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BirdWear - Custom made nappies/diapers for pigeons and chickens.
Matilda's List - An international list and directory of pigeon friendly veterinarians and rehabbers.
MickaCoo Pigeon & Dove Rescue - A division of Mickaboo Companion Bird Rescue dedicated to the rescue of doves and pigeons in the San Francisco Bay area.
People for the Preservation of Pigeons - A blog that supports pro-pigeonism, strives to eliminate pigeon persecution and prejudice, and promotes the positive portrayal of pigeons in society.
Pigeon & Pet Chat - A forum where members can discuss all things about pigeons; whether they are pet pigeons, wild pigeons, fancy or homing pigeons.
Pigeon Aid UK - A site that provides advice for those who have picked up a sick, injured or baby pigeon and need guidance.
Pigeon and Dove Rescue - A website aimed at providing help for anyone that has rescued a pigeon or dove by providing details of pigeon friendly rescue centres, vets and guidance on how to care for orphaned, sick or injured pigeons.
Pigeon Angels - A forum dedicated to the support & care of all pigeons, feral or fancy, that find themselves in jeopardy.
Pigeon Blog - A bona fide urban pigeon telling it how it is for the pigeons of London.
Pigeon Control Advisory Service (PiCAS) - PiCAS specialises in the provision of non-lethal, holistic and sustainable bird control systems, which will result in a permanent reduction in bird numbers.
Pigeon Control Resource Centre (PCRC) - An online resource for anyone with a pigeon-related problem. All information and advice provided on the website is geared towards completely solving pigeon control problems by the use of humane and non-lethal control methods.
Pigeon Protection - Website aiming to provide accurate information about pigeons and pigeon control in all its forms and to prevent pigeons from suffering and dying as a result of human actions based on misinformation.
Pigeon Tales - Interesting blog following the lives of a family of feral pigeons living with the author.
Pigeon-Talk - A global forum open to all pigeon lovers.
Project PigeonWatch - Project by Cornell Lab of Ornithology that is involved in observing the behaviour and colour morphs of feral pigeon populations for scientific research.
Rescue Report - Wonderful blog about fostering and adopting pigeons (from MickaCoo Pigeon & Dove Rescue).
Urban Wildlife Society - Their mission is to promote appreciation for all animals, particularly pigeons, that share the city and suburbs with humans. The website is filled with information and articles about inhumane pest control and offers advice on alternative measures.
Wild Bird Fund - Website for the non-profit organization that provides assistance for wild birds, including feral pigeons, in New York City.
Pet pigeons - what we mean Explaining what we mean when we talk about keeping pigeons as pets. In brief: We mean keeping tame, imprinted or disabled pigeons that would not otherwise survive in the wild.
Hand-rearing pigeons - right or wrong? Controversial post on whether it is right to hand-rear a pigeon on its own and therefore potentially cause them to become imprinted on humans.
Invisible babies Why we don’t normally see baby pigeons, their growth rate (photos included) and info on what to do if you find a baby pigeon.
With the weather being a bit on the wet side (did someone say we’re experiencing a drought in Kent? LOL) we haven’t been able to take Elmo or Georgie out in the garden for a good old sunray-soak. But there was a break in the rain this weekend so Richard decided to try Elmo with the harness in the garden. (Georgie is sitting on eggs and left a note on her cage ordering us to leave her alone.)
And, predictably, Elmo tried to run away from the harness. A bit hard to do when it’s attached to you, but Elmo gave it a shot. With a little bit of love and reassuring, Elmo calmed down and we were able to have a little walk in the garden. A few feral pigeons even came down to see what all the fuss was about.
Of course, Elmo only tolerated the harness for about 5 minutes before he wanted to go back inside. But at least he got a few minutes outside before the rain started up again.
I love this first photo of Elmo. He’s looking down at the harness as if to say, “What in the world is that?!!”
Despite not having the strength to fly properly (lack of flight muscles for sustained flight), Elmo likes to flap his wings to exercise:
What a glorious day it has been today! Since the sun decided to make an appearance I quickly set up the run in the garden to give Georgie and Elmo a chance to be out in the sunshine.
And they loved it! It’s been a while since they’ve been outside and they enjoyed every opportunity to soak up some rays (the sun started to play peek-a-boo behind some clouds) and to peck at the grass and earth.
