chichester peregrines

yes we have them around here much more frequently now theirs a new pair on the scene now also ffs always up in the sky it seems

mine dont go out much now, less chance of attacks over the winter............

12 bore

I dont want to get off on the wrong foot here as this is my first post on here . Im not going to go in depth into the opinions of people over raptors and pigeons but i am of a rare breed myself -i keep both! I hunt with birds of prey i am a falconer and i am also a pigeon fancier as is my friend .
I understand that this upsets you and i see why , as i would be should something kill any of my animals but at the end of the day it is nature , the Peregrines have obviously set up on a flight path of the pigeons . The best pigeon is better than the best falcon fact ! But obviously this wont make anyone feel any better but there is a potential solution that would reduce wild peregrines and reduce numbers of pigeons killed. Should the goverment lift the ban of the wild takings of falcons for falconers , there would be a lot less out there , taken from the nest as youngsters so mum wouldnt need to bring as much back to the nest and these birds would be trained for falconry . In Falconry hunting pigeons is frowned upon , they fly fast ,take your bird away from you sometimes miles and if caught they carry frounce and other undesirables that the falconer doesnt want his bird to come in to contact therefore he will discourage his bird from taking them.THUS REDUCING THE AMMOUNT OF PEREGRINES IN THE WILD , REDUCING PIGEONS BEING KILLED AND NOT CULLING THEM WHICH THE GOVERMENT WILL QUITE RIGHTLY NEVER DO . Personally i think this would be a fairer outcome and one that is far more likely than a cull .


Rob

to rob, i think most pigeon fanciers would accept a loss of 1 or 2 birds to raptors but when the rspb have released 400 pairs of goshawks this year alone then i am afraid not alot can be done and this is out and out pro hawk in my mind with no regard for any other birdlife in britain whatsoever.....alot of ordinary people are wakeing up to the rspb and are wondering why the small wild birds no longer feed in their gardens jmo

The Goshawk is my personal favourite and i have two myself so i assure you i spend alot of time researching this animal . They are a woodland creature , mainly and a very shy creature indeed they are usually found far from any populated areas , they are real fast and more than capable of catching a pigeon but a pigeon is faster plus a goshawk will always take the easier option especially when there are much easier birds such as crows , magpies and other corvids and for females and even some males rabbits and squirrels i think the goshawk is a minimal threat to pigeon fanciers .

to add to old strains comment , if your going to accuse birds of prey on the decline of songbirds then so too should it be blamed on domestic cats . Ive kept pigeons on and off for 22 years ive never lost a single one to raptors , ive lost several to cats . There is a rise in the number of cats being kept too !!

yes maybe not much of a threat at the moment but what happens when they evolve within our society and start to exspand like the peregine has ....the peregine is everywhere and can be seen in the skies of every city do you honestly think that the goshawk wont adapt and come into the cities in the years to come ............come off it

Pigeon Penney wrote:

to add to old strains comment , if your going to accuse birds of prey on the decline of songbirds then so too should it be blamed on domestic cats . Ive kept pigeons on and off for 22 years ive never lost a single one to raptors , ive lost several to cats . There is a rise in the number of cats being kept too !!

utter rubbish more hawk propaganda

oldstrain wrote:

yes maybe not much of a threat at the moment but what happens when they evolve within our society and start to exspand like the peregine has ....the peregine is everywhere and can be seen in the skies of every city do you honestly think that the goshawk wont adapt and come into the cities in the years to come ............come off it

Ive have kept ,flown and hunted with both and yes i do believe that , the goshawk is so nervous youd never find one near a populated area .

Believe what you want , i posted on here a possible solution that with campaigning is plausible .

well to me you have already started to show your true colours and you are probably striped..........you seem to deflect from the true fact that raptors are the main cause for the downfall of our songbird population and the decimation of the sport and hobby of pigeon racing and tippler flying rollers and tumblers.and to say you have never lost a single pigeon in 22 years to a raptor is quite laughable to be honest as to is your suggestion to take chics or eggs from the nests of peregines for how can this demise the number out their when all the parents would still be roaming the skies ,i think the best solution to the problem would be a balance of nature and a mass release across the country of the eagle owl jmo

Im not averting from any facts , i think people blame the demise of songbirds too much on raptors , look i keep both and know about both so i can see what likelyhoods are , YES raptors kill songbirds , YES raptors kill pigeons but so do cats . Youd NEVER find a goshawk in your back garden not unless you live in a country manor , youd seldom find a peregrine there , ok yes the odd sparrowhawk but your more likely to find a cat amongst your pigeons . Yes Peres do kill domestic pigeons the evidence is in the nest theres no denying that but thats the risk of pigeon flying ,at least raptors kill to eat and not just for fun .
I didnt come on here to argue , i came on here to gain knowledge on my reignited pigeon fancying but i couldnt leave this thread alone i had to post my knowledge of the subject of a group of animals im so passionate about , i understand it makes you angry with what therspb have done but your only seeing it from the pigeon fanciers perspective . I only posted to try and educate not to infuriate .

