well, just feeding the ferals and....

[xxmoxiexx]

....just got threatened with arrest if i did it again. The cop said its an arrestable offense, and if he saw me doing it again he would arrest me. Didnt get the $300 fine though.
Crap, what do i do now? I have birds out there i have rehabbed and released, i know they are mine because they still have the dot of yellow fabric paint on them.
As someone else said on here today, why does loving animals have to be equated with being a criminal?
I guess i will have to feed in the winter and not in the summer? Or, i dont know, maybe get them on my roof somehow? Man, i am just asking to be kicked out of my place though....

[Trees Gray]

I'm so sorry to here that xxmoxxiex.

Things are definitely backwards aren't they,,,and it's a sad world we live in, that you can be arrested for caring for God's creatures. Life has such little value to many, even human life.

I hope you can find another way to feed them.

[xxmoxiexx]

any ideas?

[Grim]

I hate to say this but this is my outlook. When people feed ferals the extra food increases breeding success. In turn more birds exist and more complaints come in. This is what leads to bans on feeding, trapping, poisoning etc.

I would recommend to stop feeding them and just take in those that need help. You are asking for someone to hire pest control.

The more you feed the more they depend upon people and the more problems will occur.

[Trees Gray]

Can you feed them early in the morning just after dawn, before anyone else is around? Also, finding a new feeding location.

[xxmoxiexx]

hmm, maybe i will have to feed at night for the morning, but they've seen me do that before!
I guess the businesses have complained about it. Should i start going to muslim church and claim my religious to feed them?

[Dezirrae]

Is it terribly obvious that you're feeding just pigeons? I means who's to say that you're not feeding finches, sparrows, robins, blue jays, etc. Like Treesa suggested already, relocating the feeding location would probably help alot -- someplace where it's not quite so "public"?

Far be it from moi to advocate breaking the law (LOL)... but it's such a shame that you got threatened with a ticket for simply providing a little food

[little bird]

Raina, it's the glow from your halo.... you're going to have to wear a big hat to cover it so you don't attract so much attention.

[xxmoxiexx]

no, not just a ticket, ARREST, he threatened with arrest, which surprised even me, i think he's just trying to scare me off though...
I gotta think on where I could move them, they are all very set where they are, other people feed here too!

[Max1170]

Originally Posted by xxmoxiexx

no, not just a ticket, ARREST, he threatened with arrest, which surprised even me, i think he's just trying to scare me off though...
I gotta think on where I could move them, they are all very set where they are, other people feed here too!

May I ask which city you were feeding these birds in?

[myrpalom]

Originally Posted by Grim

I hate to say this but this is my outlook. When people feed ferals the extra food increases breeding success. In turn more birds exist and more complaints come in. This is what leads to bans on feeding, trapping, poisoning etc.

I would recommend to stop feeding them and just take in those that need help. You are asking for someone to hire pest control.

The more you feed the more they depend upon people and the more problems will occur.

Pigeons are seed eaters and abandoned domestic birds. Corn and millet don't grow on the street pavements.
Pigeons don't breed more or less because there is much food. Their frequency of breeding has been genetically manipulated by centuries of domestication and depends mostly of the availability of nesting places. Hungry pigeons breed as much as well fed pigeons, but their offspring suffer and die after a short life of misery. Those facts have been observed in all big cities with feeding prohibition, for example Paris.
Myriam

[Grim]

Yes but the reason these birds are being targeted is because their large numbers. As you stated seed doesn't grow on the streets, which would mean the pigeons would move off or not exist. Sometimes we do more harm to them then help when they start getting poisoned or trapped and euthanized. Feral pigeons can and will live off the land when they are not dependent upon people. Here in FL I have seen many ferals beach side feeding on the beaches and on patches of weeds and grass. If you throw bread at them they flush clearly they have not been fed by people and yet they exist just fine.

I wish you luck with your ferals and I hope no one harms them or harasses you further.

[myrpalom]

Originally Posted by Grim

As you stated seed doesn't grow on the streets, which would mean the pigeons would move off or not exist .....

I wish you luck with your ferals and I hope no one harms them or harasses you further.

Pigeons won't move off. They are territorial birds. They followed the humans to the cities because the buildings look like the natural habitat of their ancesters, the wild Columba Livia. They are there to stay. If there is no suitable food, they adapt, but won't leave. In Paris, they eat dog's excrements to stay alive. Most "nourrisseurs" (a French word with a new connotation to indicate those "criminals" who feed pigeons ) operate secretly, at night.
"No feeding" policy is a cruel and cheap way authorities use to get rid of them. Not less cruel than poisoning or gassing them. Just slower. That is why in Europe there are many groups advocating for the installation of feral pigeon lofts in the cities. We have a few of those lofts in our Belgian big cities.

BTW, I am in a quiet place in Belgium, I feed the ferals in the little cities close to me, I was never harassed, and people smile when they see the pigeons come to eat . Many people feed them in cities, especially the moslim community in Brussels are fond of the birds. Untill now, we don't have this typical "hate" hype against them... so I am lucky. Feeding the pigeons is still a pleasure here .

[spirit wings]

Originally Posted by xxmoxiexx

....just got threatened with arrest if i did it again. The cop said its an arrestable offense, and if he saw me doing it again he would arrest me. Didnt get the $300 fine though.
Crap, what do i do now? I have birds out there i have rehabbed and released, i know they are mine because they still have the dot of yellow fabric paint on them.
As someone else said on here today, why does loving animals have to be equated with being a criminal?
I guess i will have to feed in the winter and not in the summer? Or, i dont know, maybe get them on my roof somehow? Man, i am just asking to be kicked out of my place though....

Are you breaking a law? I don't live in a big city so I don't get it.

[little bird]

That is a good question. In NYC, we have crazy ''legal'' problems when we feed. The NYC Parks are posted NO FEEDING PIGEONS and if you feed on the premises of the park, you are breaking park regulations and can be given a ticket. If you feed on the public sidewalk or in the street, they can give you a ticket for littering. If you feed on your own property, neighbors can call the Health Dep't and you can be given a ticket. The city makes it almost impossible to feed pigeons and NOT be breaking some regulation for which they are allowed to give you a ticket and after a few tickets...a fine. However I do not know of a law on the books that would allow you to be arrested. You just have to use your imagination and try not to be noticed.