I am overrun! No more! Have to take Action!

From the

Diary as of 4/20/ – 4/21/09

I had to change the breakfast routine! Instead of putting the flowerpot saucers on the balcony floor I am feeding now from hand. The point was that on some mornings I had more than 20 pigeons on the balcony coming for feeding. This was not my plan and this could not continue if I wanted to be a responsible pigeon lover. Besides leaving all that poop which got a bit too much to clean off, Pete got crazy because he had to chase off too many poachers. I had to stop feeding them all. So I decided, to only feed “our” pigeons, when they appeared, from my hand.

I also did not want to make them dependant on the balcony which would not have been natural. The weather had become better, the temperatures acceptable – so they had to fly to seek their own food. No good if wild birds become dependant on a single source.

What I am now doing is, opening the balcony door and lying on my belly with the seeds in my hand. Nearly without any hesitation Willy and Winnie, Jimi and Joey appeared right at the beginning and picked the seeds out of my hand directly – as if they had never done anything else. I cannot do much about having still the one or other little poacher (foreign pigeons) coming to steal some seeds from my hand but the quantity has reduced dramatically. Apparently they all understand now that the cockaigne is over. Sorry piggies but you are all eating the hair from my head. This is not going to work and I had to make a point.

I am not going to maroon “our”  little pigeon family for you guys! Pete is going beserk otherwise and will end up in the loony bin. I cannot take responsibility for this!

Feeding from hand is such a lovely feeling while you can feel their soft feathers during cramming their little heads into my hand. They eat very fast and you can hear little grunting noises or even squeeking, snuffling, while they cannot breathe so easily eating so fast. It is very funny!

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Another ugly story…

Here is another ugly story I received from the New York Bird Club this morning:

To view the thread go to:
http://forums.manhattanbirdclub.com/post?id=3491620

Subject: Pigeon netting

Heads up on this.

This morning, around 7, at 50th and Second Avenue, Manhattan, I saw a man netting pigeons as they fed. I started after him from across the street, but he got into his light grey pickup truck and drove away. He was on the short side, black, long hair, dressed in denim. Just as he was driving away a police car pulled up behind him. I foolishly assumed the officer would notice and stop him, but no. He drove away with a sack holding birds and the officer got ready to go into Starbucks. I crossed over and spoke to the officer but as I didn’t have a licence plate number she would not do anything.

I am sickened to think some of my feathered friends shall be eaten tonight.

Gini

(with courtesy by Anna Dove, New York Bid Club)

Can we thus really call us a modern civilized world?

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Jimi is rude and throws Joey out of his Sleeping Basket

From the

Diary as of 4/12/ – 4/19/09

4/12 – 4/15 Since 3 days Winnie and Willy appear together again. this means that the hatchlings are grown enough to be left alone from time to time (I cannot be sure about this – it’s only my assumption from their behaviour). In the evening Winnie disappears again to sleep with the babies? I wonder when we will see them and whether we will recognize them.

Since yesterday evening Jimi also sleeps in pigeoncity. This means Hillary is sitting on eggs or on hatchlings. Now we have the whole family together again without Winnie who apparently is taking care for babies. But imagine – there must be something like a family feeling among the pigeons because all of  “ours” are together again:  Joey, Jimi, Willy and Pete.  Emma is still sitting on her plaster eggs. I wonder how long it will take this time until she realizes that there will be no babies….

4/16 – 4/19 nothing really special besides that Jimi appeared one evening, fighting awfully with Joey and throwing him out of his sleeping basket. Apparently Jimi had decided that the basket is his from now on. This was not nice.  And poor Joey disappeared to sleep somewhere else. I haven’t seen him now for a couple of days. I hope he is doing well. I am quite confident he is okay.

And this is how Joey slept in his basket which is no longer his but Jimi’s:

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Willy breeding – somewhere…?

From the

Diary as of 3/27/ – 4/11/09

3/27  – 3/31 Joey  is still sleeping on the balcony. Willy appears sporadically, also Schlomo and his wife Schlomskaja – sometimes we have 6 pigeons sleeping in pigeoncity: Pete, Emma, Schlomo and Schlomskaja, Joey and Willy.

