This one is for Birdie. On my last post she commented that 'There is no way that feed dish could ever be big enough!'
As I told her, the galahs were on our smaller feeder, but similar scenes were being enacted only feet away.
However, it is pigeons which really, really crowd the feeder. They are close to bottom of the pecking order and the other birds relegate them to eating on the veranda or the ground. Consequently, if the feeders are not already occupied the pigeons cram themselves onto them. Which makes it quite a bit harder for them to get some seed to eat. Bird-brained?
Sorry, these photos are a little dark but I think you can see just how many pigeons have squeezed themselves aboard.
As I told her, the galahs were on our smaller feeder, but similar scenes were being enacted only feet away.
However, it is pigeons which really, really crowd the feeder. They are close to bottom of the pecking order and the other birds relegate them to eating on the veranda or the ground. Consequently, if the feeders are not already occupied the pigeons cram themselves onto them. Which makes it quite a bit harder for them to get some seed to eat. Bird-brained?
Sorry, these photos are a little dark but I think you can see just how many pigeons have squeezed themselves aboard.
Why do I always feel so sorry for anything at or near the bottom of any pecking order?! Even pigeons! They're really overloading the lifeboat, aren't they :)
ReplyDeletejenny_o: Snap. Though I am fond of the pigeons too. Their voices are lovely and close examination reveals that most of them have a lovely iridescence on their wings.
DeleteIt is a feeding frenzy!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post. xo
Birdie: A wishful feeding frenzy. By the time they get to the feeder there is often not a lot of seed left. And if we top up the seed levels other birds materialise and through the pigeons off.
DeleteWe have lots of mourning doves here, and starlings but not a lot of other birds. The mourning doves are huge, however, and I have become very used to their coo, cooo's. However, last spring, a pigeon hawk roosted in my cherry tree, no doubt brought in by the fat mourning dove supply.
ReplyDeleteStrayer: Did the pigeon hawk see the mourning doves off, or did they keep coming round? I like to coo of our pigeons too. A lot.
DeleteOh they really do crowd themselves in there, don't they.
ReplyDeleteLinda Starr: They positively squash themselves onto the feeder. Frequently standing on each other. Pushing, shoving...
DeleteI like seeing your flock!
ReplyDeleteALOHA from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral
~ > < } } ( ° > <3
> < } } ( ° >
Cloudia: Thank you - they are their own birds though. All of them.
DeleteHa! funny. at night the brushies come and break the whole darn thing. Birds are very pushy when feeding, pecking each other out of the way. Then the magpies scream in like Exocet missiles and everybody scatters.
ReplyDeleteHappy Easter Monday - wishing you renewal in all good things.
Ann O'Dyne: We refer to it as going 'beak to beak'. Sometimes cross species, sometimes to their own. Endless fascination. Thank you so much for your good wishes - a little renewal would be nice.
DeleteThey do like to crowd, even on the ground! It's funny the other birds can push them away, since pigeons are so big.
ReplyDeleteLaura Eno: Our cockatoos are bigger than they are, so that is not surprising. However we have observed that size definitely ISN'T everything in the bird world. Aggression counts for double points.
DeleteSeems those pigeons are defeating their own purpose in crowding in like that. We seldom see pigeons here but quite a few doves though. Hope your Easter was an enjoyable one.
ReplyDeleteMimsie: Easter was quietly productive (in the garden). I hope yours was great. We get the crested wood doves too, but the pigeons are crowding them out. And yes, they do defeat their purpose when they mob the feeder like that.
DeleteI would have sparrows doing the same thing, and once I heard an incredible rapping going on and looked to see dozens of sparrows crowded into one feeder and banging the bottom with their beaks! It meant that it was time to put more feed out there. Great pictures, even if they are a bit dark, you can see those tails very well... :-)
ReplyDeleteDJan: Hungry birds have no subtlety do they?
DeleteAh..pigeon pie.
ReplyDeletemybabyjohn/Delores: Just what my father would have said.
DeleteHa! Busy birds, almost as shameless as the old folks I was around this weekend in the lunch line.
ReplyDeleteJohn Wiswell: I hope things went better than expected while you were away, and that your grandmother is ok. And yes, I have yet to see a bird who suffers from shame.
DeletePigeons are my favorite birds. I feel bad that yours are at the bottom of the pecking order, here they push out the sparrows and I have to scatter everything on the ground so all can eat. Sometimes it even grows!
ReplyDeleteBetty: The pigeons are above the sparrows in the pecking order - but not much else. We also spread food on the ground - where it grows though is where the birds throw it into the garden or pot plants. Grr.
DeleteJust like the most popular restaurant in town, hard to get a seat... or a perch!
ReplyDeletedaisyfae: Much cheaper than the most popular restaurant in town though.
DeleteAh yes, I like this. This chap told me his hobby was racing pigeons. I asked him, "Who usually wins? You or the pigeon?"
