I realise killing birds as a hobby may be distasteful to many birdwatchers but I recently had a curious encounter with some Pheasant shooters.
I visit an area in South Cumbria with a healthy population of wild birds
A few years ago I found a wonderful habitat, ungrazed by sheep and full of gorse.
Every time I go there are regular sightings of Yellowhammer amongst other birds like Common Redpoll,StockDove,Willow Warbler Redstart etc.
I could never understand why they managed to hang on here until I met a group of men who arrived in a four wheel drive towing a trailer.
They were restocking pheasant feeders.
For those who are not aware, they are those upside down blue buckets you see dotted around.
They told me there is enough seed in there to last all year.
No sooner had they gone than two Male Yellowhammer descended upon the seed which spills out the bottom of the feeders.
Problem solved!This is why they have managed to survive here.It is because of the Pheasant shooters.
I have counted 9 Yellowhammers here this year.
On or way around we came across the group again about 2 miles further on.
They were restocking the blue feeders in another area.
This time is was a fenced off sheep free habitat full of dense heather.
Not ideal for Yellowhammer but the area is full of Skylark,Linnet,Meadow Pipit,some Reed Bunting,a pair of Stonechat and in boggy area,I could hear a Common Snipe chipping[there was a Cuckoo nearby].
So an area of dense vegetation provided a home for not only Pheasants but also a habitat for many birds which would otherwise not be here.
There was another fenced off area nearby without blue feeders where I saw Reed Bunting,Linnet,Stonechat,Skylark and Meadow Pipit.
It made me review my thinking about people who enjoy killing bird for fun.
I also wondered whether dedicated Nature Conservation groups could do more by providing suitable habitats and feeding, out in the wilds and not just on dedicated nature reserves,
I visit an area in South Cumbria with a healthy population of wild birds
A few years ago I found a wonderful habitat, ungrazed by sheep and full of gorse.
Every time I go there are regular sightings of Yellowhammer amongst other birds like Common Redpoll,StockDove,Willow Warbler Redstart etc.
I could never understand why they managed to hang on here until I met a group of men who arrived in a four wheel drive towing a trailer.
They were restocking pheasant feeders.
For those who are not aware, they are those upside down blue buckets you see dotted around.
They told me there is enough seed in there to last all year.
No sooner had they gone than two Male Yellowhammer descended upon the seed which spills out the bottom of the feeders.
Problem solved!This is why they have managed to survive here.It is because of the Pheasant shooters.
I have counted 9 Yellowhammers here this year.
On or way around we came across the group again about 2 miles further on.
They were restocking the blue feeders in another area.
This time is was a fenced off sheep free habitat full of dense heather.
Not ideal for Yellowhammer but the area is full of Skylark,Linnet,Meadow Pipit,some Reed Bunting,a pair of Stonechat and in boggy area,I could hear a Common Snipe chipping[there was a Cuckoo nearby].
So an area of dense vegetation provided a home for not only Pheasants but also a habitat for many birds which would otherwise not be here.
There was another fenced off area nearby without blue feeders where I saw Reed Bunting,Linnet,Stonechat,Skylark and Meadow Pipit.
It made me review my thinking about people who enjoy killing bird for fun.
I also wondered whether dedicated Nature Conservation groups could do more by providing suitable habitats and feeding, out in the wilds and not just on dedicated nature reserves,
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