A hunter shoots a wood pigeon with its crop bursting with borage seeds

Dean Livett, a specialist in controlling damage caused by wildlife, devotes much of his hunting time to controlling the wood pigeon population, stalking wild ungulates that feed on crops and shooting foxes that attack livestock in the county of Essex, in the United Kingdom.

Wood pigeon overpopulation causes millions in crop damage

The areas most affected in Spain by the overpopulation of wood pigeons are the Balearic archipelago, the province of Cádiz, the two Castiles, Catalonia and the Valencian Community.

In Ibiza and Mallorca in particular, farmers suffer serious financial losses in vineyards, almond groves and other fruit crops. Farmers in the Magaluf area have estimated the losses caused by pigeons in cereal crops at 50%.

In southern Andalusia, sunflowers and wheat are the crops most affected by pigeons, while in Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Catalonia and the Valencian Community, the problem is concentrated in cereals, vineyards and legumes.

Pigeons and other granivorous birds feed on borage seeds. These are rich in oils and nutrients. Borage produces and ripens its seeds mainly in summer.

Borage seeds have cosmetic and pharmaceutical uses

This plant is grown on a large scale in the county of Essex, where these pigeons were shot. It is sown to extract borage oil, also known as “starflower” oil, which is used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries.

Essex borage honey is highly prized for its clarity and delicate floral flavour. In some regions of Spain, the leaves of this plant are highly valued in cooking. Its cultivation is concentrated almost exclusively in the middle Ebro Valley, and Aragón is the autonomous community with the highest production and the largest area devoted to this vegetable.