My Worst Fears Have Come True

[xxmoxiexx]

is that true or not, the exploding pigeon poison? i really hope it's not true, where was this seen or heard?
Ante, i'm so sorry about this, i cant even imagine how hard this must be. They are trying to impliment poisoning pigeons here, have even started a "Pigeon Committee," to help with the task, and people volunteered for this! well, the guy that started this, lives 1 block from me, and i'm still trying to come up with a sneaky revenge plan, any ideas?
Ante, let us know what they did, i'm really nervous to find out what happened but want to know anyways. i understand how you feel, i would have such a hard time doing what you are doing. dont they know that they can NEVER get rid of pigeons for good? well, i guess they could because the passenger pigeon is now extinct because of people like that. people like that make me sick.
my heart goes out to you Ante, i am so sorry.

[Zenmont]

Ante,
Where in NYC are you? I'm also in the City and live daily with the fear that the pigeons that I feed on my terrace will be subject to harassment. Some neighbors are grumbling about all the pigeon poop on the fire escapes above. The super hasn't even mentioned it to us (altho I know he knows), because we are super nice to him and gave him a box of approx. $150 basketball cards last Christmas for his son. I talked to someone in the city who runs a pigeon organization and he said that in order to poison birds you have to have special permits and licenses. Management just can't take it upon themselves to poison birds. I would call 311 or even your local precinct. Poison also poses threats to other wildlife (I have squirrels, bluejays, cardinals, etc.) Plus you can say that you don't want something on your terrace that can be potentially harmful to YOU when you carry it back into your apartment on your shoes. I realize now that this post is probably too late since the "human pests" have already started to show up, but maybe you can stop them before they get the whole building. I just stopped feeding my birds last week because management is coming this week to redo all the terraces on my floor because of a leak underneath. So I'm cleaning up all evidence of seeds. I also felt a very strong vibe weeks ago that I should stop feeding them for the summer. I was also advised by a rehabber to not feed them in spring and summer, because they usually go to the parks to eat grass seed which is healthier for them. They usually only really need seed in the Winter months. Still, it's hard to witness their confusion on why "Mommy" has stopped the food. Also, this may sound strange, but sometimes I feel that God sends me signs on which direction I should take. And I swear I've gotten 10,000 signs to stop feeding the birds, including getting hit by a taxicab while coming back from the store with birdseed. Also the main window I use to feed the birds, that faces out on the terrace, broke (it won't open). And a hawk, which I have NEVER in my life seen in my area, came out of nowhere one day and attacked one of my birds. Now management will be out on the terraces for several days. I hope the birds disperse and don't poop on the guys. But I'll fight like heck if they try to hurt my babies. I even kept a bird that I normally would have released because I knew that he would be safer in my apt. than back out in that crazy world. I'll say a prayer for you and your birds. Humans can be such a heartless species. I just remembered something. There are certain situations where you don't have to allow your landlord into your apartment. Just say that you have asthma and any kind of poison can cause a major attack. I bet you can deny them access and fight them if they try anything. NYC is very PRO-Tenant. Good Luck!

[ante bozanich]

I feel bad for not being able to write much about what happened at the end. I think I do this a lot here. It just seems to be one emergency after the other here with me and these wild friends of mine, that when the danger of one problem is under the control, I become consumed with the new situation and have to move on.

Anyway, quickly... the man came with the clip board. Made some notes. Took some pictures. Asked some questions and left. I had my apartment and the terrace spotless clean. There were couple of pigeons across baking in the sun; nothing like it was the week before this has all started. I worked on chasing them away and cleaning for full 6 days. The next day I asked our super, who is a very nice man: what will happen to pigeons and who has complained. From this conversation and other sources, it seems that there are tenants of five terraces out of about fifty who would like all the birds gone. Right now cooperative is not going to do anything about it. How about that!

PS Zenmont, I live on 10th Street near Astor place.

[Lady Tarheel]

Hi Ante, thanks for the update and the good news that at least for now they won't do anything to harm the birds.

[Reti]

Great. I am so happy for the birds and for you.

Reti

[mr squeaks]

YEEEAAA!!! YIPPEE!!!

Whew!! THANKS SOOO MUCH FOR THE POSITIVE UPDATE, ANTE!!



Gratefully,

Shi
& Mr. Squeaks

[Matt D.]

Wow this is sad. I say find a place with a back yard that you can buy and build a pigeon loft and then you can take care of all the wild birds and homing birds to your hearts content.

[phyll]

Thanks be to God!
I've been worried sick about those pigeons & praying they wouldn't be posioned.
Maybe you can take this opportunity to educate the tenants who want the birds gone.
Thanks for the update, & for caring so much about our wonderful NYC pigeons.

Phyll

[cyro51]

That is such good news, Ante!

It is so sad that complaints are given such weight even though the complainers are usually in the minority.

Cynthia

[ante bozanich]

Originally Posted by Matt D.

I say find a place with a back yard that you can buy and build a pigeon loft and then you can take care of all the wild birds and homing birds to your hearts content.

Hahaha.... I thought about this. Last year I went upstate -- Hudson valley -- to look for a house near the river; but then I realized I would have to get a car and drive to live up there, so I gave up on that idea. I have not driven a car since I moved from LA about 25 years ago, and also what would the Union Square pigeons do without me. I think I just have to resist that temptation to feed them in my apartment and instead go outside and do it all out there. The only problem with that is that it is more difficult to catch sick and injured ones in the open. At home, I simply very slowly and quietly close the door and the curtain on them and turn off all the lights.

Originally Posted by phyll

Thanks be to God!
I've been worried sick about those pigeons & praying they wouldn't be poisoned.
Maybe you can take this opportunity to educate the tenants who want the birds gone.
Thanks for the update, & for caring so much about our wonderful NYC pigeons.

Phyll

Yes, thank you. I was also worried and frantic, but things so far have turned out much better then I could have imagined. The only victims were the possible unborn. I feel very bad about this. I will never know whether these eggs were fertilized and how developed the embryos were. I still have the eggs but am afraid to look. To find out that they looked like small baby pigeons, would stay with me for the rest of my life. Both couples --- the parents --- are still all together and seem to be fine.

Right now... let's hope and pray that the pigeon with the canker, inside the cat carrying cage next to me, makes it.