Yesterday I received a note from the city. Apparently someone is upset with the presence of pigeons in my vicinity. The city, while very polite, wishes to come and inspect since it is against the rules to feed pigeons or otherwise give them sanctuary. Of course there are gentle threats in the letter, but I am sure it is just to show that they are very serious.

All in all it brought me to tears. The birds have been the most steady bit of therapy I’ve had for 5 years now. I feed the songbirds and the birds unique to where I live. I put out water because we’ve been in a terribly harsh drought for years. To not have pigeons sharing in that bounty would mean bounty for none. Where I live is what is called a Riparian Ecosystem. The problem is that in the 1940s the Army Corp of Engineers corralled the river in order to stop the annual flooding. Limiting the river, ended most of the expanded Riparian environment. They then built houses on the now dry flood plain. The soil where I live is river silt deposits. Silt without water, blows away and leaves behind what is called desert pavement. Desert pavement does not readily absorb water and becomes impacted, leaving less chance for plants to take hold. The Cottonwood trees died, the plants and animals that had acclimated to the river environment either moved closer to the river or died out. When that happened, most of the species that had migrated through the valley lost their food supplies and nesting sites. The drought has only increased their population falloff.

I’d like to show you some of the guests I’ve seen so far:

All pictures are from Cornell University https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/

Greater Roadrunner

Curve-bill Thrasher

Cooper’s Hawk

Black-chinned Hummingbird

Mourning Dove

Western Kingbird

White-breasted Nuthatch

Beyond these, we have seen: Red Finches, Lesser Gold Finches, Mountain Juncos, Blackbirds, Starlings, Grackles, Mallard Ducks, House Sparrows, Robins, and of course Rock Pigeons. As far as pigeons go, we have had quite a few fancies show up. These didn’t migrate, they were obviously someone’s pigeon before becoming feral. We’ve also seen the local Rock Pigeons showing traits of breeding with Rollers and Racers.

I’ll have to see what the city says. I don’t think I’ll ever understand such animosity to a simple bird. People are odd birds. Either way, it’s sad. The city does no animal control/trapping. So even though pigeon birth control is available the city doesn’t do those kind of things. I’ve never been a fan of pitting neighbors against neighbors, or residents against the local government. Cooperation towards a common goal is always better.