Pigeons

A neighbour feeds the birds and I was quite happy to see several wood pigeons enjoying the free feed. In fact for several months it was just wood pigeons that would come. Wood pigeons are the largest pigeon and are quite attractive birds. They have plump looking bodies with a pink breast and a white patch on the neck. They take off with a loud clatter and have a distinctive cooing call, 

According to the RSPB they are also UK's commonest pigeon. That is surprising as I thought the feral pigeon was much more common, but maybe there are still lots of wood pigeons in the countryside. 

They must be constantly on the look out for food because whenever I went to a window, they would fly down hoping to be fed. Quite often one would spend time chasing off another instead of eating. And a pair would sleep in the tree right in front of me. Getting ready for bed -

Unusual to see them resting on the fence like this (photo taken through double glazing) -

This one was sunbathing on a shed roof -

Wood pigeons feeding together

But things have changed. Slowly feral pigeons started joining the free food and the wood pigeon numbers decreased. Feral pigeons are also known as rock doves and are the wild ancestors of today's domestic pigeons. Those domestic pigeons were originally bred from the wild rock doves. The rock, domestic and feral pigeons are thus all the same species and will readily interbreed. Generally feral pigeons don't interbreed with wood pigeons.

Pigeons have quite a bad reputation in cities worldwide and are often called flying rats. And their droppings can be a huge nuisance. I have mixed feelings. On the positive side I admire their huge variation in colours and patterns. They come in all shades. There were some quite pretty ones amongst them.

Feral pigeons are also known for their vertical takeoff. Other birds that take off vertically are some shorebirds and ducks. A BBC video of this.

By Sept the wood pigeons had disappeared, leaving just the feral pigeons. They wait in the morning for their food, and then in the afternoon they start to gather, hoping to be fed again. 

Then during the winter I was pleased to see 1 wood pigeon had returned. I am now seeing it every day, I assume it is the same one, as it is the only one. The feral pigeons sometimes try to chase it away. I keep an eye out for it and if I see it in a nearby tree, I throw out some bread or peanuts.

And apt cartoon (Jan 2021) to end the blog on pigeons -

Wood pigeon eating ash leaves

In late evenings in June I noticed wood pigeons arriving in nearby ash trees and eating the leaves. I guessed they were having a late night snack before going to bed. They usually appeared around 9pm, and sunset was just over an hour later. These trees seemed to be a popular roost for late evening until the birds flew off to bed.

I posted the video on youtube and someone replied saying he had seen a similar thing but at 5 am.

5 pm in July

8.45 pm in June

pigeons

I don't particularly like pigeons, and I know a lot of people call them "flying rats". Unfortunately there are a few living on my condo building. When I moved into my apartment, to my horror I found a nest with a young chick hidden behind the aircon unit. I never use the aircon. I couldn't face evicting the chick until it could fly, but the smell from the nest was particularly bad. The moment the chick took its first flight and was steady on its wings, I removed the nest, cleaned the sill and made sure no pigeons returned.

young pigeon

mum or dad?

Any pigeons that land on any of my window sills usually get chased away. My adopted mynas are also quite defensive and chase off any pigeons that come near by. When I returned home from a 3 week trip this month, I found a new nest had been buit behind the airconditioner. I soon removed the nest, and shooed off the pigeon each time it tried to return.

On one occasion I heard a noise in one of my plants, and found a young pigeon had crash landed in it. I think it must have taken its first flight and crashed onto my window ledge. Soon after there was monsoon rain and I hadn't got the heart to chase away the pigeon as it obviously hadn't got the strength to fly. It stayed all night, huddled in a corner. In the morning I gently persuaded it to leave.

The other day a pair of white coloured pigeons landed on my window ledge and I managed to get some photos before they flew off. I don't know where they came from and I haven't seen them since.

© Liz Price
No reproduction without permission