Wood pigeons, large flock (1 Viewer)

[DMW]

The South Coast-breeding Channel-crossing birds seem to me less explainable in terms of what we know already.

Surprisingly interesting stuff from a species that rarely gets a second look after 1 January.

John

I spend much of the Autumn vizmigging and Woodpigeons are by far the most spectacular migrants we get. On a good day, when they get comfortably into 5 figures, watching the big flocks going over is a great experience - especially when the local Peregrines keep them honest and they start tumbling out of the sky en masse.

I have nothing to back this up, but I suspect that most of the Woodies we get are continental birds which have crossed into northern Britain and then cross the Channel aiming for Brittany.

 

[jogresh]

Did a bit of rummaging and found the thread. There was clearly a chap who was imho a bit blinkered to the field observations (John and others stating what was happening in real life), and made me wonder if contra my understanding, in fact we weren't getting Woodys from Norway/Sweden.. 🤔🤷‍♂️

Woodpigeons Autumn 2014

I saw about three hundred woodpigeon lift up together over woodland today in North Devon in a way I'd be more used to seeing in November. No sign of a raptor and it got me thinking, how come I've not heard or seen much of spring migration in this species when it's so evident in autumn, and could...

www.birdforum.net

 

[Patudo]

I spend much of the Autumn vizmigging and Woodpigeons are by far the most spectacular migrants we get. On a good day, when they get comfortably into 5 figures, watching the big flocks going over is a great experience - especially when the local Peregrines keep them honest and they start tumbling out of the sky en masse.

Saw a bit of that last Sunday morning when there were woodpigeons constantly heading SW-ish over SW London, including at least two flocks of some 3/400 birds each, which I thought pretty neat. One of the pair I was watching closed in on the second of those flocks and as they saw her coming in they all went diving down to the rooftops so it looked like it was raining pigeons. She went straight past them towards the lead part of the flock but they all got away too. It was interesting to see woodies being pursued as they're normally pretty safe from peregrines in London. The local ones are incredibly blase about them, taking what one would think were stupid risks at times. Have you seen many get caught?

 

[DMW]

Saw a bit of that last Sunday morning when there were woodpigeons constantly heading SW-ish over SW London, including at least two flocks of some 3/400 birds each, which I thought pretty neat. One of the pair I was watching closed in on the second of those flocks and as they saw her coming in they all went diving down to the rooftops so it looked like it was raining pigeons. She went straight past them towards the lead part of the flock but they all got away too. It was interesting to see woodies being pursued as they're normally pretty safe from peregrines in London. The local ones are incredibly blase about them, taking what one would think were stupid risks at times. Have you seen many get caught?

I've only seen a couple of successful stoops, but I tend to look the other way when I see a peregrine in hot pursuit as I don't enjoy watching birds getting taken-out!