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.

If I fits....

YANBU to love pigeons but YABU to call magpies murderers. I love all birds. They’re all just trying to get by.

My old office in London had an exterior door with a shelter and one very wet Friday afternoon a skinny wet bedraggled one-footed pigeon turned up outside the door to take shelter. I gave him some left over sandwich and sure enough he was back the following Monday. I ended up feeding him (seed) for about six months until all his mates got wind of the daily feast and turned up and he got so fat he could barely fly. We called him Walter after the actor Walter Pidgeon.

I have been watching a pigeon constantly coming into my garden, picking up a nice big stick and flying off. I realised that it had made a nest in the large tree outside my house so started gathering sticks so it was easier for her/him.

Thinking how nice it was, one of my elderly neighbours mentioned he had seen it constantly flying about up into the tree. I told him yes it was building a nest from the twigs in my garden. Thinking he was about to say something nice, he suddenly told me, in great detail, that the best thing to do in this situation would be to find something long to poke the nest out of the tree! Our street is a tree lined one so he pushes the nests out of his so they don’t return.

I honestly didn’t know what to say at this point (his son died a week ago just in case anyone is wondering why I didn’t call him out on it) and just smiled and nodded politely and mentioned they were of no bother to me. He warned me I would be regretting my decision in the future by not killing them off

@Maddiemademe > So sorry to hear about your neighbour's son, and I'd have been the same as you, not picking him up on what he was saying. But I'm pretty sure it's illegal to disturb nesting birds in most circumstances, eg tree surgeons can't chop down trees during nesting season. Of course, that does mean we have the horrible situation where nets are thrown over trees when there may already be eggs due to hatch underneath them, so that the business of making money can carry on.

If I'm lucky enough to see it; in my garden or elsewhere, I love seeing the birds flying backwards and forwards picking up their sticks and twigs. I consider it a privilage to have the various nests in my garden. Actually birds will probably still be around long after we've gone.

There are two cherry trees on the grass verge outside my home. Earlier this evening there were seven wood pigeons, including a quick-learning juvenile, scoffing as many berries as they could reach without bending the branches beyond their reach. It's the same every summer. Meanwhile, the local ferals occupy the rooftops and old mill buildings over the road. They're not there just now as it's about time for the jackdaws to start their shift. A few pairs of collared doves live locally too. I'm happy to see them all, and hear them too, provided they're not too repetitive.

Last summer a bastard cat (might have been mine) caught two fledgling pigeons. Only one survived and I spent about a week looking after him in our garden as he hopped around and gradually started fluttering higher and higher. I was terrified he’d starve but his mum came down and fed him. Eventually he learned to fly, and I don’t know his he’s one of the pigeons that squishes onto our ‘small bird’ feeder, but I hope so. I love you Buzz!

When I was guarding him in the garden, I got really involved reading an American site about pigeon keeping. Thanks to day by day photos I could identify exactly how old he was and what he should be doing, and it was spot on. He had yellow fuzz when he first arrived, snd was the cutest thing ever.

There was a post on mumsnet recently where someone had seen an old man killing a pigeon in the park. I wish she’d punched him in the face.

The photos are buzz and his mum feeding him ♥️♥️♥️

This is (possibly) him this year. He sits in the little swing, and when sparrows peck the fat balls, little bits drop and he eats them. He can crane his neck up to peck for himself but he’s quite lazy.

I quite like them. We had one fall down our chimney, into a blocked off part in our bedroom. My husband lovingly removed the panel and ended up with a pigeon on his head. It sat there for a bit acclimatising itself to the light then flew off out of the window. Another one found outside wasn't able to fly so we took it to the local wildlife rescue centre. They're ok.

There's at least half a dozen wood pigeons crashing around in the cherry trees outside just now. They only seem to be able to maintain their balance long enough to grab and gobble one cherry but their persistence is admirable. The juvenile I mentioned the other day is here and is doing remarkably well.

