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Cormorants

Kine262

Kine262

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Has anyone noticed any change in the amount of cormorants they are seeing on their local rivers?

Back in 2015/6 I recorded seeing multiple cormorants on every fishing trip but I’ve just looked back on the last year and don’t have a single sighting recorded!

They have either moved on because the food has run out or someone has been popping them off on the quiet!
 
Kine262 said:
Has anyone noticed any change in the amount of cormorants they are seeing on their local rivers?

Back in 2015/6 I recorded seeing multiple cormorants on every fishing trip but I’ve just looked back on the last year and don’t have a single sighting recorded!

They have either moved on because the food has run out or someone has been popping them off on the quiet!
Click to expand...
Kin things should be scared off.
 
No shortage on Llangorse lake. They pop up in unexpected places - I saw one fishing on a quiet corner of the Ashby canal (where I used to pike-fish), and we had one in the oak next door for a few days, fishing the Upper Wye.
 
fishing hobbit said:
Feed em a bit of lead?
Click to expand...
I agree completely but to be able to do so you need a special licence and the application process is pretty difficult and involves consultations with Natural England, providing evidence of how the birds are affecting your fishery, (difficult on a stretch of river) details and dates of number of birds over a prolonged period, including seasonal averages, details of other predation impacting the fishery (otters, mink, crayfish) and the experience of the person/s that will be carrying out any control. You also are then limited on how many and how often you can shoot them, as well as having to report all control carried out.

It would be easy to say just ignore all of that but the penalties are pretty harsh.
 
Yea loads have been on my lake, 3 days ago there was 22 Goosander/Merganser. Most Cormorants ive seen on my lake at once this year was 18. We were shooting them 2 weeks ago but we only have a licence for 6 so we have only shot 1 so far this year ;) ;) Doesnt help my lake has 5 mile of the river Severn going around it like a horseshoe.
 
richtic said:
Yea loads have been on my lake, 3 days ago there was 22 Goosander/Merganser. Most Cormorants ive seen on my lake at once this year was 18. We were shooting them 2 weeks ago but we only have a licence for 6 so we have only shot 1 so far this year ;) ;) Doesnt help my lake has 5 mile of the river Severn going around it like a horseshoe.
Click to expand...
We get a licence for 6 too. We also try to scare them off the roost they have with a green laser.
 
Kine262 said:
Has anyone noticed any change in the amount of cormorants they are seeing on their local rivers?

Back in 2015/6 I recorded seeing multiple cormorants on every fishing trip but I’ve just looked back on the last year and don’t have a single sighting recorded!

They have either moved on because the food has run out or someone has been popping them off on the quiet!
Click to expand...
Maybe the last big outbreak of bird flu knocked them back a bit locally?
 

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