Pretty Georgie
Since both Elmo and Georgie are disabled and cannot fly properly, we put them in the run for their own safety (not at the same time otherwise Elmo would attack Georgie!). I also had Georgie on the grass outside of the run for a while (when it was Elmo’s turn in the run) and kept a very close eye on her in case she decided to flap into the air and be carried away by the wind.
Elmo is usually a bit scared in the garden but today he was a champ. He saw a bit of dirt and started pecking at it and then preened himself in the sun. He wasn’t bothered by anything.
Elmo pecking at the ground
Elmo in the run
I took a little video of Georgie but she wasn’t sure about the camera (you can see her backing away at the sound of the camera in the beginning and end of the video).
I always worry about wildlife when it snows unexpectedly – for them, not so much for us. Although, who knows if they can predict when snow will come? Maybe they are prepared for the cold snap. Even so, I worry. Especially when I look at my two pampered pigeons resting snuggly on the sofa without a care in the world.
This morning we awoke to a white world:
Our garden under snow
So the first thing I do is bundle up and go put out some fresh food for the wildlife that visit our garden. I can see from the tracks in the snow that foxes and cats have already sniffed about for any scraps of food. They’ll receive their dinner later but for now the birds must get a helping hand.
Peanuts, seed, defrosted sweetcorn and bread are put out for the pigeons, blackbirds, blue tits and robins that frequent the garden. (I sadly didn’t have time to stock up on fat balls and other yummies this week, so I had to raid my cupboard for anything edible for the birds.)
From the warmth of our home I take photos of the birds I see in the snow. I notice some long-tailed tits (occassional visitors) and a rarer visitor, a song thrush!
Our resident woodpigeon
Our other resident woodpigeon
Songthrush
Our resident robin
Our resident robin
Blue tit on the peanut feeder
Previous posts about snow in our garden (with photos of our pigeons in the snow!):
(Well, estimated day. We don’t know the exact date, only month, since she was found as a baby on the ground and taken to a rescue centre.)
Georgie is 4 years old, and still a baby in our eyes.
We have had her in our home for 3 years now, however, I’ve known Georgie for longer since she was brought to my work to be hand-reared and cared for. Georgie is the reason we fell in love with pigeons. Georgie is the source of my pigeon madness.
Now, how do you treat your pigeons on their special day when you spoil them so much everyday anyway? … Well, just give them more treats! Brioche is something that Georgie hasn’t had in a long time, so it was the choice treat for her on her hatchday.
And what else did she receive? Georgie received a card in the post from a friend (the lion card), and a card and two pigeon books from us that she’s been wanting. I’m sure I’m going to be reading these to her every night now.
Georgie checking out her presents
Today has been a gloriously sunny day, perfect for a little sunbathing time.
Georgie sunbathing
Georgie enjoying the sunshine
A visiting feral pigeon wanted to wish Georgie a “happy hatchday” but wasn’t sure about us humans being in the garden.
Feral pigeon on the roof
And Elmo has been on his best behaviour with Georgie today. He’s taken out his frustration on my feet instead. Ouch.
Georgie wants to send everyone a message of thanks for all the wonderful birthday wishes she’s received on facebook. “Coo, coo, thank you!!”
To show our gratitude and love towards pigeons on this day, Pigeon Appreciation Day, we first gave Elmo and Georgie, our two disabled feral pigeons, a big hug and a kiss. Being extremely tame and imprinted to humans, they both reciprocated with wing waggling, cooing and gentle pecking.
We then covered the garden with peanuts. Not a blade of grass to be seen! The visiting feral pigeon flock descended and proceeded to pick the ground free of peanuts. Unfortunately, being in a rush to get to work, I didn’t have time to take a photo.
The injured and orphaned pigeons at my work, a wildlife rescue centre, received lots of treats and affection from me. Dora practically leapt into my arms when she saw the peanuts and other treats I brought over. There was a feeding frenzy as they all jostled around the feeder to get the best bits. (Dora is tame pigeon who used to live with us but is now living in an aviary with some fancy and disabled pigeons at my work.)
When I returned home I immediately put out some more peanuts, as well as sunflower hearts and other seed, however, to my amazement, not a single pigeon flew down!! I think they’ve been going round to other pigeon parties, stuffing their crops full before coming back to our home for a rest.