This morning, I saw what I thought was a bird of prey whizzing from one feral pigeon perch to another - a very fast flier and with an orange-brown plumage, quite unlike most birds around here. When he landed, I realised he was another feral pigeon but not in the very common slate blue-gray colour. Definitely a male too, as he started strutting around and puffing his chest the moment he landed!

We have a few fat pigeons. Our house has no loft space, they clomp around on the roof all day with their hobnail boots on, and they leave greasy rings in the pond when they have a bath. Still find them adorable, I mean who doesn't secretly dream of a life of shagging and eating all day long?

We sing Pigeons in Flight by John Shuttleworth a lot.

@MsRinky > I love John Shuttleworth! . Saw him live once. We were about three rows from the stage and he referenced me by describing what I was wearing when he was talking about 'going to a disco and going downstairs' (if you like John Shuttleworth you'll understand the randomness .

Pigeons and John Shuttleworth - we may be soulmates .

The wood pigeons are back again this evening. They hang around for a few minutes, attempting to grab a cherry or two, then take off and fly around in the late sunshine, contemplating new ways to snaffle the berries without bending the branches and tumbling out of the trees. There's a few ripe berries on the pavement but they seem to ignore them in favour of what's still in the trees.

We had a racing pigeon visit for a week recently. He was one of about seven thousand that got lost in the middle of a race. They think an electrical storm may have knocked their navigational system out of whack. We haven't seen him for a while so hopefully he made it home.

Pigeons can be trained to distinguish between Picasso and Monet paintings. 😀

Perhaps some racing/homing pigeons just get brassed off with the rat race and decide to join their urban or country cousins for a less hurried lifestyle. Ultimately, all these sport and feral pigeons and stock/rock doves are from the same stock.

At a nearby park next to a river, the feral pigeons live alongside the ducks and swans. The pigeons are (visibly, at least) in great shape - clean and tidy plumage, glossy and suitably plump. Must be the regular supply of duck food and the clean bathing and drinking water from the river. They come in all different colours too.

Randy wood pigeons flapping around in our tree this evening. Mrs pigeon didn’t seem very in to it.

I bloody love pigeons. Listening to their relaxing sounds has got me through some very tough times. I think people’s negative attitudes to them is some kind of “behavioural conditioning”, it’s been passed down to them. Every creature on our planet has an important role to play, the only creature that really is a pest is us I’m afraid. We’ve often rushed wounded birds to the vet (no local bird charity here) they never come out so we were thinking of other options. Keep up the pigeon love and know you’re not alone, my two young daughters love pigeons too and look out for “Jack” daily.

I went into London today and bought a red bean bun from the Chinese bakery for lunch. Then saw a pigeon and threw him a chunk. All his mates turned up and before I realised, I'd fed the entire bun to them. They lined up politely on a low wall, taking bits from my hand very gently with their beaks. Made me very happy.

@Darbs76

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

Likewise. I'm looking after my toddler grandchild tomorrow and I'm going to have to go on a poo collecting mission before she arrives. And of course it doesn't pick up neatly so there'll be a load left behind in the grass.

And the pigeons in my garden fight all the time. Several times a day they're on the lawn flapping and beating chests with each other over their territory. It's MY GARDEN you stupid birds.

If I could find some way to drive them away, I absolutely would.

I had a racing pigeon stop off in my garden for about a week in may. I fed him up and gave him water. He was lovely and I'm not a fan of birds but this one had personality. Hope he made it home.

[quote itsnotmeitsu]**@MsRinky > I love John Shuttleworth! . Saw him live once. We were about three rows from the stage and he referenced me by describing what I was wearing when he was talking about 'going to a disco and going downstairs' (if you like John Shuttleworth you'll understand the randomness .

Pigeons and John Shuttleworth - we may be soulmates .[/quote]
OMG also a John Shuttleworth fan here, blimey that’s going back to my 20s! OP I’ve got Pigeons In Flight stuck in my head now and thanks to @MsRinky too

So funny watching the courtship rituals, male pigeon was doing all the bowing and scraping, showing off what a catch he is, female wasn’t giving him a second glance. “I’ve seen it all before Jeff” yawn.