My Phezzies are here - at last !!!!

sako75 · My Phezzies are here - at last !!!!

I took delivery of 200 pheasant poults yesterday for release on my ground which I use for training. They were almost a month late this year because of all the wet weather we have had this summer. Yesterday went without a hitch apart from MR BUZZARD nabbing one of the escapees during release - these bloomin buzzards albeit beautiful birds , are becoming a real pest up here in Aberdeenshire !! Evil or Very Mad

- I don't suppose it will be the last poult to be killed by this bird and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it. Two wild cock pheasants have already made themselves quite at home in my release pen this year (see bottom photo).
Here are a few pictures that I took this evening - ALL THE HARD WORK AND WORRY START FROM HERE ON IN....................... I hope my mutts appreciate it !!!! Rolling Eyes

BritAnnie

Aw, pretty birdies. Almost seems a shame to shoot them Mad

windem bang

Hi Barry,

Two years ago I was talking to two Game or Park Rangers. They informed me most earnestly that buzzards eat carrion and do not hunt anything much bigger than a mouse.
It's about time they took their noses out of books and took an unblinkered look at nature.

Buzzards are far from the worst avian predator on a pheasant shoot though, the worst I've come across is the goshawk. They will take an adult pheasant if what I've been told is true. I saw for myself the signs of ones' kills on a shoot down in the borders. One or more goshawks had moved up from Kielder forest where I believe they were introduced.

Bill T.

sako75

Bill , I have witnessed numerous attacks on pheasants from buzzards. The bird that was killed yesterday was witnessed at 15 yards distance. I was sitting concealed in the fearns having a coffee watching the birds settle in , when about 30 birds suddenly spooked and flushed out of the pen - then to my horror a buzzard "bumped" one of them out of the air. I immediately jumped to my feet and yelled B@##@*D at the top of my voice Evil or Very Mad

, the buzzard dropped the poult and jinked away. The poult was stone dead and I was shaking with fright and anger !!!! I hung up feed bags and old cd's in an attempt to deter him but I fear that he will be back. I , like you wish that certain people would wake up to the fact that these are destructive and indiscriminate KILLERS and not just carrion / scavengers - absolute rubbish !!!!! There really should be a cull (in this area anyway) they are even in towns and villages now !!!

I know all about the goshawk , I lost around 20 birds last year to this ferocious bird of prey. I used to sit at dusk and count the birds as they roosted (sad I know) - and on three seperate occasions this bird (I did not know what it was at the time) swooped down in near darkness and plucked a poult out of the roost. This bird was silent and deadly - I seemed to cure this problem by leaving a radio on before dusk.You live and learn.

Birds of prey are my biggest problem which is annoying because I love them so much ,( strange as that may sound) BUT IMO the buzzard is far too common and something needs to be done. I do not mind losing 30-50 birds because I factor this in when buying them but when I start losing 100 ish birds , that really is a problem. I am small scale and I cannot afford to lose too many birds otherwise it is just not worth all the expense and hours of hard work that is required.

I always thought that fox would be my problem but I have them pretty much under control in this area. I don't mind the odd fox , they are beautiful animals but they do need to be controlled.

I wander what tomorrow will bring - I dread going to the pen in the mornings because every morning I expect a mass murder to have taken place during the night Shocked

. I am just a little paranoid - MY POOR BABIES.....................

Barry.

Sally

We hung up larger mirrors which seemed to keep the buzzard away last year.

sako75

Hi Sally ,

My mate does the same with mirrors , I have yet to give it a try but I will give it a go. It can't do any harm - my release pen is starting to look like a fairground what with all the bags , cd's , windmills and music..... Laughing

Maybe I could plaster the pen with large photos of W.B !!! I am sure that would do the trick....................... Laughing

windem bang

HOI

Watch it

Under this tough, rugged, ultra-man exterior there lives a soft and very sensitive soul. I'm damn near perfect - but I do just occasionally tell porkies Exclamation

Bill T.

BritAnnie

Occasionally Question

Only joking - we all love you really! Wink

Just going out into 'that b - - - - -y field' with the three Brits TO PLAY!!!! then I will write some stuff on Allez's diary as I was atr Stuart's yesterday and at Highland Group today - saw Plover and family - great to put faces to the names on here. Also suggested to our newly computer orientated Boss trainer, Mick, that he might like to join us

Annie
xx

sako75

Just returned from the pen. All these so called deterants are doing no good at all. I arrived at the pen late afternoon only to meet MR BUZZARD perched in one of the sycamore trees. He spotted me and lazily took flight - there were no obvious casualties but I think I am in for a tough time with this predator on the go. Even the pure sight of the buzzard spooks the poults and they scatter all over the place and disperse into the woodland and pea field. I hate when this happens because it is certain that some will not find their way back at such a young and vulnerable age , these will become fox fodder - poor things. Crying or Very sad

Anyone got any suggestions on how to deter this stubborn bird ? Confused

I have already got feed bags in trees , cd's strung about , kiddies windmills on posts and a radio playing but he still likes to hang around the pen. I am going to give the mirror idea a try tomorrow.

Barry.

sako75

How did the training go today Annie ?? Sorry I couldn't make it but I am up tp my eyes at the moment !!!!! I will be back in October.

BritAnnie

Training went well - just going to write up his diary now. It's either that or watch Helen Mirren! We have log books that Mick made up - have pinched the basic principle for BCGB, and our FT Sec is looking over it - he thinks the timed sits/stays etc are too precise though. Perhaps also distances. I personally think the book is very useful as I have something concrete to refer to and can get things signed off as we go.
I met 'Plover' and family there today - on holiday from the Central Belt and taking training with their two wires.
Annie
Just had a thought about your poor poults - what about another raptor to scare the Buzzards off - I have a friend with a Falconry business near Forfar - can give you name and tel number if you think it would work. I know he clears pigeons from airfields as part of his work.

Helen

I've got a large, life-size, plastic eagle owl on the corner of my pen. Not sure if it is deterring buzzards but I certainly haven't seen one.

Helen

sako75

Annie , I am not sure that another raptor would solve the problem long term.

Helen , did you have problem buzzards before installing the eagle owl decoy ?? I may give this a go but I would rather be sure as they are around 30 quid a pop , funds are limited at the moment but if it works then it is money well spent !!!

Barry.

Helen

We certainly have a lot of buzzards around and I have seen them near the pen...but I can't say whether they would bother the pen if the owl wasn't there!

Helen

windem bang

Oh dear Barry, I put an eagle owl dummy in the bucket just 3 weeks ago! I used it for decoying crows, it used to drive them nuts if placed near where they nested, all I had to do then was aim straight Embarassed

Nobody seemed to want it so it is now part of a land fill site, sorry about that. What a waste!

Bill T.

sako75

Thats a shame Bill - ah well never mind.

I have a small spotted owl decoy which I used to use for crows , do you think that will work - or will buzby simply laugh at it?? I am even contimplating stuffing an old boilersuit with straw and hanging it up in the pen !!!!

Right , I'm off back to my pen to see how many phezzies I have left.......................bl**dy BUZBY !!!

BritAnnie

sako75

Returned to the pen this evening and no sign of BUZBY and no obvious casualties. Maybe BUZBY is so full that he can't fly Laughing

or maybe the mirrors have done the trick , I hope the latter is true.

I'm off to introduce Mr fox to Mr 22/250 tonight (AGAIN!!) - we had six cubs and a vixen last week. It is just as well that I am on holiday at the moment , these late nights are catching up with me !! All in the name of pheasants and dog training - I must be MAD !!!!