Later when I looked out the window I saw this fella eating the treats:
Elmo and Georgie received a jar of one of their favourite treats: sunflower hearts! We also bought some mini-cakes to enjoy. Don’t worry, the chocolate ones were for us! (Chocolate is poisonous to many bird and mammal species.)
Georgie didn’t seem to want any mini-cakes (I think she was full from all the sunflower hearts she gobbled up!), and Elmo simply tried to mate with them – silly boy! So there were more for us humans.
Georgie (left), Elmo (right) and our newest addition, Mr. Pigeon (front right)
I hope you all have had a wonderful day filled with pigeons and love!
It has been a fabulous week of sun and clear skies. After so many weeks of rain and mud it’s a welcome break.
I took the pigeons out on Friday for their first real time out in the garden this year. They each had a turn in the pen in the sun. We cannot trust Elmo nor Georgie out in the garden without some form of protection. Georgie, being mostly blind and unable to fly properly (she usually ends up flying backwards), has a habit of taking off suddenly if spooked – which is what can happen in the garden with the strange environment and sounds. Elmo, being an ex-PMV sufferer, cannot fly properly either. He hasn’t got the flight muscles nor coordination, however, he can fly up quite high for short bursts if frightened and potentially end up in an undesirable place (e.g. over the hedge onto the railway track that’s on the other side of our garden). We therefore have two options when taking Elmo and Georgie outside: 1) put them in the enclosed wired pen, or 2) put a flight harness on them.
When we first got Elmo we used to take him out without a harness or putting him in a pen. We thought that since he could see and was unable to fly properly, he wouldn’t get himself into trouble. We soon learnt how stupid we were and how dangerous the situation really was (read: Fly, birdie, fly!).
What used to happen with Elmo is that he’d spend some time with us in the garden. He’d be pecking at the dirt and grass – as happy as Larry – then suddenly he’d decide he’d had enough and walk over the pebble path back to the front door round the corner of the building. He’d wait there until Richard let him into the flat (which would be fairly quickly since we didn’t like him being out of our view). On one occassion Richard and I were in the garden, lying on the grass, when all of a sudden a little Jack Russell terrier appeared by our heads. It was our uncle’s dog, Minnie. Luckily, we had already put the pigeons back in the flat so there was no danger, however, it really sunk into my mind that had Elmo been free in the garden at that moment, Minnie would have attacked him in a heartbeat. And what if Elmo had gone to the front door at that moment, out of our view when Minnie came over? It’s too horrible to think about. We immediately stopped letting Elmo roam free in the garden and got the pen and harness for our pigeons.
Yesterday Georgie had a refreshing bath after her time in the sun, however, Elmo wasn’t interested in the water.
Georgie bathing!
Georgie in the sun
Georgie falling asleep
When I placed Elmo in the pen he shook like a leaf – he was very excited and I think a little scared of the new environment. I had to bob my head to divert his attention, which worked, because then Elmo calmed down and started pecking at the grass and enjoying the direct sunshine.
Elmo in the pen
A single feral pigeon came down to look for seed on the ground and Elmo was quite curious. He stared intently at the pigeon until the pigeon noticed him, and then the feral stared back. Funny.
Elmo is now officially friends again with the bedroom window sill (Elmo has free reign in the bedroom when we’re at work). Last year, during the summer, he spent a few hours every day on the window sill watching the live drama show that occurs in our garden (click on the Categories tab above and select “Garden” for posts about the garden). During the winter, however, he stopped standing on the window sill and I had no idea why. But I think I’ve now figured it out! The window sill is cold during the winter!! There are some ventilation strips above the window and there must be a bit of a draft which was too cold for Elmo. Now that summer is well on the way and the air is a warmer, Elmo has decided that it’s no longer too cold by the window. I’m almost 100% about this. (I have so many theories.)
I’ve caught Elmo out a few times – he’s been flirting with the woodies and feral pigeons! Which is so funny because he cannot stand Georgie so why flirt with other pigeons? Sometimes when I return home I can hear him cooing and when I open the door he’s dancing and cooing on the window sill to visiting pigeons. I don’t know if they notice him but it must be a funny sight for them. They probably think we’re horrible people because we’re keeping a pigeon indoors. If only they knew the life of luxury that Elmo and Georgie have! They’d all be queuing to get inside!! LOL.
