Feeding pigeons - good or bad?

[Triner]

I have a bunch of bird-feeders hanging off of my deck. I figure it this way.

We humans have destroyed much of the environment on which the birds rely to survive. If I put out bird feeders, I'm replacing some of what we humans have destroyed. That is, a source of food for the birds. From what I've observed, it's aiding the entire cycle of bird life. I have small birds, t!tmice, creepers, finches, sparrows, and some larger-ish birds, woodpeckers, mourning doves, and, some a few hawks that feed on the smaller birds.

It's like a bird theater off of my deck.

I do recognize though, that once I've started feeding them, I should suddenly stop because it could lead to a decline in the bird population through starvation.

[Asrais]

We don't feed the birds, but I have spent the last 2 years building a bird friendly garden - mostly in the front, because the cats scare them off fromt he back. I have a bird bath too, because it can't be easy to find water here during summer.

We attract a wide range of different birds, but we do have a problem with minors, their really mean and attack other birds - I've seen them take on ravens and magpies! Luckily, we have some nice dense bushes and a big date palm that the little ones can hide in!

[Emmalevine]

Thanks everyone. I noticed a greenfinch in my garden this morning so really chuffed with that! Also getting magpies, robins and of course pigeons. I am continuing to feed them but not massively, just enough to keep them going during the colder months. They seem to appreciate it!

[Soul Searching]

We have feeders out all year in the garden ....... me and the missus are both members of the RSPB (Royal Society For The Protection Of Birds) and we feed any birds that come irrespective of species.

Our Bird populations in general are in decline ...... some seriously so ...... a lot of the main causes of this are modern farming practices.

Loss of hedgerows, over intensive crop planting ..... i.e. as soon as a crop is harvested another is planted, so the birds that would feed on the harvested field into winter have no food supply, particularly seed feeders such as finches.

We don't mind pigeons feeding in our garden ...... calling them pests or vermin is a bit harsh ....... they are just wild animals trying to survive, like any other. Why should we feed other species but not pigeons ?

We never get too many, as we also get Sparrowhawks from time to time "taking" them for food (they nest in the woods near us)

If we get rid of pigeons, then this has a knock on effect elsewhere ....... the Hawks will find food scarcer and their chicks may not survive (if they decide to try rearing any at all)

I reckon we will just keep the feeders full .........

Simon.

[Emmalevine]

Good on you Simon My mum does just the same and now I do as well. Pigeons are creatures of the Divine just as we all are and I don't want to catagorise them as vermin or anything else. I think they are lovely actually - really tame compared to the other birds that come. It's a joy to see them feed and drink from the little dish

i heard in canada, they spike they pidgeon food with birth control hormones

Originally Posted by Starbuck

I've been feeding the birds in my garden lately, which mainly consist of pigeons. It makes me feel really good, like I'm giving something back to the natural world, and the birds recognise when their food is coming so I've developed a bond with them. However, a friend of mine told me today that I shouldn't feed pigeons because they carry disease etc and they can cause nuisance. I did a brief google search on this subject and it seems that the general advice is not to feed them. Call me childish but I feel quite upset that what I thought was a kind deed is seen as wrong. I don't know whether to stop putting food out now or not.

What are people's thoughts on this subject please?

Starbuck, what you are doing is a good thing. If your heart tells you to do it , then don't listen to outside voices. I would continue to feed them a modest amount of seed on a periodic basis. Pigeons as well as Mourning Doves love white millet seed! I would especially feed them during weather extremes where it may be hard for them to find food. --especially if your area experiences cold and snow.

There are plenty of predators out there to keep pigeons under control these days and also many humans will go out of thier way to kill these birds, so don't worry about encouraging overpopulation. A modest amount of daily seed is sufficient so please don't stop!.

I think that pigeons get too much flack! They are actually tropical birds that originated from rainforests and people brought them to...Wherever, and they just so happened to be very resilient little birds and were able to adapt pretty much anywhere. So whose fault is it?

Feed them, but not too much, I suppose. People can learn a thing or two from these guys that are considered "pests". This is their planet too, that is what I say!

[Sarian]

I deleted because I was talking about seaguls...oops!

[psychoslice]

Humans can be pest also, so should we feed them when hungry ?.