In article ,
"BAC" writes:
| "Malcolm" wrote in message
| ...
|
| But that doesn't seem to agree with Nick's suggestion that an increase
| in population would lead to an increase in mortality and a reduction in
| life expectancy which would bring the population back down again.
|
| No, it doesn't, but I don't think Nick is the only person to think what he
| thinks about the subject.

Ogilvie has misquoted again, too. Me, certainly, and probably Murton.

I never said or implied that a reduction in their life expectancy would
result in a reduction in their population. Assuming that the latter
follows automatically from the former shows a severe misunderstanding
of population dynamics. Few ecologists will make that mistake.

| I have seen it suggested elsewhere that the
| farming community came to believe that the traditional autumn culls of wood
| pigeons actually increased the numbers surviving the winter to breed the
| following spring. If so, that might explain Sacha's observation that the
| wood pigeon shoots have been reduced, although not, as you say, her
| subsequent observation this has led to an increase in the wood pigeon
| population :-)

It is a known phenomenon, and has been observed in many species, which
is why I said that it might well occur in this case. It is quite possible
that the increase has been due, primarily at least, to the mild winters and
the culling has a very secondary effect.

| What's wrong with woodpigeons in gardens, anyway?

In moderation, nothing. The problem is that they don't have appropriate
predation pressure in the UK.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.