I had a half day at work today so I’ve been spending a bit of quality time with Georgie and Elmo. They’re ecstatic to have me home early: they were dancing and prancing about with excitement for the first hour or so.
Now Georgie is on my lap and she’s fidgeting about. I think she wants to nest and is finding my lap unsuitable, which is bizarre because usually my lap is the best spot! Earlier I found her in different places that she was exploring for their suitability as a nest site.
"Is this a good spot?" Georgie in the bedroom.
"Maybe here?" Georgie on my bag in the corridor.
"How about here?" Georgie in the coffee table shelf.
Also earlier Elmo jumped up onto the “pigeon-free” sofa, and after a quick photo I removed him from it. Our pigeons have full access to the whole flat except for our smaller sofa which is in my reading corner. We want to have at least one surface (besides the kitchen counter tops) that doesn’t get bombed with pigeon poop.
Elmo on the forbidden sofa!
Elmo wasn’t impressed though. He quickly ran away in a strop. But as soon as I pointed the camera at him he came running back with his tail fanned out and he made some impressive flirting moves to the camera.
"Here I come!"
I also managed to take a video of Georgie and Elmo mucking about. In this video Elmo is playfully preening a plastic bag. I’m lying on my stomach taking the video and Georgie climbs onto my back and takes offense to the camera. You’ll hear her coo angrily and wing slap as I turn the camera towards her!
Elmo is moulting around his face and he’s got lots of flecks of white there which are in fact new feather growth still in their follicles. He looks quite different but soon he’ll be back to his normal grey self (he does have a few white feathers on his head).
I could hear him cooing through the closed door and when I opened it I saw him bowing up and down on the window sill, cooing to a woodpigeon that was in the garden. Silly boy!
As soon as Elmo saw me though, he flew onto the bed and danced over to me – obviously happy to see me!
Elmo’s flying has been getting better (who’s been giving him lessons?). When we first received Elmo he was understandably unsure about us and his new home, and he would do some nervous backflips when he tried to fly. Over time, as he realised how much we love him and how safe his home is, Elmo’s flying became more controlled and less erratic.
Although Elmo cannot fly properly, he does like to have a good flap every now and then. He’ll stretch his wings and lift off from the sofa and land on the floor – then take off from the floor for a few more short flights up.
Once Elmo actually flew at Richard when Richard was mock-running away from him! He’s never done that before and hasn’t done it since, but it was very impressive.
Here’s some old footage of Elmo home alone (taken from the webcam):
Guess where I found Elmo this afternoon upon returning home from work? … On the window sill!! He hasn’t been on the window sill in months!!
And how do I know this, you ask? Well, I can tell by following the poop trail he leaves. If Elmo spends a lot of time in one area there’ll be a bunch of poops nearby. It’s as simple as that!
I had wondered why Elmo had stopped sitting on the window ledge this winter. Did something spook him? Maybe he got bored with the view, but now that spring is around the corner he’s taken an interest in the garden again? I wonder…
Since moving into our new flat we’ve had many different visitors to our garden. I’d like to post some of the photos I took of these very welcome visitors:
Grey squirrel
Badgers
Bullfinch
Long-tailed tit
Fox cub
Brown rat
Woodpigeon
Feral pigeons!
Feral pigeons!
With all these visitors how could Elmo get bored with the views?!
I’ve noticed a new young pigeon coming to our garden on its own. Sometimes he’s with the flock but often he stays for longer or flies down before the other do.
He looks young and I think he’s got slightly sticky/dirty looking feathers.
I’ve thrown some extra peanuts and seed down for him and he’s eaten to his hearts content. I just wonder why he’s on his own and where’s his family? Poor little fella. I hope he soon finds a friend to fly with.
Today Elmo has been relentless with me: he’s been chasing me about and even jumping over the cushion barriers I erected to keep him on his side of the sofa (which, may I add, is the best spot on the sofa!).
So after trying to keep the peace and getting nowhere, I decided that maybe Elmo just needs to get all his anger out of his system, so I gave him my hand and he pecked it to bits!! The little *@#*¤%!!
I was wrong with my thoughts, and Elmo’s now busy trying to kill my feet which are thankfully clad in thick woolly boots! Ha!
From our bedroom window (during the December snow):
Brioche is something that Georgie hasn’t had in a long time, so it was the choice treat for her on her hatchday.