The weather is still terrible – it’s raining and cold. I am still feeding them every morning. These poor little guys are really hungry. This is a time which is really difficult for the birds and those who cannot find enough food will die.

Emma has abandoned her plaster eggs and  is huddling and sleeping together with Pete now – so sweet that picture!  But this also means that she will be soon laying eggs again!

4/2  – 4/3 Emma has laid 2 eggs again. She is really like an egg laying machine. I replaced them with the plaster eggs. Poor Emma… How long will it take this time until she realizes that these eggs won’t hatch?

Willy and Joey are still sleeping on the balcony. This means that Winnie must be sitting on eggs still or on hatchlings, I don’t know. Jimi and Hillary apparently have not built a nest yet and because Joey is still not really in a partnership he has no offspring either. This is good! This also means that it takes more than just good food to raise kiddos. That’s the natural life program…

Weather is better now – so am I. Getting more energy each day – it was a very bad virus  infection.

4/5  – 4/11 Nothing really new – each morning breakfast frenzy but during the day most of the pigeons are on tour now. They had to wait for so long to be able to have their fun. In the late afternoon they all come back for a little snack.

Willy, Joey and sometimes Amy are sleeping in pigeoncity. Willy’s babies must have hatched in the meanwhile. I wonder when we will see new shower caps….

and Willy needs his extra portion….

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National Pigeon Day in Central Park, June 13th

Here is another call for stopping life pigeon shooting in Pennsylvania as well as other embarrassing and barbaric “traditions” (published with courtesy of Anna Dove – New York Bird Club):

“Patrick Kwan of The Humane Society of the U.S. will join other spokespeople and entertainers in celebration of the New York City pigeon at National Pigeon Day on Saturday, June 13th from noon to 4 pm. in Central Park.    Please refer to the blog:  http://www.nationalpigeonday.com for details, and check back for updates to the event. We look forward to seeing you on June 13th.   Legislation to Ban Live Animal Shoots (including pigeons) in Pennsylvania state (copied from the HSUS website):   Legislation (H.B. 1411/S.B. 843) to ban the mechanical launching of live animals for target shooting was introduced in the Pennsylvania legislature last week. Last session, calls and emails from advocates like you created a tremendous foundation to ban pigeon shoots, a long-standing embarrassment to Pennsylvania.

This legislation will finally put an end to live pigeon shoots in the last state where they are openly practiced. During these events, participants compete to shoot live birds launched from spring-loaded boxes and have them land within a ring for prizes and money.

H.B. 1411/S.B. 843 will also stop barbaric events like turkey shoots where live, tame white turkeys have their feet tied to bales of hay and then are shot with arrows fired from people standing just yards away.

Your representative’s support could depend on constituent responses — so every phone call counts. Please contact your state representative, Thomas Creighton, today!

TAKE ACTION
Please make a brief, polite phone call to Representative Creighton at (717) 772-5290 to urge support for H.B. 1411 to ban caged animal shoots.

When you call, you will likely speak to a staff member who will pass your message along to your legislator. Remember to be polite and professional, and leave your name and address so it is clear that you are a constituent. You can say:

“Hello, my name is [your name] and I am calling from [your town] to urge Representative Creighton to support H.B. 1411 to ban the shooting of trap-released or tethered animals as live targets. Pennsylvania is the last state to openly practice pigeon shoots. It’s time we banned these barbaric shoots that many states banned a century ago. Thank you.”

Patrick Kwan is New York state director for The Humane Society of the United States (http://www.humanesociety.org ) and spearheads the organization’s humane policy & campaigns in the Empire State. Backed by 11 million Americans, or one of every 28, including over 800,000 New Yorkers, The HSUS is the nation’s largest animal protection organization. Prior to joining The HSUS, he was a field organizer for Amnesty International and an advisory board member of the Center for Environmental Citizenship (now the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund), and managed media relations & communications efforts for corporate, nonprofit, and government organizations including the Mayor’s Alliance’s for NYC’s Animals, The September 11^th Fund, and NYC & Company.

National Pigeon Day is sponsored by the New York Bird Club and United Poultry Concerns. Anna Dove
New York Bird Club”