No more feeding pigeons

[Jay3]

Well, as far as catching them is concerned, 1--she leaves the food outside by her side door. Hard to take away. And 2--she lives across the street from the woods and a river. Because she leaves it out all the time, it has attracted rats and skunks. Last summer when we were trying to trap the cats, the dog officer caught about 4 or 5 skunks in the traps instead of kittys. Do you have any idea of what it is like to remove a skunk from a trap? When the dog officer tried to get them, ( the cats) the woman yells at her, and says that they are her cats. And to leave them alone. She's totally impossible, and a little short of a full load, if you get my drift. People like that are impossible to deal with. Because of her, these cats have been around, and breeding for several years now. I wish people could see that they are just helping to bring more little lives into the world who really don't deserve the life they are dealt. And they are pretty cats too. Some of them are jet black, (my favorite cat color), and long coated. They'd be beautiful if well cared for. Between our harsh winters, and the coyotes that roam the woods and backyards around here, they were nearly exterminated, as there were only two females left. But then they breed again, and now there are several more. It just goes on like that year after year. Doesn't seem to be an answer. I think it is nice that you work with the ferral cats. The poor things need more people like that to help them.

[SerendipityCA]

I actually think my situation is pretty ideal, now that I've got a system down that I think works.

I've decided to put the seed out on the carport roof at night where people can't see me tossing it. While there are tons of apartments overlooking that carport area, very few people actually look out their windows at all, and nobody is in very close proximity to where I feed. The closest building (mine) is 20 feet away and even if I didn't like pigeons I would not be at all bothered by the current setup. Today, the pigeons didn't come until 12:15 pm even though the seed had been there for 14 hours. They flew down, and I heard a tiny bit of noise when they arrived - the fluttering of 42 wings! - but really wouldn't have paid attention to it if I hadn't been attuned to it. They ate quietly, then flew off. The whole thing took less than 10 minutes, and anybody looking out their apartment window and seeing them out there would not have been bothered at all. They don't stay long enough to poop on it, and nobody would be bothered by the poop if they did because it's not close to anybody's apartment.

I do drop a few seeds on the cement inevitably when I'm tossing them up there because I have to lob the seeds to get them up there, but the flock doesn't fly down there to pick up the stray seeds. And if a bird does, he'll fly off if a person comes. They're nice and feral, and I intend to keep them that way.

There's a risk that more will come, but even so I think the current situation could accommodate more without anybody complaining.

I think the biggest risk is of them nesting in the building. But nesting opportunities are limited and I am aware of the places that are inhabited by humans where they might nest. There's one fire escape that's a problem, but one of the nesting pair from that location was killed July 29th so I don't know if they'll even nest there again, and I'm going to try to work with the resident to get it pigeon-proofed.

So I'm going to continue feeding where I've been feeding. I think it will be OK. Wish me luck!

[Jay3]

Good Luck! Just keep in mind that they may not hang around now, but that could change. The pigeons that come to my place for seed don't just come and eat. They tend to hang around hoping that There will be more. If too many start hanging around, would that be a problem with the owners of the building, or the management? If you only put it out at night, and they can get used to this, then maybe they will keep coming just in the morning. If you alter this and start putting out extra at different times of the day, they will learn to hang around waiting to see if you do. I wish you the best of luck. Maybe some day you will have your own yard, and your own flock coming to it.

[SerendipityCA]

Yeah, I think routine is important. Put it out at night, maybe they'll get used to coming first thing in the morning to eat. And don't vary the routine!

I don't expect that this can continue forever, I'll have to adapt if more come. Right now we're up to 20-30 at a time.

[Jay3]

Good luck, and have fun!

[SerendipityCA]

So far, so good. I put the food out at night when I am giving the dog her last pee walk. The seeds make a little sound when they hit the surface of the carport, sort of like a burst of raindrops, but I don't think anybody would look out about that. Today for the second day in a row all the seeds were gone when I woke up and I didn't hear them come and eat, or leave!

When I walk to a cafe on my noon break (I work at home), I look up at the corner and have line of sight to the roof of my building which towers over the building on the corner, and I can see them all lined up on the edge of my roof and the one next door. But they're quiet, they don't poop much over the edge (I haven't seen pigeon poop dripping down from the edge of the building, or on the carport floor)...they don't stay long and nobody would mind that they were up there -or rather, nobody KNOWS, since nobody looks at my roof! I think they just hang out there hoping for a noon meal but I have stopped feeding during the day.

So, until/unless they start nesting in the building, I think I've got a nice covert system that works!

[Jay3]

Maybe after a while they'll get the idea that you are not going to feed them during the day, and maybe they won't hang around. Or they may, hoping that you will. What makes you think that no one else notices them on your roof?

[SerendipityCA]

Originally Posted by Jay3

What makes you think that no one else notices them on your roof?

Well, there's my building, and the building next door, and since they're ON those buildings, you'd have to be outside down in the carport 3 stories down, and deliberately look up at the roofline of the building, to see them there. Nobody does that. Then there's the building perpendicular. People would have to be looking out their windows, and looking UP, to see them there. I rarely see people look out their windows and when they do, they don't look up. Then there's the building facing the back of my building. I can see directly across to that building. Most people keep their shades/blinds/drapes drawn, and when they are open, they don't look out much. When they do look out, they don't look up. So basically, nobody looks at the roofline, and I can't imagine that if anybody did, they'd have a problem with pigeons sitting there quietly, on somebody else's building, 50 to 150 feet away from them!

[Jay3]

I don't imagine that they would have a problem with that either. Good luck.