BIGPETE Posted March 5, 2015 Report Posted March 5, 2015 Best yearling bird got killed today. Noticed was one short and strange no sign of it as was just out and about around the loft and had been trained quite heavily previously. Hunted the garden, no sign of the body but a few down/body small feathers. Found a pile of large feathers/flights behind my house in a field in one area. No sign on a body. Would I be right in saying this sounds like a cat? Or could it have been a BOP?
greenbar Posted March 5, 2015 Report Posted March 5, 2015 sorry to here this pete,my opinion a hawk has nailed it, and dragged under a bush to finish it of, :emoticon-0179-headbang:
Kennybhoy Posted March 5, 2015 Report Posted March 5, 2015 Sorry to hear that pete..to me sounds like b.o.p because cats mostly like to play with them and I doubt a cat would try to carry dead bird over fences,p.s check your lofts for scratches up your loft as if a cats been near it would definetly be climbing onto your lofts,o.m.o and hope you get to the bottom of it m8
BIGPETE Posted March 5, 2015 Author Report Posted March 5, 2015 Cheers for the replys lads. It is gutting as I only had 8-9 late breds to race lightly as yearlings. So to lose one which was the best from training is a real kick in the nuts. Especially to lose it before I've even put em into a race basket. sorry to here this pete,my opinion a hawk has nailed it, and dragged under a bush to finish it of, :emoticon-0179-headbang: The pile of feathers was under a tree, is this typical of a hawk rather then eating it in an open space? I have seen a cat kill a wood pigeon before and the area was covered in feathers all over the place and you could see it was real mayhem. But with this, not much mess anywhere and a pile of feathers elsewhere, all under a tree as you said. Would you expect the body if it was a hawk would have been flown away somewhere to a nest? I am gonna have a hunt tomorrow and see if I can find any other signs of what did it. I know if its dead its dead and thats gutting but not the real issue. But my neighbours all have cats and if its them obviously I can deal with that in a certain way. But if its a hawk then that is a whole different kettle of fish and of course a much harder problem to tackle. So looking for any indicators that might tell me who the culprit is. I know its a long shot to find out what did it, but gotta try narrow it down.
Bobby4 Posted March 5, 2015 Report Posted March 5, 2015 Best yearling bird got killed today. Noticed was one short and strange no sign of it as was just out and about around the loft and had been trained quite heavily previously. Hunted the garden, no sign of the body but a few down/body small feathers. Found a pile of large feathers/flights behind my house in a field in one area. No sign on a body. Would I be right in saying this sounds like a cat? Or could it have been a BOP?Cat a think .sparrowhawk can't eat all the bird in one day an perigrines would take it away so jmo
Fly_caster Posted March 6, 2015 Report Posted March 6, 2015 "Could" have been a male Percy. They are large enough to bring the prey down (by gliding with it) and they will then dismember (head and wings usually), eat the rich innards (Heart, Lungs & Liver) before carrying it off to its plucking perch, adjacent to its nest.I have seen this many times. It could also have been a SH. Maybe something got to what she had left over ? Cats have a habit of moving as they eat, so all options are still open for me. Sorry to hear of your bad news - get yourself a larsen trap. Cheers, Steve
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