Ps i havent kept pigeons 22 years straight im sure if i had i would have had a few raptor fatalities but how many people can actually say they KNOW a bird that hasnt returned has been killed by a Raptor?

when you send your pigeons training and they come back in pieces i think the evidence is obvious and to say the odd sparrowhawk these menaces are everywhere and if i wanted to talk pro hawk i would have gone onto a hawk web site but being as i am a pigeon fancier on a pigeon forum i will state exactly what i feel from a pigeon fanciers point of view and quite frankly i will admit i absolutely hate hawks having witnessed their killings at first hand and sorry but cannot see what pleasure is gained from keeping them

oldstrain wrote:

when you send your pigeons training and they come back in pieces i think the evidence is obvious and to say the odd sparrowhawk these menaces are everywhere and if i wanted to talk pro hawk i would have gone onto a hawk web site but being as i am a pigeon fancier on a pigeon forum i will state exactly what i feel from a pigeon fanciers point of view and quite frankly i will admit i absolutely hate hawks having witnessed their killings at first hand and sorry but cannot see what pleasure is gained from keeping them

very good point re the pigeon forum comment , for you to hate them i fully understand why even though i obviously love them its just when i saw comments like 12 bore that i had to say something , i agree there is loads of the things now but falconers taking them for falconry purposes would reduce the ammount of songbirds / pigeons killed and that goes for sparrowhawks or peres and i wont get into what enjoyment i get out of them as id be here all night well agree to disagree and probably everyone on here will agree with you but hopefully ill still get help off people on here regards pigeons

oh so you actualy agree now that their are loads of the things and not just the odd sparrowhawk listen whoever you are and whatever you do you wont fool any of todays pigeon men and women with yer bull about mr being as much to blame as the raptors we all see the evidence for ourselves several times a year why do you think our birds our loft bound throughout the winter and if we could arm ourselves with 12 bores i think the vast majority of us would do that....and for you to react to that statement shows you love your hawk as much as we do our pigeons so why should we not have the rite to protect our feathered freinds the way we want afterall is this not human nature and we the master race

Just noticed this post and wanted to add a pennies worth, I live in pembrokeshire wales and I can tell you we have a problem! try flying pigeons down here and you will see it, I know we have over 30 nest sites in 30 square miles thats 60 breeding perigrines plus 1, 2, and 3 year old unmated birds. Every time I train my pigeons without exception they are hit, try training pigeons when you know when they leave the basket the perigrine will apear and go into them. I see either perigrine or sparrow hawk every day during the summer and weekly in winter although the sparrowhawks seldom bother us....I live on a farm up until 3 years ago we had skylarks and cuckoos on our fields, recently they have all gone, as soon as birds migrate they are eaten and thats fact i see it all the time here in the country. very sad.

firstly penny pigeon i think your statement saying the decline in songbirds/sparrows etc is down to an increase in the cat population is absolute and utter crap...............

secondly by what you have said, it apears altho you have been a pigeon keeper, you have not been a pigeon racer.............i say this because you have no comprehension of what can and does happen upon liberation for training or racing when they are chased by bops.

i dont think this person is a pigeon keeper at all might have a few in the freezer thats about it

he'll be say he agrees with this artical next the numpty


Deer should be culled to save bird song because they are wiping out woodland speciesBy Tamara Cohen

Last updated at 12:35 AM on 9th November 2011

Comments (40) Add to My Stories Share
Deer must be culled to stop cherished birds such as the nightingale and willow t*t from dying out in Britain, experts warn.
The populations of these endangered birds have more than halved in a decade, according to the British Trust for Ornithology.
It warns that an explosion in deer numbers may be affecting some woodland birds to a greater extent than realised, as they eat the shoots of leaves and shrubs which the birds depend on for cover and nesting sites.
Silenced: A Dunnock is amongst a number of birds under threat from wild deer
On mute: The Song Thrush is prominent for its loud and clear melodies
The worst impact was on the nightingale which has declined by 54 per cent over the past decade alone and the willow t*t, which fell by 65 per cent.
More...Are birds getting bigger because of climate change?
Armed, female and deadly: The rise and rise of women hunters

The study, led by Dr Stuart Newson of the Trust, recommends that ‘integrated exclusion and culling need to be co-ordinated on a large scale’.

