The need for feed
Lupins are an increasingly popular crop in the UK, and the fact that they are high in protein
means that pigeons love ‘em! Andy Crow goes out on patrol to save this Kentish crop
T
he licensing furore might still be going on, the
resolution yet to be sorted, but for Andy
Crow, the job of controlling pigeons on his ground
can’t stop, and this month Andy is protecting a
local lupin crop.Lupins are not a common crop in the UK yet,
but there are plenty of farmers that are growing
them successfully. Used as a break crop, lupins
are a legume (like peas and beans) and are able to
not only produce nitrates from nitrogen in the air
but also, crucially, to fix nitrogen in the soil. They
can be sown and harvested using traditional
machinery used for cereal crops or even
wholecropped using silaging equipment.
They are reputed to produce the
best quality protein of any crop –
superior even to soya. And it is the
cost of protein that makes
feedstuffs the highest single cost for
British livestock and dairy farmers.
That protein is also what makes the
plants so very attractive to pigeons! At
this time of year, the plants are small enough
to allow the birds to land among them and they
have not been missing out on the opportunity.
The farmer has been using kites predominantly
to scare the pigeons off as the close proximity of
residential properties makes gas guns somewhat
unpopular. “We move the kites and swap
between different colours, but the birds just ignore
them. And you can see the areas they arefavouring.” It’s not difficult: instead of 10"-high
healthy plants, there are spindly offerings or
patches of bare earth. Not good.
After spending a quiet 20 minutes tucked in the
gateways observing, Andy sets up a hide under a
large oak tree along a well-worn flightline and
close enough, he hopes, to an intersecting
flightpath to draw other birds in.
“I have not got any birds in the freezer
at the moment so I’m making do with
artificial decoys,” Andy says. “As we
are travelling light and hiking out a
bit to where we want to shoot, I’ve
gone for the Sillosocks from UK
Shoot Warehouse. They are so light
and easy to carry, and with a nice bit
of breeze today they will help add in
some much needed movement.
“I’ve got an Enforcer floater and an FF5 auto
riser from Nick Tait at Flightline Decoys – again,
looking for maximum movement to try and draw
birds in.”
The first bird of the day jinks past at range, but
Crow is straight on the money, folding it up
cleanly with his first barrel. Another bird tries to
sneak past on the backside of the hedgeline, butPIGEONS WITH ANDY CROW
PICTURES:
DOM HOLTAM
TOP TIP
When travelling light,
half shell decoys or
Sillosocks save space and
weight in your bag.Andy sets up under an oak treeUsing a kite to deter pigeons isn’t proving very
successful on this lupin field