Is it mad to be mates with a pigeon?

[AngelasLastEgg]

I’ve been working in the same place for three years and I’ve seen a very distinctive looking pigeon (mostly white with bits of grey on him) almost every day. I really love seeing him and called him Lord Westbourne as he has an aristocratic look about him (I suspect descended from dove gentry) and he lives on the corner of Westbourne Grove. I always see him in the same three places and have shared a bit of sandwich or cake with him on many an occasion.

Then he went missing for nearly a month, I was gutted and kept looking out for him every day. Well today he’s back!! Just bobbing around as if nothing had happened. Luckily I had a little pre-wrapped Madeline in my handbag that I was able to share with him and the couple of mates he was with.

I know I probably sound unhinged (it has been said) but I really love this pigeon having a slightly rough time at the moment trying to conceive and honestly seeing him today really warmed my heart.

Anyone else notice random birds or animals and look out for them?

Please, no pigeon haters. No one say ‘flying rats’. If you don’t share the pigeon love kindly move along

This is lovely. Also, the person learning Romanian to speak to a cat is entirely justified, best reason I've ever heard for learning a language. I once read that our pigeons are descended from all those domesticated for work and in the war and such. They're also pretty clever. We've been out today with some bird seed in the hope of making some feathered friends, so I'm obviously biased - but you are not alone.

@ilovecardigans thanks for that, I loved Penguin on instagram years back, my little boy will love that book.

My dh has a favourite magpie that visits our garden, apparently he can pick him out from the other magpies 🤔🤪

Your lord pigeon sounds lovely.

I loved (ahem) watching the pigeons on the wall outside my office having sex. Or whatever they call it with pigeons. Every morning without fail. No Viagra required. It was hilarious when someone came in and looked out the window! LOL.

We had a pigeon for 2 days, we still miss him. He was a racing/homing pigeon that wandered through our extension to the amusement of the builders. I managed to pick him up and we found his owners phone number. We kept him in the house overnight and fed him and chatted to him and gave him a mirror for entertainment. Released him the next day and he flew straight into our roof and stayed there all day. Coaxed him down with some food and kept him over night again and even let him have a wander round the house. DH took him and released him a few miles away the next morning. He didn’t come back to us, no idea if he made it home.
We still hope he’s ok.
We called him Pidge Pidge 🥰
Apparently as they are quite clever birds they will find ‘people’ to try and get them to help them if they need it. I think I’d like to think that’s true, and Pidge Pidge did he’ll get our help!

I see that pigeon all the time. He is quite distinctive but I don’t think he’s a lord (or lady). He’s clearly new money!

Oh Username that’s so funny that you recognise him!! No no he’s clearly got blue blood he looks so refined compared to all his (also very nice but not nearly as beautiful) friends!!

Aw Mbear he sounds like a lovely character. I hope he made it home.

@ApolloandDaphne

We have a pheasant called Pete who comes to our garden a lot. Even the dog is mates with Pete and doesn't try to chase him. He went AWOL for a while which was worrying, but he is back now. I love him.

This just reminded me of Henry, the pheasant that always visited our garden when we were children.

Zixxy I’m laughing at the pigeon sex voyeurism

When male pigeons crack on to the ladies it’s funny, they do their dances and the ladies are normally like ohh pleeeasseee and plod off, with the male absolutely persistent. It reminds me every time of when I was much younger in a club dancing with my girl mates and a bloke would come up and show off his moves/grind and you’d turn away disinterested only to find him in front of you again 😂

I have 3 pigeons living outside my kitchen window and I do find myself saying morning to them as I make a cup of tea in the morning!

I've also been regularly feeding 7 baby swans who will actually run up to me when they see me and take food from my hand - only problem is they are fully grown now and bloody massive and a bit pecky and demanding!

Blimey. Say in a square for lunch today and my usual cursory glances at pigeons were somewhat more keen, more seeking out potentials !! Then left before any of them recommended themselves. I deffo don’t need To be seeking a pigeon mate right now on top of all else! Though if you op and laughed (mad woman on Park bench peering at pigeons and laughing to self - bloody hell - what has become of me !!
Lovely lovely thread.

YANBU, we’ve got a “pet” pigeon (Walter), who lives in our garden with his significant other. I’ve grown quite fond of him and he stares me out until I feed him.
We used to have a pet pheasant called Philippe. The hours just, erm, fly by here...

Oh and we used to have a local duck who had a hairstyle just like Mr T!

Aw seems like Phillip is a popular name for a pheasant...we actually had one too, my mum rescued him off the road injured and he lived with us for a bit. Grumpy sod he was but I was sad when he left us.

Heron that’s how it starts!

I made scrambled eggs and other meals for a baby sea gull who was old enough to leave the nest but tired himself out flying and took up residence in our garden for a few days. Built him a makeshift shelter and fed him several times a day until hew flew off. Covid, lockdown 1 - consulted a bird rescue place and that's what they suggested and they'd come if he didn't go in a few days.

Maybe he’s a pal of Birdie Friend.

@CovidiotTwunt

Don't you think giving scrambled eggs to a bird is a bit cannibalistic?

Totally bonkers being friends with a pigeon, so that must be me as well then!

We have a pair that nest in the tree by our patio and I love seeing them. I was going to get the tree cut back a bit, but decided against it, because of the pigeons, I just don't think they'd like it!!

I do this too!

We live in the country and have loads of pheasants in our garden this time of year. There is a small estate next door with a shoot, so some of the pheasants they put don't migrate over to is and stay because I feed them.

We get various numbers, but we've got an orchard with lots of bird feeders where there are usually 3 or 4 most days. I don't know if they're the same ones but I like to think they are. There's one in particular who is really brave and often comes round the house. He came into my porch the other day! I call him Colonel Mustard.

Sad thing is though, we had the hedges to our field cut at the weekend and I think it's scared some of them off We only moved here this year and the hedges hadn't been cut for fifteen years, so they were really overgrown and needed doing. They would have been perfect cover for the pheasants though, hopefully they will be back when they realise I'm still filling up its feeders and seed is still falling on the ground.

Goodness me I'm weird.

*put down migrate over to us.

Perfectly sane, OP, crack on

It also makes me feel a bit less daft for learning bits of Romanian, so I can speak to my Romanian neighbour’s super cute cat.)

Now that is proper commitment. Aa a language teacher I heartily commend your efforts! I hope the cat appreciates it.

My pheasant friends this morning

Lovely thread!

Not remotely bonkers, OP, and whoever said rats are intelligent and make lovely pets are spot on. A dd had a very tame and friendly one - she used to take him to the pub inside her jumper. He was very fond of crisps! He knew his name and would come (he was often free range in her room) when you called.

My SiL has a blackbird that’s so tame, he comes inside her back door for a dish of delicious dried mealworms.

We used to have a robin who’d perch on the back of one of the garden chairs close to the French windows, and give me, ‘Oi!’ looks if I was late with his breakfast.