keeping pigeons off the oilseed rape

Last year we had a real battle against the pigeons, which were eating our oilseed rape. This year the crop looks better, partly because there was a plentiful supply of acorns until February, but it’s still a daily job to check for damage and keep the pigeons away from the crop. The gas guns that bang at random times are moved to the patches where the pigeons are feeding and the hawk eye scarers, scarecrows and flapping plastic strips are strategically placed around the fields. Walking the fields also disturbs the pigeons, sending them up in a soaring cloud to wheel around in the sky as they decide where to land next and we also have a team of pigeon shooters who help keep pigeon numbers down. The crops that were sown this spring are now coming up and the fresh green shoots should be far more tempting to pigeons than big tough oilseed rape leaves.

Pigeon Patrol

Despite the scarecrows, gas guns, pigeon shooters and regular walks around the fields, the pigeons have managed to eat a lot of oilseed rape over the past weeks. So now every day is pigeon patrol day in an effort to keep them up in the air and off the crop.

The plants in the left photo have had their large green leaves stripped by the pigeons; they should look like the second photo. 

The bird scarer is having some effect as the field is much greener there than in the other part of the field where the pigeons have been grazing.


 

Scarecrows and tractors

wheat in Great Forest

beans in Grove Field

A blustery day today for walking around the fields and rather wet and muddy underfoot but despite spending the last weeks of December under snow, the crops look surprisingly healthy.

It's always good to find a job in the workshop in January, so Bill has been familiarising himself with his new tractor and catching up with some maintenance jobs such as mending the pigeon scarer. 

 

Pigeon control is important at the moment, as given half a chance, the pigeons will eat all the green leaves of the oilseed rape plants in the field and we won't have a crop. The best control is shooting pigeons as it keeps them away permanently but we also try to keep them off the crops with hawkeye scarers, propane gas scarers and old fashioned scarecrows, including this netball playing one that we used to advertise Open Farm Sunday before she was put out in the field.