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.

Big fan of pigeons here!
They're not useless as survivors. They're brilliant at adapting, they've colonised cities all over the place.

I hate seeing kids chase them too, poor pigeons.

Interesting story of Racing Pigeons released in France to fly back to their loft in N England.
Less than 10% made it back, over 90% never seen again.
It was later found that the French Concorde had flown supersonic down the channel just before the Pigeons were due to cross, and the turbulence created interrupted their navigation, the majority heading west out into the Atlantic.

Well, could you please come here and adopt (by which I mean remove) the crack team of porky, turkey-sized pigeons who are savaging my newly-seeded lawn like students falling on an all-you-can-eat buffet?

They are amazing flyers with incredible navigational skills. People who write them off as 'tree rats' are very blinkered, in my opinion.

Another pigeon lover here

I have a few pigeons who come into my garden to pick up the stray bits that the little birds drop out of the feeders. I've witnessed a couple of the courtship rituals which are very funny especially when the receiver of the attention just flies off and the wooer gets all huffy 😂😂😂

Well there's feral pigeons that you see in towns and are considered vermin - but people feed them and encourage them, that's not the birds fault.
And then there's wood pigeons that live in the countryside and are lovely! I've got two building a nest in the tree just opposite my window where I'm wfh, and I love seeing them coming and going all day.
I also love the coo-ing noise, reminds me of summer evenings with my grandmother when I was small; she had two in the tree in her garden and I used to fall asleep listening to them.

You'd love my house. I can look out of the window and see a pigeon at any time of day. They're always in our garden and we have a pair with a nest in our conifers. They come from the guy next door who keeps them. I genuinely don't mind them really.

@SmidgenofaPigeon

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.

Now I am older and don't care I have a go at parents who allow their children to chase pigeons. I have had some abuse but most just look sheepish and tell their child to stop

YABU There are billions of the shitters here and they have scared all the nicer more interesting birds away.

@lynsey91 me too!!

I’ve had some abuse hurled at me too, and most say ‘they’re only pigeons!’ WTF does that even mean?!

I love them too. Especially wood pigeons they are so fat and stupid.

I think its unfair to hate them. I mean if humans didn't litter, and basically feed them they wouldn't hang around city centres would they. Its our own.fault.

Mil is currently looking after a baby pigeon which fell into her garden from a very very high nest with no way to get it back in. She's not a fan of pigeons but couldn't let it die, been with her for a week!

Aww! just out of interest what/how is she feeding it?

I love pigeons! My grandad used to breed racing pigeons. They're very beautiful when you look at them properly and they're clever.

I love pigeons!

There's a pair of fat wood pigeons on my drive home who are always sitting in the middle of the road. When you drive up to them there is much twoing and froing and ruffling of feathers and confused looks from them as they waddle out the way. DP has named them min and Henry after the goon show characters!

We also have a pigeon that sits on our chimney cooing, and the acoustics of the blocked up fireplace makes it sound like it's in the room. It's a nice sound to wake up to!
I love urban pigeons too. I had one in St James Park that insisted on sitting on my shoulder. It's like it could sense I'm the softest touch ever, and would definately share my sandwich with it! I also got mugged by one of the woodpeckers there - it's a risky place to try and eat peanuts!

I love all animals including pigeons. We have one that visits the garden just to wind up our German shepard. He is gated away from the lawn section of the garden.
Pigeon will sit on fence and watch GS bark and bark and bark at him... not phased at all.
It will strut toward GS and just watch him.
Seemingly thinking "stupid F'n dog"

He will fly away when he tires of the dog.

It seems this is pigeons one and only reason to visit us. I rarely see pigeons until the GS is outside!

So many lovely people on this thread. And I agree with the poster who said there's no such thing as a singular 'pigeon'. I called them that as that's how they're generally described. Our residents are ring-collared doves and we have our regular families. I was thrilled one holiday in the Canaries when talking about pigeons with a fellow guest (can't for the life of me remember why), and he said, 'They're not pigeons; they're ring-collared doves'. I thought, 'Yey, someone else who doesn't just talk about them as "vermin". Why do 'doves' get such a great press and 'pigeons' such a shit one when they're part of the same family of birds?

Big exotic ‘pigeon’ I made friends with in Holland Park today

I am not keen on them because they cr*p in my garden and I have to clear it up so the dog doesn’t tred on it and bring it into the house. It’s pretty gross

I love pigeons too OP. We have a pair who spend - good portion of the day in our garden, gorging themselves on the food we put out for the blue tits (who no longer visit).

They're hilarious and very very fat. I can hear when one lands from inside the house as it makes an audible thud on the fence.

I really must get around to naming them.

I love my woodpigeons, though I do tend to call them all names under the sun when they prat fall. Often shouting "get a room!" or "she doesn't fancy you, love. Give her a break!" when they're getting frisky.

pick

Wood pigeons have no sense of personal space. Nearly every day I see on land on a branch. When another one comes along despite having the entire tree/cable to choose from s/he picks right next to the other pigeon. Of course the branch can't take the weight of both very well so then they end up flapping about trying to re balance on a bending branch

Its rather amusing

I really like pigeons,I'm very much the minority in my town even with family and friends.
I think the bravest thing I've ever done was rescue a pigeon from a gang of boys when I was 12 and they'd broken his/her wing throwing stones at it,took it to a neighbour who kept lots of birds,the wing ended eventually and I was there for the release

I was woken by a pigeon at 5am today!
I was staying overnight at my father's new place, and a pigeon was tapping at the window with its beak.
The previous owner was an elderly, disabled chap and I suspect he used to feed them

@SmidgenofaPigeon

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.

Agreed.