozen ivy berries. When I arrived at the wood a few birds got off anf old tree covered in Ivy, maybe they were feeding on the berries? Birds tend to feed hard on the ivy when the weather is cr*p and there is nothing much else on the table in my experience. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mallinson Posted February 17, 2005 Report Share Posted February 17, 2005 went for a wander around a few of my farms on sunday and downed 4 pigeons, all were stuffed full of osr. north yorks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonno 357 Posted February 17, 2005 Report Share Posted February 17, 2005 (edited) Went shooting Sunday. They're feeding like mad on OSR. Going this Monday. Hopfully the weather will be a bit kinder. Gale force winds last Sunday but they were still feeding Jonno Edited February 17, 2005 by jonno 357 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salopian Posted February 17, 2005 Report Share Posted February 17, 2005 May I ask you give some indication of the time you shot the birds in your posts, as they may well be empty early in the morning, or may have small quantity of acorn,beechmast or ivy from earlier but may now be being shot over oilseed rape Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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