Bop

[sapper756]

Read a lot of threads about BOP and the devastating effect they are having on our sport, I myself have experienced this only last week.

 

My question is;

 

when are these predators at their most active (hunting)?

[THE FIFER]

I would say morning and late afternoon,looking for food, I believe they kill to eat not just to kill, they look around and know where and when our birds are available, so letting out at different times of day could help, they should be going to nest shortly so only one on the go, and I also believe during the first spell feeding young they go for smaller pray, this is just my views,so not positive,

[kirky]

march is the worst time as thay are getting ready to go to nest and thay build themselves up in april thay will only take small birds to start with.

[Guest Tooshy Boy]

THE TIME ABOUT MY LOFT WAS BACK OF TEN .AND IN THE AFTERNOON BACK OF THREE MATE.

[Guest stb-]

no set time just depends on when they get a kill but would be a problem hear all year round , april may was normally the time you got a bit of peace while the hen was sitting but now theres that many unattached hens they just kill all the time 365

 

since i have lived hear there were always dozens off blackbirds song thrushes and a few pairs of mistle thrushes nested in the high beach trees , a few year back the 2 pairs of mistle thrushes and a pair of normal thrushes were feeding on worms in my garden every day rearing the young , when they fledged there were 2 nests of 5 mistle thrushes and a nest of 4 songthrushes all in the garden getting feed on the worms , within about 2 weeks the sparr hen had wiped out everyone of them , dont know if th adults were taken aswell but that was the last year i have seen mistle thrushes hear , they had always been mistle thrushes in the high beechtrees since i was a young lad , fekin criminal what the sickos in the bop rspcb brigade have created , have looked for last few days and not even a blackbird about now ,

Edited March 5, 2012 by stb-

[Guest TAMMY_1]

I would say morning and late afternoon,looking for food, I believe they kill to eat not just to kill, they look around and know where and when our birds are available, so letting out at different times of day could help, they should be going to nest shortly so only one on the go, and I also believe during the first spell feeding young they go for smaller pray, this is just my views,so not positive,

You are probably not far from the truth there Archie but as others have said this month they will be all out to build up as much reserves as possible before they nest,since moving here we have had a few sparrowhawk attacks,one successful,but so far not had a peregrine attack and hopefully it will be like that but I doubt it,over the winter I have saw the peregrine fly over a couple of times and hope it will not remember where the birds are because they were never out all winter except in the large averies at the front of every loft and they are going to be out for the first time this weekend and I intend to let them out at about noon on Saturday then alternate days and times for the first week then out every day after that for a week then they will have to go out twice a day to get them a bit fitter for the first race and two weeks before the first race they will get a few tosses just enough to jog their memory what they have to do,when you do get a hawk attack and you lose any birds it hurts but it would never make me contemplate giving up,you just have to get your head back up and carry on and good luck to all the members with their racing this year

[Kyleakin Lofts]

The Sparrowhawk usually attacks mine after they have done their first circle and have just widened it out to the second circle. She is obviously near and watching.

They have been locked up since the last days of August and I am dreading letting them out at the start of April. As Fifer and Rab says, they kill to eat, so there is no real time, as such. I think I had 2 spare hens last year and am hoping they have been driven off by their parents, but when there is a plentiful supply of food their territories are a lot smaller, so there is a greater concentration of them.

Best of luck with your problem which is actually all of our problem because we are all suffering or soon will be if not at this moment in time.

Bring pressure to bear on your Union, local councillors, MSP, MP and MEP. You could also try to influence your corn supplier and anybody that you buy specifics from. Their business will also suffer.

Bring pressure to bear on your federation to compact the racing season. Start a bit later and race YB's at the same time as OB's so racing is over before they are killing for fun when they train their YB's during August. This, we are able to alter and subsequently we should have less YB losses, resulting in the need to breed less, cutting our food bills and making the corn suppliers realise that the good times are over.

[Guest TAMMY_1]

The Sparrowhawk usually attacks mine after they have done their first circle and have just widened it out to the second circle. She is obviously near and watching.

They have been locked up since the last days of August and I am dreading letting them out at the start of April. As Fifer and Rab says, they kill to eat, so there is no real time, as such. I think I had 2 spare hens last year and am hoping they have been driven off by their parents, but when there is a plentiful supply of food their territories are a lot smaller, so there is a greater concentration of them.

Best of luck with your problem which is actually all of our problem because we are all suffering or soon will be if not at this moment in time.

Bring pressure to bear on your Union, local councillors, MSP, MP and MEP. You could also try to influence your corn supplier and anybody that you buy specifics from. Their business will also suffer.

Bring pressure to bear on your federation to compact the racing season. Start a bit later and race YB's at the same time as OB's so racing is over before they are killing for fun when they train their YB's during August. This, we are able to alter and subsequently we should have less YB losses, resulting in the need to breed less, cutting our food bills and making the corn suppliers realise that the good times are over.

