Pigeon Bulletin Board?

[backyard pigeons]

Was your bird on the ground when attacked?

No, it was flying and then got chased low to the ground. It then after the hawk flew off landed on the ground and i called it and it flew STRAIGHT in. Poor thing was shaking like crazy! Ive only ever lost 1 bird to a hawk which is pretty good i think.

 

[CCUK]

My little interloper has been back. I got worried when I scared it trying to catch it that something may have got it during the night. But no, it's OK! It's been flying with mine everyday but won't come down off the roof. I don't mind that, I just don't really want it in my loft! Are your birds still in lock down @biophiliac?

 

[CCUK]

Well just about 30 min ago i had a young red tail hawk dive in after one of my birds. I was chasing it screaming and after about 20 seconds it got scared and flew off. The bird had a small scratch but it is alright. Its lucky though! Sigh, hawk season is here.

Lucky, lucky, lucky! These hawks are definitely not too scared of humans are they! Glad yours is OK, if not a bit shaken.

 

[biophiliac]

My little interloper has been back. I got worried when I scared it trying to catch it that something may have got it during the night. But no, it's OK! It's been flying with mine everyday but won't come down off the roof. I don't mind that, I just don't really want it in my loft! Are your birds still in lock down @biophiliac?

Yes they are. I think most people don't fly them in winter out of concern for excessive predation. This will be my first winter with flyers and I don't know if I could let them out once in a while if they were hungry enough to come strait in after. Since I lost the 2 in one day I'm pretty spooked.

 

[CCUK]

Yes they are. I think most people don't fly them in winter out of concern for excessive predation. This will be my first winter with flyers and I don't know if I could let them out once in a while if they were hungry enough to come strait in after. Since I lost the 2 in one day I'm pretty spooked.

Yeah. It's a risk I wouldn't want to take. Luckily I don't seem to have much predation directly here but that's not to say that there not around.

 

[Fields Mountain Farm]

My little interloper has been back. I got worried when I scared it trying to catch it that something may have got it during the night. But no, it's OK! It's been flying with mine everyday but won't come down off the roof. I don't mind that, I just don't really want it in my loft! Are your birds still in lock down @biophiliac?

You need a loft for strays only!

 

[backyard pigeons]

When did you lose 2? By a hawk?

Yes they are. I think most people don't fly them in winter out of concern for excessive predation. This will be my first winter with flyers and I don't know if I could let them out once in a while if they were hungry enough to come strait in after. Since I lost the 2 in one day I'm pretty spooked.

 

[biophiliac]

When did you lose 2? By a hawk?

Yes last week. I didn't see it happen but I found feathers and blood in the road and another huge pile of feathers in the neighbors backyard. There are several resident Red-tails but they didn't bother my birds all summer. I have not been strict with them about returning directly to the loft...

 

[backyard pigeons]

Well its hard to be struct with homers since they route and cant hear the whistle/bell. How many flyers do you have now? Or how many where you flying before the incident? With the hawk migration it could have been a hawk passing through. Sorry.

 

[cavemanrich]

This time of year food supplies for hawks seem to be less available. Many birds migrated south. Many rodents remain in hiding VS. in the open. Resident hawks still need to eat.


Caveman's update on feed purchase. Yes it was on SALE,,,

8 BAGS WILD BIRD SEEDS....(40 Lbs. each) 1 BAG BOSS (50 Lbs.)
370 pounds heavier in the cave storage.
$100 lighter in the wallet.
Most of it will end up in this feeder. I regularly see wild Mourning Doves feeding on the ground below feeder. (not the white ones)

Pix is from previous winter.

This is summer time use.

And the BOSS well these are the #1 contenders at least for half+ of that bag.

My chickens will get some instead of scratch