EEEEK -- building owner vs. pigeons!

[minimonkey]

Yikes -- I just got a call from our building manager -- the one who was destroying nests, and spared ours at my begging-- the building owner is freaking out and insisting that all the nests be destroyed and the rafters netted -- his job is on the line if this doesn't occur. Tenants have been complaining, I guess, about the droppings, etc. There are a couple of other nests out there -- one is too far for me to see, but I know roughly when the eggs were laid -- they are either just about to hatch, or have done so already.


I understand that this has to happen, and there is nothing I can do about the destruction. I have agreed to foster-parent any living squabs out there, including (but maybe not limited to) the two cuties my husband posted. I've been fretting about this happening -- and now it is. I'm not going to attempt to hatch any eggs -- that is just too risky, I think.

Wish me luck!!!

[feralpigeon]

How high up is the nest w/eggs about to hatch or already hatched? Is ladder
access the only way to the nest?

fp

[upcd]

And blessings to you. I hope you are able to rescue those little birds. I'll be praying for you.

[minimonkey]

Thanks for the well wishes. The nest that I can't see is awkwardly placed -- it is actually a few feet below the window of one of my neighbors -- I have a message out to her to see if I can use her window for access to it. The other way would be to get up on a ladder and then climb over some very ineffective pigeon spikes to get to the nest.

I have "my" squabs in a little basket nest with me now -- I attempted a feeding, but they were still pretty freaked out from me nabbing them. The parents were terribly distraught to find the young missing, and I just feel terrible about the whole thing. The babies are calming down now -- I've already been pooped on twice, which I guess means I have been initiated. I'll try feeding again in an hour or so.

[minimonkey]

Just an update -- the babies seem to have adjusted fairly well to the move. They've calmed down a lot. They're still not eating much, but I did get them to drink some water. They are beginning to recognise me as a benign, care-taking presence, it seems. The larger one even pipped a bit when I went to put him back in the basket after an attempt at feeding, so I held him some more, which he seemed to enjoy.

I haven't been up close and personal with a bird in a long time -- I'd forgotten how nice they smell! They have this downy, soft smell about them -- very lovely! We're going to get them a home tomorrow (I hate the term "cage" and I doubt they will ever spend much time in confinement.) My husband is away until tomorrow, so I am on my own with them until then. I'll do the formula thing again in a bit (I'm getting nothing done today that i had planned to do -- oh well --- ) and then hopefully I can get some work done, and they can get some sleep.

[Reti]

Hi minimonkey, you are doing great.
Good luck with those little ones. I hope the other babies will be brought to you and not be destroyed.

Reti

[minimonkey]

Reti --

ME TOO!!! I'm going the distance with these other guys -- will do all I can to get in there and nab them up -- yes, I realize that raising hatchlings will be a lot of work, but I can't imagine not volunteering for the job. I have yet to hear from my neighbor -- If it means climbing to dizzy heights to get them, though, I'm all there to do it.

Feralpigeon has kindly offered to help me if I need it in ladder climbing and hatchling retrieval -- seems we're neighbors, more or less.... I've got a bit of a working relatioship with the actual manager of the building (not the owner) so I think I can convince him that it would be no more work to give the babies to me than it would to destroy them... at least I hope I can..... for the moment, however, I have my hands full enough with my two new loves -- I've named them Prospero and Persephone.

[Reti]

I like the names, very cute.
Thank you so much for everything you do for those poor babies.
It is a full time job to raise babies.

How are they doing today?

Reti

[minimonkey]

Reti --

Well, it's 4 am, and I am up with them, actually! I heard them rustling around, and that woke me. (I'm not a mom to any humans, but apparently the instinct is quite intact ) I finally had a successful feed using the syringe balloon method , I think, and got them to drink some more water.

They then got all sleepy eyed, and I am wide awake The male (I'm assuming... may be wrong) got all puffed up and indignant again when I picked him up, but settled down quickly into being nurtured. They seem just fine, if still a bit disorganized from the transition from pigeon housing to human housing. I have formula all over everything from the feeding-- messy little guys! I'm totally in love with them.

[minimonkey]

First things first -- my babies are doing fine, as best I can tell. It's going to be time for another feeding soon.

