I'm So Upset

[lwerden]

My feral flock (26 Birds) which nets and roosts on my roof are being run over intentionally in the street.

I have a neighbor 2/3 houses down the street that is very sympathic to the pigeons and feeds them every morning right after dawn. Unfortunately this neighbor, although he has good intentions does not want the bird poop on his driveway or sidewalk so he puts seed out for them in the middle of the street. Although this street is not a major thoroughfare it is part of a 100 track house development so there are many cars that use it to get in and out of the development.

There is a young guy in a pick up truck that leaves for work around 7:30AM every morning. He speeds down the street and this morning I saw him intentionally swurve directly into the piegons. He killed two of them thismorning. One had a broken neck and the other was crushed beyond recogonition.

This is not the first time. I have already lost other birds in the past to him. I have found them crushed in the street.

I have called the police about this, but even though I report him as speeding, they are unwilling to put a police car on the street in the morning to catch him and they could care less about what is happening to the birds.

I have spoken to the neighbor and told him to stop feeding the pigeons in the street as he is only making them a target. I don't know if he will stop, but the birds are so used to this being a source of food for about 6 months now that they wait for him in the street every morning.

I don't know what else to do to stop these murders. If he stops feeding them will they eventually not go there any more in the morning???

I just hope I have gotton through to the neighbor who feeds them and he will stop.

I'm just so upset and needed to rant a bit.

Louise

[Lovebirds]

Originally Posted by lwerden

My feral flock (26 Birds) which nets and roosts on my roof are being run over intentionally in the street.

I have a neighbor 2/3 houses down the street that is very sympathic to the pigeons and feeds them every morning right after dawn. Unfortunately this neighbor, although he has good intentions does not want the bird poop on his driveway or sidewalk so he puts seed out for them in the middle of the street. Although this street is not a major thoroughfare it is part of a 100 track house development so there are many cars that use it to get in and out of the development.

There is a young guy in a pick up truck that leaves for work around 7:30AM every morning. He speeds down the street and this morning I saw him intentionally swurve directly into the piegons. He killed two of them thismorning. One had a broken neck and the other was crushed beyond recogonition.

This is not the first time. I have already lost other birds in the past to him. I have found them crushed in the street.

I have called the police about this, but even though I report him as speeding, they are unwilling to put a police car on the street in the morning to catch him and they could care less about what is happening to the birds.

I have spoken to the neighbor and told him to stop feeding the pigeons in the street as he is only making them a target. I don't know if he will stop, but the birds are so used to this being a source of food for about 6 months now that they wait for him in the street every morning.

I don't know what else to do to stop these murders. If he stops feeding them will they eventually not go there any more in the morning???

I just hope I have gotton through to the neighbor who feeds them and he will stop.

I'm just so upset and needed to rant a bit.

Louise

Well, I would call the police again and again and again............don't mention the pigeons. If it's a housing developement, surely there are children somewhere? What if he hits one of them??? Focus you concern on a human of some kind and not the birds. If the person speeding and killing them can be stopped, then the birds will benefit too.

[lwerden]

Thanks Renee........I'll keep trying with the police.

I am just so sick and tired of peoples disregard for these birds. I've put up with birds being poisoned and shot with BB guns in this neighborhood in the past. Now running them over in the street.

I wish I could take all these birds and move to the middle of no where someplace, maybe I couldn't protect them from natural preditors, but atleat I could keep them safe from the human kind.

Louise

[little bird]

Louise, I think you should be on the street where the birds are being fed a few minutes before the man arrives and try again to get him to put the seed in a safer place. Then I would wait until ''nasty neighbor'' drives by and try to photograph him swerving to hit the birds .... maybe you could get a squawking type of noise maker to scare the birds into flight when you see him coming.
Second... if the feeding neighbor will not listen to you about moving to a safer place ,,,, the next smashed bird you find, pick up the remains and take them to SHOW the man what his indifference is doing to the birds. I know that won't be easy for you to do but maybe you could shock the guy into changing the feeding spot. Maybe he hasn't seen the results of feeding in the street.

[Grimaldy]

Contact the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (702-873-7722). Under Nevada law certain designated members have the power to arrest persons who torture, kill or mistreat animals, and that happens to include pigeons. Tell them you want to prosecute this character under NRS 574.100(d), which provides for fines and possible imprisonment.

[cyro51]

I am so sorry that you and your flock are going through this Louise. It was the same with the flock of white doves that we fed at River Green. Only it was not just one person that targeted them.

There was no food in the street but they would wander off to peck for grit (ignoring the grit we gave them) or to drink from puddles. The extent of human malice makes me despair.

Cynthia

[lwerden]

Nona,

I had the neighbor out in the street with me when I picked up the two dead bodies. He saw what happened to these poor birds. I hope he will stop, but he is about 85 plus years and I don't know if I got through to him.

