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In reply to Post #1
Used to get the resident swans treading water all the time, doesn't really matter to them if they're syphoning crumb, stirring up particle or making saturated boilies bounce up off the bottom.
Ducks and coots can be a PITA but I learnt to watch their reactions as sometimes the birds would shy off because there would be carp on the baits.
Saying that i was out a last week, admittedly a shallow water but there were half a dozen ducks that would eat all of the freebies before taking multiple attempts at the cork ball pop-up.
I gave up and went stalking in a snaggy corner that I'd been baiting, once again the ducks wanted to get on the crumb but there were a few carp feeding and they weren't getting involved
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I’ve had bites with literally fifty odd tufties going berserk over an area… They can be a pain but think outside the box a little more…
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In reply to Post #18
Birds can smell the bait from above the water. They will circle an area and then approach from downwind.
Carp can 'smell' the bait underwater, but undertow means they will only get onto the scent trail from 'downstream'
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In reply to Post #18
I'm sure they can detect and find it as easy as you imagine. Stopping and eating it, is a completely different story.
Birdlife can pick up just the hookbait without the hook going in their mouth, carp as we know can't. With everything else out of the equation, carp have learnt to proceed with caution but birdlife don't need to.
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What also bothers me is the fact that coots etc. can find bait in seconds or minutes even though they are on the surface and they cannot be able to see the bait in e.g. 4-8m of water in our gravel pits.
Sure they see the bait boat, spods etc. but even when I made sure that they were elsewhere when baiting up, a few minutes later they would stop on the spot and start diving.
So I really wonder why carp seemingly are unable to detect the bait when coots can find it (without seeing it) in a matter of seconds or minutes...
Carp should have a big advantage finding bait as they are underwater creatures and it should be easy to quickly catch them. But it is not.
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In reply to Post #15
I agree with this. I joined a new syndicate last year which is very shallow and had never experienced so many tufties, coots and mallards diving and feeding on my spots.
I pulled my hair out trying to keep them away - tufty torches, green lasers and the occasional fit of rage waving my arms around and clapping like a mad man. Even shouting expletives or asking nicely didn't work.
But in October I caught one of the lake's biggest whilst 2 coots were diving onto a clear spot in the weed I was fishing. Resetting stiff rigs did the trick as they'd picked the bait up twice before the take.
Since then i've learned to ignore them as ive never actually hooked one, although they've picked the bait up and dropped it many times over and ive still caught.
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In reply to Post #15
Some other things they can do you a favour.
I have numerous stories about the carp turning up and spooking the coots or tuffties.
Also how times have diving gulls put me onto feeding carp.
But then I'm hardly ever able to use a throwing stick these days.
We have to evolve and solve every problem we encounter.
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In reply to Post #1
I’ve never understoood why people get so het up about it. The birds have more right to be there than we do, it’s just part of fishing. Use a sensible rig that will reset itself in the event you get picked up, and get on with your day. I’m pretty sure the carp aren’t bothered.
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In reply to Post #12
Don't think it's got any worse.
Over the years since I started carp fishing in the mid 80s.
I have had swans trying to stir up the bait, tuffties diving on me in 30 ft of water, mallards diving on me to 6ft. Etc etc etc.
They are wild animal and they want food.
You just have to consider the wildlife goings on every year.
I have to admit it can drive you to pull your hair out.
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In reply to Post #1
If its Swans take an old loaf and chuck it in the next swim for them. I used to fish one water and they used to come and sit with me, no bother, feed them boilies too, and the mallards. One thing i noticed, if you have a good amino bait, watch how quick it passes through them lol. One bloke i know used to feed them a load of grain on the swims but this is not good and will attract rats.
Use a resetting pop up rig or a long hair and you should not have much bother, they will pick it up now and again but drop it once they feel the lead
If its diving birds, loads of hemp, particles or micro pellet, makes them work for it, they have to surface to swallow it 
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In reply to Post #1
The public lake I fish had 2 swans on and they used to drift over you bait and upend over it basically knecking the silt as the lake isn’t very deep,in the end I had to resort to keeping a spomb loaded up with bait and dispatch it near the swan to spook it off,it does work but they then do it through the night as well,then 1 died and other disappeared but when I went down a few weeks ago and fished in that storm there was 5 back on there but luckily they didn’t bother me
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In reply to Post #7
Great comment. 🤣🤣🤣
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A mentioned, otter fenced lakes are perfect for birds as it keeps out most of the predators and this is leading to a rapid increase in numbers on many lakes.
When a pack of 50 tufties gets on your bait there's nothing your gonna do to get rid of them.... nothing bar shooting them.
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In reply to Post #7
Well now you mention it 😂
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A couple of years ago i was fishing a desolated stretch of a big canal. Usually birds aren't a problem on that canal. Along came mama duck with 8 orso youngs, and it was almost as if they were getting home schooling. Quak quak and down they went, 2-3 meters deep eating a few kilo's of 20 mm boilies in no time. So i blame education:XD
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In reply to Post #1
I can’t be the only one who read the subject and thought he meant his missus 🤣
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you can tell the Catfish in our Syndi are not full awake yet as the birdlife is quite heavy at the moment. Give it a month or so when you can start to count the chicks down day by day and they soon do the off....last summer there was hardly any birdlife at all....
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In reply to Post #1
The birds seem to know that a bait boat is an easy meal and make a beeline for it at some of the waters I fish! Unfortunately I have to resort to zig-zagging it out to deter them. 
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Also most lakes are otter fenced now so they know it's safe and congregate in large numbers for that reason.
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In reply to Post #1
I think bird numbers have increased so competition for food has increased.
However, I definitely think birds have evolved to not fear humans as much and see them as a food source.
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In reply to Post #1
I don't necessarily think it's got worse but coots in particular seem to be pretty cute. On a club water I fish you can bait up without a bird in sight. They then turn up and go straight to your spots and go down on the food.
They are either watching from afar or they just know the spots that anglers fish the most. The water is also reasonably clear so I'm sure that in margin or shallower areas they can see the bait as they swim over it.
I remember one particular session where they just ruined me for 2 days. I couldn't wait to pack up. The swans and Canada's aren't as big a problem at all.
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Is it just me or have birds diving and swans being pests gotten worse over the last few years, if anyone has seen the cyp video where the swan was treading water to stir up the bait that's out of reach, something I've never seen before but I've just wanted a swan do just that. I'm thinking of moving to making ground bait balls so there's nothing for them to actually get hopefully they will leave me alone !!
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