ReplyDeleteHave a peaceful, positive day, my friend.
Gary :)
klahanie: Thank you for that smile - I have a lovely vision of a man and a pigeon in the starting blocks together...
DeleteI would guess they figured that if the feeder was filled with pigeons, then no other bird would try to muscle their way in?
ReplyDeleteSuan Kane: If they thought that they were so very wrong. ONE cockatoo or ONE corella can see all of that lot off. It might take two galahs.
DeleteThat must be a lot of fun to watch. Enjoyed these a lot, thanks :)
ReplyDeleteDeniseinVA: They are. Heaps of fun.
DeleteI know so many who think of pigeons as lowly birds ("rats with wings" is a common description). But I love pigeons! I'm so happy to know they get a meal from you. (I admit, though, the thought of cleaning up the mess underneath does sort of make me go weak inside...) But what fun to watch them eat! Good for you for providing them a place.
ReplyDeletePaper Chipmunk: Oh there is room here for all. And I do like pigeons - their soft voices, and the gorgeous colours. Cleaning up after the birds? Not fun. Not fun at all.
DeleteHow fun, S.
ReplyDeleteI can just imagine you sitting w/ some hot coffee savoring those little gems.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx KISSes
My Inner Chick: Tea rather than coffee - but much savouring.
DeleteIts like you live in a Disney cartoon. No offense menat there hahaha.I think of you with bluebirds sat upon your shoulders as you walk in your garden. Nature woman. *sings "I talek to the trees,that's why they took me away..."
ReplyDelete*talk. And no, I'm not drunk. Honest guv.
ReplyDeleteAll Consuming: Mind, those blue birds are not averse to crapping on the shoulders that feed them. And I could be taken away for many things besides taleking to the trees. Many more.
DeleteAh, the poor pigeon. They willl always be on the bottom of the pecking order, however they overcome this by their numbers. They will never be on an extinction list.
ReplyDeleteStarting Over, Accepting Changes - Maybe: Judging by the daily antics of the males you are very right. (The females seem less interested though.)
DeleteSo funny! I rather like pigeons, I always feel sorry for the bird or other animal that is on the bottom levels of life. And as you say, they are very beautiful. We don't have any here, just a couple of topknots now and then. I imagine the other toughies (magpies, currawongs, noisy miners, black and white cockatoos) would not take kindly to anything as big as a pigeon moving in.
ReplyDeleteCarol: We don't have the black cockatoos (except as a rare treat) but the others visit us. And no, the pigeons wait in line. Sometimes for quite a while. I like them too.
DeleteThat's a lot of pigeons! Most here are ground feeders.
ReplyDeleteKaren: These spend more time on the ground than the feeder - but they do like it when they get a look in.
DeleteOh my - they are crowding on there. We mainly see pigeons here in the city (for some reason.)
ReplyDeleteLynn: They are in our city centres but about a year ago now the word got out and they came to visit us here. And having dropped in once, they now come every day.
DeleteNice to see someone welcoming, rather than reviling, them. They *are *pretty and have a nice coo.
ReplyDeleteRight now we're being inundated with grackles. Their song sounds just like their name: i.e., not particularly pleasant, and from a distance they look like a plain old black bird. But in the sun, they are lovely and iridescent.
Ms. CrankyPants: I am happy to see any bird. Which is just as well probably.
DeleteThat's a lot of pigeons!
ReplyDeleteMaybe I won't hang a bird feeder after all.
I don't really want nothing but pigeons in my front yard.
The birds here manage to feed themselves all year round anyway.
River: The pigeons are a late arrival for us here. They didn't visit until years after the other birds had established a presence and are only on the feeder when there are no other birds around. Just the same you are right all the birds do manage to feed themselves. And there are certainly some good reasons (like not encouraging dependence) for having a feeder. A difficult decision.
DeleteThere is something hilariously sweet about these pictures, and I learned something new, something cool, this morning, so thank you for that! This is one of my faves of your posts!!
ReplyDeleteRFHWE
El Farris: Thank you.
DeleteIt just shows how amiable the pigeons are ... other birds would never tolerate that close proximity. Pigeons are really Doves ... and you know Doves are all about love, right?
ReplyDeleteSince we only hear from you once a week now I keep wondering how you are doing and how SP is progressing in his recovery. I do appreciate that you take the time to comment on my blog ... I love your comments and insights. I hope you will always have time (and energy) for that (that is selfish me wanting a little piece of you when I can get it :) Anyway, I think of you often and of how hard it must be for both you and SP. My heart goes out to you ... Be well, my friend. Till next week ...
Andrea @ From The Sol
Andrea: Thank you. We are ok(ish). The next surgery (hopefully the last) will probably be in the next month or so. Sigh. Just the same somehow I seem to be busy, busy, busy.
DeleteThere is at least one of the visiting pigeons who is NOT about love. He/she goes to the smaller feeder and refuses to allow another pigeon on it. Such a contrast.
