Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Pigeons
Our garden is much frequented by pigeons with wood pigeons the most regular. They seem to spend their time scratching and pecking in the grass - helpfully eating seeds and invertebrates. I do have to keep them off small seedlings but they are probably a good thing on balance. There are also a lot of the more evidently marauding rock pigeons who are more interested bird seed spilled from the feeder and who, in some years, have attacked our plum tree stripping off all the buds and/or flowers. Although I often hear them calling, none of them seems to spend much time roosting nearby despite the density of available trees and I often wonder where they go.
Walking by Chestnuts park yesterday morning around 9.30am I saw the following gathering of about 80 rock pigeons on the roof of the first house in Cornwall Road. They weren't moving, just sitting there. I can't imagine what attracted them to that particular spot but I'm glad they haven't chosen my house. If they stayed, the noise and mess would be terrible.
Tags for Forum Posts: pigeons
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Kate on
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Someone “feeds the birds” (dumps food waste) in the park by that spot on a daily basis so I imagine that’s part of the attraction
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Permalink Reply by Martin (Woodside) on
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A useful source of protein in an emergency, very tasty as well.
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I think lofts which are not insulated provide a nice warm roosting spot, but no pigeon has yet verified this .
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Permalink Reply by Niall on
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In related news, I was sad to hear that American musician, singer-songwriter, satirist and mathematician, Tom Lehrer, died last week, aged 97.
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Permalink Reply by Dick Harris on
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I haven't heard, Niall, of any poisoning of pigeons in Chestnuts Park.
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:-) His humour was not for everyone Dick ;-)
But his statement 'Political satire became obsolete when Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.' rings through the ages
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Permalink Reply by David Parnell on
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It is illegal under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981to poison or attempt to poison pigeons.
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Permalink Reply by Maddy on
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Apparently he wrote this song because the City of Boston was lacing bird food with strychnine to try and control them...
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Feral pigeons/town pigeons/rock doves are the blight of numerous towns & cities up and down the UK. Their fouling/guano defaces building structures, causes major slip hazards on pavements and walk ways, blocks rainwater gutters, and compromises human health.
However, for those amongst us who are repulsed by the unsavoury by-products of this particular species the preventative solution is quite simple. . .stop feeding them! If your garden bird feeder is attracting them then remove it! (don't worry, your probably not the only person in the borough feeding the birds plus of course they have plenty of natural food so they won't starve!)
Back in 2003 Mayor of London Ken Livingstone managed to rid Trafalgar square of it's pigeon problem by making the feeding and supply of food for local pigeons illegal. A £50 fine was also issued to ANYONE feeding pigeons in the vicinity of the square. Maybe the same strategy should be applied within the borough? Fine the Lollits who dump quantities of bird feed on our green spaces. (lets face it; what borough isn't partial to a casual fine!!
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