I Love Pigeons

[itsnotmeitsu]

I think pigeons have a really bad press. Also, for me, any bird deserves to be preserved [not in a food-type way of course :-(] Several years ago I read a newspaper article whilst on holiday in The Canaries about why pigeons are judged unfairly. Since then I've championed them. I love to hear my native pigeon families cooing from my trees. I have my returning families, alongside the Blackbirds, the Sparrows and the Robins (oh, and the foxes and squirrels).

Today I looked out of my bathroom window and saw a Magpie on the patio chair. Not a fan of Magpies at all (murderers) but was thinking, 'Oh, you're not just black and white; you've also got lovely green/blue plumage'. Then noticed another Magpie by the gate next to the chair. The Magpie on the garden chair hopped onto the chair arm and I exclaimed, 'Oh you sod, you're trying to eat the bees!' The bees were feasting inside the Foxgloves on the patio. I dashed outside to frighten the birds off.

Now I realise I'm quite mad to be talking to birds from inside my house, but I wish pigeons weren't judged as thugs of the bird world as they're pretty useless as survivers compared to other birds.

Rats with wings.

But that's good because I love rats.

Love them.

Here is my favourite pigeon, we’ve been friends for three years. He lives near my work, and I carry round a box of seeds for when I see him. I’m going on maternity leave soon and I’m genuinely going to miss him

@SmidgenofaPigeon

Aw I love this post. Do you have any nice colleagues who would take over seed duties for your feathered friend?

@GromblesOfGrimbledon no sadly not, I’m a nanny, but I’m hoping to persuade the children to keep it up! It’s not far so I’ll still visit him occasionally

Blurry photographic evidence of a BFP at work.

OP you sound as mad as me ha ha ha! I love pigeons!

I suspect most of their bad press is due to the huge droppings they emit. We have a lot of wood pigeons in our garden and I’m quite fond of them.

I love all birds. Magpies are amazing, so intelligent, dont judge them for eating, they have babies to feed.

I think we judge all animals that are able to coexist with us. We love the animals that are going extinct because they can't but hate the animals that thrive with us. I say "we" as humanity but not myself, I'm the wierdo that gets excited seeing a wild rat on the street!

I love pigeons. Used to volunteer in a wildlife sanctuary, the poorly pigeons were the calmest, sweetest birds always letting you help them.

And I love seagulls too, they mate for life and can live for 30 years plus. Very clever birds.

@AnUnoriginalUsername I am very fond of my magpies. But I also love my little blue and great tits. To help them co-exist and both raise babies I fed the magpies bits of chicken and meat fat every morning in the hope they’d have enough to eat without going after the little bird chicks

I think it worked out ok as we’ve seen a lot of fledglings. The magpie obviously doesn’t want the sweet deal to end and taps on the window now when he’s peckish

@kindaclassy

Pigeons in the countryside can have the time of their life. Pigeons in town are vermin and need to go. I hate pigeons.

That’s our fault though, we brought them there, they’re just trying to find food in a weird (to them) habitat.

YADNBU. Pigeons are beautiful, characterful birds. I love their irridescent feathers, their courtship dances in city parks, the way they will come and feed from your hands. I love pigeons. But I love almost all wildlife. It's illogical that people complain of other creatures being vermin when we as a species aggressively commandeer other species' habitats whenever we feel like it.

I was supposed to meet up with a friend in a park recently with her dog. I suggested one and she says ‘no, I saw a rat there once’

I said ok cool let’s definitely go there then seriously though. A rat going about it’s business in a green space, no doubt feeding on litter that humans have left behind. People are so weird.

I love a pigeon. In my old job I was known as the unofficial Pigeon Protection Officer because we looked after a couple of public squares and other popular pigeon hangouts, and some of my colleagues were not keen on nesting pigeons and wanted to destroy the nests. I always had selected sections if the Wildlife Act handy whenever they came to talk to me about pigeons.

We also used to get them flying into the venue and I was usually the "pigeon whisperer" that got them out safely. Once I found an injured pigeon and I had to get the RSPCA to come and collect it and I remember sitting there on a city centre bench with a confused looking pigeon in a cardboard box in my lap, thinking "well this is a bit weird".

I like all animals though and I'm a big softie so can't really help it.

I love them too. I love all birds and all wildlife. I hate that some people think that some creatures like pigeons and foxes should be killed.

They have as much right to be here as we do and I think it's sad that we destroy so much of their natural habitat.

I feed the birds and love seeing them all in my garden. I especially love seeing them bathing. I have 4 birds baths and 2 of them are large. The pigeons splash around so much the baths end up almost empty!

They cost a fortune to feed though. I have 2 big dogs and they are cheaper to feed!

And I’m not sure if this has already been says but parents/adults who allow children to chase and harass pigeons are the absolute worst.

I hate them, they are filthy vermin. We have loads of them living in neighbours huge trees, we have just painted our fence and it's already covered in pigeon poo, it's all over the paths, the garden and our gazebo. They wake up at 4am and start that ridiculous cooing noise which wakes my cats who then wake us. All day long they chase each other and shag everywhere. Disgusting creatures.

@Originalyellowbelly how dare birds live in trees!

SmidgenofaPigeon if only they would stay in the trees and out of my garden!

My DD (13) adores them. We have wood pigeons and collared doves in our garden but even the city kind she calls “city doves”. She’s the kindest of my kids and it shows.

DS1 LOVES pigeons. He's completely besotted - all types, but wood pigeons are his favourite.

Since his obsession started, I have definitely looked more kindly on them! They do have a bit of character that the smaller birds don't always display.

Pigeons are born survivors.
Fast flyers, tough birds and we still don't fully understand their powers of navigation, as in Racing Pigeons.
A combination of memory, the sun, and the earth's magnetic field.

@KonTikki and many of them were absolute heroes in the world wars!

I love pigeons too OP they’re really smart birds

I’ve got no issues with pigeons (now that we’ve put spikes on their previous nesting/pooing spot). I don’t love them but would never harm them or let my kids be mean to them.