[shepherdess]

I really hope someone can help. I live in a block of flats that is regularly visited by a large flock of pigeons. They are well fed and very healthy. We (the residents) have been working hard for months doing up the gardens and planting lots of shrubs and bedding plants. My friend painted some railings a few days ago, but before the paint had dried properly, a few pigeons landed on it and unfortunately lost some of their tail feathers. Since then, the pigeons have started to destroy all the plants and flowers. They completely destroyed a thriving, well established double busy lizzie and they are eating the petals and buds off almost every other plant. We are due to be judged for a gardening competition tomorrow and it looks like we won't have much left to judge. I've never known pigeons to eat flowers. I would accept it if they were hungry, but they're not. Is it revenge?

 

[spirit wings]

they must like that plant.. animals do not have that emotion, they just live in the moment.. but they may remember the railing and not want to land of it again. have you seen them with your eyes eating it? sure it is not some other critter?

 

[sky tx]

Yes--Pigeons will "PUSH" your nervies to the Limit.---somedays--somehow.

 

[John_D]

Hi Shepherdess

As Spiritwings says, they (fortunately) don't have that failing.

Which kind of pigeons are these - feral pigeons or woodpigeons? Wondering if it actually is the same pigeons who are eating the flowers. Just that woodpigeons particularly are fond of leaves, and the flowers of some plants.

John

 

[shepherdess]

I have seen them eating the plants. They're landing in the pots and troughs and eating the flowers, buds and even the stalks. The plants have been there for about 2-3 months and they didn't touch them until a couple of days ago and it's not just one particular plant, they've eaten Busy Lizzies, Geraniums, Marigolds and lots of others flowers too. I've been giving them extra seed to make sure that they are not hungry, but they're still doing it.

 

[shepherdess]

It's the feral pigeons that are eating everything. We do have a lot of wood pigeons where we live, but they are not bothering with the flowers at all.

 

[Larry_Cologne]

Mamieke, the feral mate of my rescued-as-a-baby and hand-raised male Wieteke raised several pairs of babies in our apartment. My wife planted four pots of Impatiens or "busy Lizzies" or fleissige Ließen in German, in the planter at the window we kept partly open for their coming and going. Mamieke ate all the leaves and buds off the plant that was thriving the best, leaving stubs and the stalk. Wieteke never bothered with them. I have a photo of the four plants as a memento, to jog my memory.

I believe impatiens was one of the ingredients in the homeopathic remedy of Bach's Rescue Drops (available mostly in England and Germany, to my knowledge).

Larry

I noticed John D. posting right after my post. I didn't know what dosage and in what situations to use the Bach's Rescue Drops which I had purchased for my pigeons, so I sent the rest of the bottle to John (in 2006).

Larry

 

[John_D]

That's quite odd. Yes, they are attracted to some plants sometimes, but I've not seen them attack flowers like that.

May be they are seeking something that is missing from their normal diet. Our rescue pigeons will demolish a lettuce in no time, for instance, as 'greens' are beneficial to their systems.

Sure I've read something about racing pigeons eating plant material if allowed to graze, maybe on here. Research time!

Can only suggest temporary protective netting.

John

 

[spirit wings]

well it seems either way they did kind of get revenge... but I don't think they knew your garden was going to be part of a show, they prolly thought you planted it for them...LOL.. not to make fun of your hard work.. maybe some spinning wheels stuck in the ground would deter them.

 

[pdpbison]

I am sure their Motive was Nutritional...and not 'revenge'.


They are capable of revenge, of humor, and of many things, but, they also will be attracted to Plants which seem to them to offer things needed in their diet.


Sorry to hear they have been doing harm to the Garden!


Might be possible to figure out what they are craving, and, to offer it in some intentional way, which would satisfy them, so they leave the Plants alone.

 

[Budd]

Pigeons forgive and forget among themselves. At the end of the day feral pigeons typically all sleep peacefully in a group after all the fighting over food and mates during the day. Some of my feral (rescued) pigeons don't like me but they sleep less than 10 feet from me at night.

 

[Guest]

Pigeons forgive and forget among themselves. At the end of the day feral pigeons typically all sleep peacefully in a group after all the fighting over food and mates during the day. Some of my feral (rescued) pigeons don't like me but they sleep less than 10 feet from me at night.

they are the bird of peace when white but when they are any other color anything goes lol