The pigeons are sure crowding the feeder
ReplyDeleteKim @ Stuff could...: Oh yes. Big time.
DeleteMy pigeons and collared doves only enjoy eating one after the other and they are polite enough not to jump/fly up together.
ReplyDeleteDoes that mean British pigeons are better behaved?
Friko: These pigeons are obviously brash colonial pigeons as they have no manners at all. So yes, British pigeons are indeed better behaved.
DeleteI love pigeons. They have a bad reputation in the city where I used to live. People call them flying rats because there are so many and they eat garbage but that is a people problem, not a pigeon problem. My hubby and I disagree on this because he's worked in several church towers where he had to clean up their droppings before he could even complete the work. I don't envy him that task but I still don't blame the birds. It's just what happens when humans and nature have to share space. Love your photos, as always! Sorry I'm always so late commenting.
ReplyDeleteJennifer: All the birds crap on our veranda. Copiously. Since we have been feeding the birds the veranda needs to be swept several times a day and scrubbed clean as well. It is a price I am happy to pay.
DeleteOh, wow. Coach class!
ReplyDeleteCarol Kilgore: Perhaps a little further down the scale. Think travelling on the roof of suburban buses carrying people, chickens, goats...
DeleteOh wow - you've got a 5 star Inn, for sure!
ReplyDeleteBarb: So it seems. Though I don't think the pigeons are very fussy...
DeleteThey don't seem to have the same concept of "personal space" that we do... I suppose food is food, the most important thing!! Has the bird feeder ever broken due to the weight? Or jostling? Wonderful pics, I am so glad that the cats haven't gotten any of them... I know a few cats who used to eat pigeons!!
ReplyDeleteNicky HW: The pigeons have NO sense of personal space - though there is a bit of pecking in their attempt to get more room. The feeder has never broken - birds have fallen off it, but it has never broken. And the water pistol by the front door is a WONDERFUL cat deterrent. And fun too.
DeleteOh, finally I'm able to see your lovely pics!
ReplyDeleteLove those gorgeous galahs! The pink & greys just don't seem to come here - not sure if they dislike the thick forest. I always see them down on the flats fossicking on the ground though.
And the pigeons are a riot! Love 'em!
Is there a pigeon breeder/racer nearby that they return home to, or are they now "wild"?
Vicki: The holiday madness is over and lots of us have our internet access back. Galahs do seem to like open country - feeding on the grass, though around here they go into the hills (and forest) to breed. No pigeon breeder/racer that we are aware of, so yes wild birds. Which I like.
DeleteWow! Looks like the all-you-can-eat-$9.95-Sunday- buffet down at the Royal restaurant...except the birds are using more restraint.;-)
ReplyDeleteDebora: Given that there is NO restraint at the feeder that buffet could be a tad frightening to watch. Pictures please.
DeleteIncredible. I could happily watch them for hours :)
ReplyDeleteWendy aka Quillfeather: As we do. Every day.
DeleteI was sure I commented on this post, but I see that I didn't! I did come in the other day to do so, but something must have interrupted me!
ReplyDeleteLove the birds...they remind me of mine here...mine around here keep a vigilant watch on me...they know they get the meat scraps from when I cut up the cats' meat each afternoon!
Lee: We don't feed ours meat, but they DO keep a very vigilant eye out. When the seed goes out, they are on the feeder before we are back inside.
DeleteLOL -- what a great crowd! Love these pics.
ReplyDeleteladyfi: Thank you.
DeleteSome birds are little pigs but I love them all any way.
ReplyDeleteHope you and SP are well and happy :)
Pam:): And some are big pigs, and I love them too. We are doing pretty well thank you.
DeleteMy – that is a lot of pigeons in one feeder! We never get pigeons here but we see many doves. They eat the seeds on the ground though, once the squirrels have jumped on the feeders and turned the feeders so the seeds fall on the ground!
ReplyDeleteVagabonde: We don't get squirrels - but the birds do a pretty impressive job of spreading seed from Christmas to breakfast. I have just spent some hours weeding sprouted seed from the garden beds beneath the feeder. Not a fun job.
DeleteDear EC, so many pigeons, just like the gulahs. I find myself happy that these pigeons get a chance at the feeder also. The mourning doves here are always on the ground. They never seem to even attempt the feeder. Maybe I need a couple of more along the patio. Peace.
ReplyDeleteDee: Lots of people don't like the pigeona - but we do. And they are welcome to the feed. Mostly they do eat from the ground, but have taken to the feeder if it is free of other birds. And then crowd it so much it is difficult for them to eat.
DeleteI love pigeons. Always have, always will. The crow is another unpopular bird - but I think they are gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteHave Myelin? Snap. I am very, very fond of both pigeons and crows and bearded ravens (which are another unpopular bird).
DeleteCute :)
ReplyDeleteNoeleen Ginnane: Welcome and thank you.
Delete