Pigeon season

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Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
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Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 06 9:55 am Post subject: Pigeon season

What time of year do wood pigeons fledge? We have quite a few plump looking woodies frequenting our garden and virtually walking into the kitchen so I thought I'd take them up on their offer of dinner. I would like to ensure they don't leave behind unfledged young so how long do I have to wait?

(Of course, as it's illegal to catch pigeons purely for the pot I can confirm they are pests and I've tried non-lethal measures)

Jonnyboy

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 06 10:04 am Post subject:

Quote:

(Of course, as it's illegal to catch pigeons purely for the pot I can confirm they are pests and I've tried non-lethal measures)

Is this a bye law for your area???

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 06 10:18 am Post subject:

Jonnyboy wrote:

Quote:

(Of course, as it's illegal to catch pigeons purely for the pot I can confirm they are pests and I've tried non-lethal measures)

Is this a bye law for your area???

Nope, it applies for the whole of the UK as I understand it - if you take the letter of the law. You can't shoot a pigeon unless it's a pest.

Jonnyboy

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 06 10:49 am Post subject:

Quote:

P.5.2. The bird pest species which may be killed or taken under licence are: crow, jackdaw, magpie, rook, jay, house sparrow, starling, woodpigeon, feral pigeon, collared dove, herring gull, lesser black-backed gull and greater black-backed gull. The general licence permits these birds to be killed only for the purposes of preventing serious damage to agricultural concerns or for public health and safety. For any other purposes an individual licence must be obtained.

You're right, the odds of being prosecuted would be fairly remote mind.

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 06 11:03 am Post subject:

Jonnyboy wrote:

You're right, the odds of being prosecuted would be fairly remote mind.

I doubt anyone has ever been prosecuted even after last years fiasco when defra tried to change the license but it never hurts to be able to prove they are pests.

Now, when can I carry out some pest controll?

Jonnyboy

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 06 11:06 am Post subject:
First thing? have yourself at the kitchen window with cup of tea and air rifle for early dawn???

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45676
Location: Essex

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 06 11:10 am Post subject:

Jonnyboy wrote:

First thing? have yourself at the kitchen window with cup of tea and air rifle for early dawn???

Will they already ahve fledged then?

Jonnyboy

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 06 11:14 am Post subject:
There seem to be plenty of youngsters flying around me with blushing pink breasts, but as for mating season I haven't really a clue.

crackapple

Joined: 19 Jun 2005
Posts: 204
Location: teeside

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 06 11:17 am Post subject:
it doesn't matter if they are pests. find the nest and get yourself some squabs.

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
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Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 06 11:22 am Post subject:

crackapple wrote:

it doesn't matter if they are pests. find the nest and get yourself some squabs.

That's the problem, I don't know where the nests are so can't check if there are any youngsters there. We just get flocks of adults in the garden and they are looking nice and plump at the moment.

Jonnyboy

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 06 11:34 am Post subject:
Not sure about the exact pigeon numbers in the UK, 13 million?? But I guess that you'll never be entirely sure you aren't orhaning chicks unless you shoot in autumn/winter. It's worse with rabbits, I've taken ones well out of the supposed mating season which have young in them.

Penny Outskirts

Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 23385
Location: Planet, not on the....

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 06 12:08 pm Post subject:
But has anyone actually ever seen a baby pigeon They come out fully fledged don't they

Jonnyboy

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 06 12:10 pm Post subject:

Penny wrote:

But has anyone actually ever seen a baby pigeon

They come out fully fledged don't they

Oven ready??

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 06 12:20 pm Post subject:

Penny wrote:

But has anyone actually ever seen a baby pigeon

They come out fully fledged don't they

I remeber a nest in an apple tree in our garden when I grew up, I saw the chicks grow and fledge but can't remember when they flew the nest.

Nick J

Joined: 19 May 2006
Posts: 94

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 06 1:13 pm Post subject:

With our milder climate now it is generally accepted I believe that pigeons now breed more or less all year. There is a tailing off in the winter months but if the weather is mild then they will be producing youngsters well into the autumn.

As for the regs. Yes they have to be considered a pest (strictly all birds are protected but some have their protected status removed on an annual basis because it is recognised that they can be a destructive species) but if you grow veg which they feed on that criteria is met. The only problem is if some nosey neighbour complains about you popping the odd bird for the pot. I keep a copy of the open licence handy should anyone complain. As things stand you can't just take a pigeon for the pot on the grounds that you fancy pigeon for your lunch.

I would also say that if anyone is thinking of using an air rifle in their garden it is imperative you have a safe back stop for the pellet and that the pellet does not cross your boundary. The latter being a legal requirement, the former obviously common sense from a safety perspective. You may have seen the reports in the paper this week of a lad home from university having put his mum in hospital (on the critical list) as a result of her getting a pellet in the neck while he was target shooting and unaware she was in the garden.

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