Report on pea crop damage by pigeons

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32430, 17 October 1970, Page 18

Report on pea crop damage by pigeons

In none of the 20 or so pea crops he had inspected in North Canterbury in the last three days did the damage seem economically significant now, nor could it be indisputably blamed on pigeons alone, said Dr P. C. Bull, senior zoologist of the ecology division of the D.S.I.R. yesterday.

Speaking to farmers and pest destruction board representatives, Dr Bull, said that the damage was not as bad as he had frequently seen in the Hawke’s Bay area. Dr Bull, who was invited to North Canterbury by Federated Farmers to study pigeon damage to pea crops, admitted that little real knowledge of the problem ! could be gained after only ! three days. His chief impression after ; visiting crops at Waiau, Dun- * sandel, Irwell, Springston, Woodend, Wigram, Halswell, and Birdlings Flat was. that

damage generally was light, although he was prepared to accept that individual growers could have suffered severe damage. He had been told by farmers living within 20 miles of each other that the pigeons were increasing, that the numbers had remained about the same for the last 10 years, and that they were decreasing. Dr Bull said he saw only small groups of pigeons (15 to 25) although at Kaituna a flock of about 160 was in a* Ipaddock of newly-sown bar-1 ley. Control measures Caution was needed when discussing control measures, said Dr Bull, as these were nearly always expensive to apply and were rarely fully effective. He suggested that farmers could think about drilling! crops deeper, avoid growing* crops which ripened in quick succession, and could remove food supplies that supported the birds in winter. Dr Bull mentioned certain drugs but said that much testing was needed yet. He suggested that as his own division was understaffed and already fully committed, farmers might consider trying to interest the zoology departments at the University of Canterbury, and at Lincoln and Massey Colleges.