NO PIGEONS??

goss101

Hi lads, i got some nice permissons there near the end of the season and did some pigeon shooting on it, there was always around 100-150 birds knocking around, big open fields with wheat and barley stubbles.i got about 30 or 40 birds in it on two sessions, and picked up a few pheasants too.
so the farmer rang me there two weeks ago to say he had replanted his fields, i have been up scout twice and no pigeons around at all, just crows and terns, i thought the pigeons would go mad for a freshly planted field?? or do they wait for the crop to sprout and attack that?? am new to pigeon shooting so would appriciate any knowledge.

extremetaz

Haven't been seeing them in any more than two's and three's around my area either, and likewise nothing but crows (and not even that many of then) over freshly planted fields.

One explanation I've been offered is that they're still in the trees feeding on holly etc... on account of the winter being so mild. Honestly don't know enough to tell you how much truth there is in that.

Birdnuts

extremetaz wrote: »

One explanation I've been offered is that they're still in the trees feeding on holly etc... on account of the winter being so mild. .

Theres a bumper crop of ivy berries this year that are probably extra tasty and ripe thanx to all the good weather recently. That will be keeping the Woodies busy for a few weeks yet. I wouldn't worry too much if I i were the OP - the big flocks will be back with a vengeance coming up to harvest time later in the year.

PS: I assume that when the OP refers to "Terns" he's actually talking about gulls - they are sometimes confused, but the former are smaller, mainly coastal and feed on sand eels, sprats etc. Unlike pigeons etc. gulls are attracted to ploughed fields for the chance to pick up worms, leather jackets and other soil invertebrates rather then newly sown seed. They are also fully protected - other then over airfields/ports where authorized people may shoot them as a last resort if their causing a persistant hazard to the flight path of an aircraft as per the derogations concerning civil aviation.

goss101

these aren't normal gulls, the land i shoot is beside lough ree and these birds are only here at certain times of the year, thought they were terns but i'm probably wrong!! i can't get close enough to see what they are as you can't shoot them, there are hundreds of them around at certain times you could have woeful sport with them

Birdnuts

goss101 wrote: »

these aren't normal gulls, the land i shoot is beside lough ree and these birds are only here at certain times of the year, thought they were terns but i'm probably wrong!! i can't get close enough to see what they are as you can't shoot them, there are hundreds of them around at certain times you could have woeful sport with them

Of our several Tern species(all summer migrants and protected species), only the Common Tern has has a few scattered, small breeding colonies on a handfull of our largest inland lakes. There is one colony on Lough Derg though I haven't heard of any on Lough Ree - its a possbility though. Given thier diet, It would be odd that they would be interested in anything on a ploughed field - maybe their just resting/roosting

If you could get some Pics that would be cool:)