 

sounds great but unlikely to happen

[johnc]

here in greenock the peregrine is hitting everything at first light and late afternoon seen it almost everyday for the past fortnight got to try and time it when it kills and when its hunting again ,cheers john

[WHITTY]

HAWKS AT ANY TIME OF DAY WHEN THEY ARE HUNGRY AND HAVE THE OPETUNITY WILL HUNT I HAVE HAD PERCY VISIT AT ALL TIMES OF THE DAY SO THERE ARE NO SET TIMES SPARROW HAWKS ARE OPERTUNISTS AND WILL HUNT ANY THING THAT MOVES AT ANY TIME THE ONLY SAFE TIME IS WHEN IT DARK

[Guest stb-]

HAWKS AT ANY TIME OF DAY WHEN THEY ARE HUNGRY AND HAVE THE OPETUNITY WILL HUNT I HAVE HAD PERCY VISIT AT ALL TIMES OF THE DAY SO THERE ARE NO SET TIMES SPARROW HAWKS ARE OPERTUNISTS AND WILL HUNT ANY THING THAT MOVES AT ANY TIME THE ONLY SAFE TIME IS WHEN IT DARK

FEK AUSTIN YOU SHOULDNT HAVE SAID THAT , THEY WILL BE SUPPLYING THERE NEW RELEASE BOP WITH NIGHT VISION GLASSES

[Guest Tooshy Boy]

[tyson]

started letting birds out last week had 3 attacks with the hen sparrow hawk one bird found in neighbours garden with head ripped off but I WILL GET THE B-----D

[WHITTY]

WE WID BE BETTER WY THEM ON OUR DOOS

[Guest IB]

HAWKS AT ANY TIME OF DAY WHEN THEY ARE HUNGRY AND HAVE THE OPETUNITY WILL HUNT I HAVE HAD PERCY VISIT AT ALL TIMES OF THE DAY SO THERE ARE NO SET TIMES SPARROW HAWKS ARE OPERTUNISTS AND WILL HUNT ANY THING THAT MOVES AT ANY TIME THE ONLY SAFE TIME IS WHEN IT DARK

 

Don't be too sure of the dark bit. I was told hawks have poor night vision. I've been out before morning light at my own loft and have seen a sparrowhawk go over at roof-top level; coming up the road in darkness at night I've seen a sparrowhawk come over at roof-top level from a pouter loft, and go over toward my own loft, a couple of hundred yards away.

[THE FIFER]

started letting birds out last week had 3 attacks with the hen sparrow hawk one bird found in neighbours garden with head ripped off but I WILL GET THE B-----D

 

are you sure it was a hawk m8,its carrion crows that usually take the heads off

 

started letting birds out last week had 3 attacks with the hen sparrow hawk one bird found in neighbours garden with head ripped off but I WILL GET THE B-----D

 

are you sure it was a hawk m8,its carrion crows that usually take the heads off

[yeboah]

If they are hungry will hunt until they get a kill,see the falcon hunting alot at nightfall,but when it has 3 to 4 young its an all day job ,have also had the birds out exercising many times and have the falcon fly straight past them very close without even attempting to attack (thats usually after its ate all the pies )

[alec guinness]

old jock says when the daffies are out thats the worst time for the sparrowhawk ;) extra caution. ;)

[yeboah]

old jock says when the daffies are out thats the worst time for the sparrowhawk ;) extra caution. ;)

She has to put on as much weight as poss before going to nest ,but she is thick as mince and has more returns than a tory MP

[alec guinness]

She has to put on as much weight as poss before going to nest ,but she is thick as mince and has more returns than a tory MP

 

 

;)

[Guest stb-]

the unpaired renagades will blooter your birds all year round ,

 

and yeas have seen some of the more inexsperienced hens chewing up the kneck and the head to start with

[just ask me]

are you sure it was a hawk m8,its carrion crows that usually take the heads off

 

 

 

are you sure it was a hawk m8,its carrion crows that usually take the heads off

 

 

have seen falcons take the head off archie no problem at all seen it a few times

 

 

also seen falcons flying near midnight from one church to another ok there were the lights off the town to help it but it done it no bother at all

[gulkie]

the last bird i had killed was at 2pm so at this time

of the year i don't think there is any set time

[racingsprint]

ma auldman got a yearlin hen killed yesterday at 5 45 pm

[frank mitch]

Ive had 2 birds killed in last 3 days by 2 "different" hen sparrowhawks, one of the birds was a young bird, only the 3rd time it had been out the hut! Few weeks ago i had a pigeon killed by a falcon, less

than 5mins after being let out the hut. These were all in the early afternoon, ITS ENDLESS!!!