But the reason for my post is that I am just feeling so heartsick right now.
I've gotten so attached to this flock of ferals -- and despite a prior nest destruction round, and some ineffective anti-pigeon hardware (spikes, chickenwire) they have managed to stick around. Now, their lives may be at stake because the owner thinks they are 'pests.' It is breaking my heart to go over to my window, because outside is the empty nest and sad parents, and others who are still wanting to nest here, amid so much human adversity. Their beautiful cooing, which used to make me so happy, just makes me want to cry. Some evil person removed eggs from a nest yesterday and put one of them between the spikes on a rafter What kind of sick mind would do that?? I just took in the bowls that I had been using to feed the parents of my squabs....and I just lost it. Just broke down and started sobbing. What on earth is wrong with humans that we can't seem to let anything alone? I just wanted these little guys to grow up healthy and leave the nest normally, and go out and live a normal pigeon life -- instead, I've had to steal them away from parents who don't understand why their babies are gone. I'm sure they feel betrayed by my kindness in feeding them -- like I betrayed their trust. Sadly, the take away message is accurate -- humans aren't to be trusted.

Thanks to you folks for being the exception to that rule.

[Reti]

I am so sorry for what you and your pigeons are going through.
I've been through this heartache myself, so I do understand how upset and sad you are. I don't know what to tell you, I had tried to fight the management of my building and they still proceeded with their inhumane method of eliminating the pigeons and we got evicted. Fortunately I was lucky enough to be able to relocate most of the flock with the help of some wonderful members of this group.
As long as they are not poisoning the birds in your building they will be fine. It is awful to watch them looking for their eggs and nests, but at least they won't get killed and soon they will move on. Don't feed them, as hard as it sounds for you, let them move on, they will find another location, hopefully a safer one for their future nests.

Reti

[minimonkey]

Reti -- thanks for your kind words. I'm very sorry to hear what you went through with your flock, but very glad that a lot of them were relocated. I've given up trying to fight the management, as I might end up getting evicted, too. (In fact, I'm sure if the owner knew I had these squabs, he'd have a cow.)

I have already stopped feeding the adult ferals -- I just hadn't taken the bowls in yet.

I'm really hoping that they manage to pigeon proof the building humanely rather than resorting to lethal measures -- and that the flock can move along to happier and safer grounds. At this point, I'd like nothing better than for them to relocate, even though I will miss them terribly.

On the home front, I seem to have gotten the knack of feeding, after a few messy starts -- our breakfast went off without a hitch, and the little guys are sporting nice, full crops now. The bigger one has started peeping to me The little one is catching up nicely in size now, too -- they seem healthy, their poops look healthy, etc. No word yet as to whether I'll be able to access the other nest -- I'll have to be satisfied with doing all I can, and let the rest go.

[Reti]

You are doing great. I am so glad the babies are eating and pooping and peeping.
Yes, they are messy eaters.

Chances are they won't call you for the other babies, they wan't them gone and not saved. Sad.
You did the best you could. You saved those two. Thank you.

Reti

[Lin Hansen]

Hi MM (and hubby too!)

I'm sorry to hear what you are going through with building owner. I'm glad to hear that the building manager at least sounds like he has a heart and is trying to work with you.
I know you will miss having your feral friends around, but if they move on, it will be much safer for them and less stressful for you.

Most of the time, ferals will frequent a certain location because there is something there that is appealing to them....good nesting spots, food made available, etc.

It is good that the owner is going to the trouble of netting the rafters to discourage nesting instead of just putting out poison (guess we have to be thankful for small favors!). The other thing that may be encouraging them to hang around is feeding. I know you said you stopped feeding, but if others in the building are feeding, the birds will continue to hang around. I know everyone means well by trying to help the ferals out by providing food (I do it myself), but perhaps you could spread the word among the other tenants of the situation at hand, to warn them that the kindest thing of all that they could do to help out the ferals right now is to stop feeding.

Good luck with the babies....it sounds like you are doing an outstanding job!

Linda

[minimonkey]

Thanks, all. I think I was the only offender on the feeding front -- and I only started doing that when these two squabs were laid (about a year after the flock moved in.) I think the major attraction is that there are lots of high up, sheltered rafters here -- it is a structure that used to have a roof which was removed.

One of our building managers is a former vegan who is all about animal rights -she's being great about all this and is just in a horrible position- her husband, on the other hand, is being very weird about the whole thing. He allowed my nest to remain, at my request, and is now trying to blame the "pigeon problem" on me (Hello??? They were already here when we moved in!). He put up spikes and chicken wire, but they are not deterring the birds at all. For a while he was shooting beebees at them, but that stopped when both his wife and I complained. ( I used the argument that our cars happen to be in the line of fire, and that children are often in the parking lot. Clearly, he wasn't worried about being cruel.)

Yes, in some ways, I'll be relieved to see the pigeons go, assuming the owner doesn't just lose patience and kill them. This whole situation has gotten really awful for everyone -- pigeons most of all.