Grimaldy.......I will try the SPCA......but in the past when I had the shooting & poisioning problem they did nothing. There is absolutely no regard for pigeons here in Las Vegas. It is well know that the Casinos poision them regularly and nothing is ever done. It's more important to them that the tourists aren't bothered with any piegon poop.

I have an idea..............

Usually when I wake up in the morning the birds are already off my roof. I am going to put out dishes of food before I go to bed tonight on my back lawn. They are used to being fed there in the evening when they return to roost at sunset. I'm going to set my alarm for before dawn and see if I can encourage them to feed in the back yard and maybe if they get their fill in the morning they will stay off the street. I know it will take about a week to get them used to this but I think it is worth a try.

What do you guys think?????

[little bird]

I think that is brilliant, Louise. With a secure back yard they will always be safe. Too bad the old gent is so dense, don't know how he can KNOW that they are being killed and not change his ways. People, .. bah... humbug!!

[Margarret]

Louise,

I think your idea of getting them used to coming to your yard in the a.m is probably the most likely thing to suceed in stopping this horrible violence. As to the guy in the truck, I would get a picture of him driving by, just to have his license number and an image of him. He might think twice if he thinks he is being photographed, but I wouldn't count on it. He is typical of the violence we see all around today. He has no compassion or sense of guilt at all and unfortunately there is no way to instill it in someone. The only thing that works with these people is to hold a big stick over their heads and then it only works part of the time.

Margaret

[Teresa]

My heart goes out to you, Louise! Please DO get a picture of the idiot swerving and put it up on the 'Show and Shame' thread, so we can all see what a prize prat looks like.
Trying to get them to come to you to feed sounds like a brilliant idea! Is there a chance of putting a piece of plastic or similar on a stick, near the part of the street where they get run over, to put them off? Of course that's not as good as a human presence and an alarm call, but surely you can't always be there.
Hope the NSPCA can help, but Renee also raised a very important point: speeding and swerving in a residential area has to be a serious driving offence! And a question: is the pick-up truck his? Because if the answer is no, the owner might not approve of his Indianapolis-style driving!

[irretractable]

Wow - it never ceases to amaze me how cruel people can be. It makes me so sad to see things like this. I had a similar experience the other day - a pigeon was flailing in the road by my apartment complex - it had already been hit. I avoided it (there was plenty of room to do so), but the car behind me ran right over it again. I was so furious. I got out of my car and started waving traffic away, wrapped the poor bird up in a towel, and put it in my car. It was crushed, and it died fairly quickly. I just don't get it . . .

Good for you for watching out for these birds. I'm sorry you're having to deal with such idiocy and cruelty...

[lwerden]

I have been in and out of my house thismorning since 5:00AM, trying to coax the feral flock to feed in the back yard.

I did manage to get a few of them to come to the back and feed, but the rest of them were out in the street waiting for the old gentlement to feed them. Fortunately, he did not come out thismorning, so maybe I did get him to understand yesterday.

I saw the guy in the white pick up truck go by and he did not make any attempt to go at the birds as he saw me standing in the street.

Half of the birds have now left, but the other half are still waiting.

I think if the old man does not feed them any more they will eventually either come to the back yard or will go to the park which is 2 blocks away. I believe that's where they used to go in the morning before the man started feeding them, because I would always see them flying in that direction.

I'm going to keep trying every morning..........Wish me luck.

Louise

[little bird]

Louise, is there a ''way'' to your backyard? Maybe you could lure them a few feet at a time??? Once they discover the gourmet table set in your yard they will be daily customers.!!! Am sending you load of good wishes for success.

[lwerden]

Hi Nona.......the only way to the back yard from where the birds are is down the sidewalk up the front of my house down the side walkway through the back gate and into the yard. I have no problem trying to lure them, but I am afraid of the other neighbors between my house and where they are down the street. Except for the old man they all hate my pigeons. I don't want to lure them by going in the street, because I am afraid intentionally or unintentionally they will get run over by a car.

I'm just going to keep trying and hopefully every day a few more will get it and more will come. There are a few different factions in the flock and a few bullies, so I think it will take time to get them all together. They all manage to roost together at night but there is always fighting for the prime real estate up on the roof.

I just love these birds and don't want to see them harmed in any way. Besides they are my Jacks family and he would be real made at me if I didn't protect them.

Thanks and regards,
Louise

[Teresa]

Well done, Louise!
A morning with no victims is brilliant news! And to be able to convince some of them to go to the back of your house and feed there is a great achievement, as often it takes ages to break a habit. To do it as discreetly as possible to avoid getting the neighbours' hackles up... even better!
Best of luck! Keep us posted, and God bless your caring heart.