Conservationists acknowledge deer numbers have mushroomed due to a decline in hunting and natural predators.
Efforts to control deer numbers usually involve putting up fences and sending in licensed marksmen with rifles, and carrying permits, to kill some of them.

Danger: Fallow and Roe deer (right) are threatening to cull several bird species

The study focused on 11 bird species and their relationships with three types of deer: the roe, fallow and the non-native muntjac.
It found large-scale population declines for five of the 11 bird species.
Nightingales, whose spring song used to echo across much of the countryside, have lost more than 90 per cent of their numbers since the 1960s.

They are also threatened by a decline in the amount of woodland and by non-native species such as grey squirrels.
Dr Newson, whose findings are in the Journal of Applied Ecology, added: ‘This study is not suggesting deer are the only, or even the main, factor driving woodland bird declines.’
Majestic: The Willow Warbler is vulnerable to many species of deer
The BTO said 'There is evidence that increases in deer is associated with large-scale population declines for five of the eleven bird species.

'Of these, the impact of deer is likely to have been greatest for two species of conservation concern, the amber-listed nightingale and the red-listed willow t*t.

'These two birds have declined by 54 per cent and 65 per cent respectively over the last ten years.'
Dr Newson added: 'Our results emphasise the importance of developing co-ordinated national strategies for minimising deer impacts.

'With numbers and ranges of deer predicted to expand even further, it is suggested that such strategies should be targeted on areas that continue to support concentrations of woodland bird species that are especially vulnerable to over-browsing by deer.

Sin to kill a mockingbird: A nightingale singing from a tree top could also face the threat

'This study is not suggesting that deer are the only, or even the main, factor driving woodland bird declines - many other factors are potentially implicated.

'Nonetheless, these findings build on earlier experimental work carried out on nightingales by the BTO that has showed that deer can reduce habitat quality for this species.
'More widely, growing evidence from other parts of the world suggests that increases in deer abundance may be depressing population levels of breeding woodland birds that are associated with dense under-storey habitats.

'This study is important because it indicates that deer browsing may affect some bird populations on a large scale.'

The eleven bird species are the dunnock, also known as the hedge sparrow, the nightingale, the song thrush, the willow warbler, the willow t*t, the marsh t*t, the bullfinch, the blackcap, the chiffchaff and the blackbird.

Experts compiling the study looked at 12 years of data collected by an army of experienced bird-watchers collected each year from about 2,000 sites spread across the whole of England.

did wonder darren, but if someone tells you they keep pigeons on and off you cant really call them a liar can you.......but either way in my opinion he/she isnt or hasnt been a racing fancier because he/she has no idea of the problems we have with the bops/hawks when training and racing or even exercising around the loft........


ive read very similar posts on other pigeon forums to what pigeon penny has posted, and im wondering if it is the same person, because altho he/she`s posts seem polite enough they are designed to cause disruption.............

rene, that is one of the biggest load of sh**e ive heard..............blaming deers for the decine in birds.

what propaganda will these idiots come out with next ?

Pigeon Penney wrote:

Im not averting from any facts , i think people blame the demise of songbirds too much on raptors , look i keep both and know about both so i can see what likelyhoods are , YES raptors kill songbirds , YES raptors kill pigeons but so do cats . Youd NEVER find a goshawk in your back garden not unless you live in a country manor , youd seldom find a peregrine there , ok yes the odd sparrowhawk but your more likely to find a cat amongst your pigeons . ?

i live on a housing estate that gas 22 houses nearly every house as between 2 to 3 cats i get more hits by sparrow hawks then i do by let say 44 cats one of the members of our club showed us a pic of a periegrine eatin a sea gull in his own back yard

David wrote:

rene, that is one of the biggest load of sh**e ive heard..............blaming deers for the decine in birds.

what propaganda will these idiots come out with next ?

yes mate compele load of shit they want to blame everything but the F****ng hawks there be tryin to blame sqerals next or better still feild and hose mice for eating the song birds seeds ffs

this is the link to the story about the deers mate



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2059082/Deer-culled-save-bird-song.html

true rene,the amount of racing pigeons killed by cats is minimal...........this is rspb propagnda