Rooks, crows and jackies with Rob Speed

Spring crow shooting can be difficult. The birds are hungry but they have had a whole winter to build up wisdom and, today, the weather is wet. Rob Speed from @fieldsportswithspeed shows how he sets out to approach corvids on a field of spring drilling, with careful decoy patterns and – says Rob – 'hot snack of the day'. For more about the products featured in this video, follow these links: Browning https://browning.eu/ Eley cartridges https://www.eleyhawkltd.com/ Jack Pyke https://www.jackpyke.co.uk/ Speero Tackle https://speerotackleshop.co.uk/ Find Rob’s channel at    / @fieldsportswithspeed   ▶ To watch all of #FieldsportsBritain, episode 854, visit https://FieldsportsChannel.tv/fieldsp... ▶ Become a Fieldsports Channel member, help fund our fight for fieldsports in the media, and take advantage of our insurance package, including legal expenses cover https://FieldsportsChannel.tv/membership ▶ Sign up for our weekly email newsletter https://FieldsportsChannel.tv/register We’re proud to promote enjoyment of fieldsports and the countryside. There are three guiding principles to everything we do on Fieldsports Channel: ▶ Shoot responsibly ▶ Respect the quarry ▶ Ensure a humane, clean and quick kill Why shoot corvids? Crows, rooks, magpies and jackdaws are a farm pest that eat crops and animal feed. They are on the ‘general licences’ for shooting across the UK, with some local variations. They are usually shot over decoys. They are omnivorous predators and occur across all habitats. They are major predators of ground-nesting birds, waders and song birds, consuming both eggs and young chicks. Corvid predation particularly impacts thrushes (White, P.J.C., Stoate, C., Szczur, J. & Norris, K.J. 2014). Research has shown that the populations of curlew, golden plover and lapwing are significantly improved by controlling corvid numbers (GWCT Research Waders on the Fringe 2010). Crows also predate on lambs and young livestock, and can damage newly-sown cereal crops, particularly in winter and spring when other food sources are scarce.