Questions about pigeons in hurricanes.

On Sat, 20 Sep 2003 04:42:20 GMT, Waddle <dfgdfgdfg DeleteThis @dfdsf.com> wrote:

>The bird has been sitting on the window sill for over 12 hrs now (10 floors
>up). It hasn't moved. Is this normal behaviour for pigeons?
>
>Thanks
>
>W
The pigeon could be a lost bird that got blown off course. Then it
could be a feral(wild) bird. Sometimes a pigeon will fly so long
that it gets fatigued and will just sit around untilled it's batteries
are recharged so to speak. The other thing is it could be ill and
to weak to continue flying around looking for food. The later is
probably more likely. Pigeons by nature have bacteria in their
digestive systems and during times of stress the bacteria get
out of control. There is probably little you can do for this bird. I
read one time that a pair of wild pigeons only average 1.3 babies
a year that reach one year old. The main reason for
that is disease. The second is predators. I hope this helps. There
ready is nothing you can do. Just imagine how may wild pigeons
there would be if all of their babies lived and prospered. A person
would have to walk around town with an umbrella rain or shine.
cheers
tonyf
 >> Stay informed about: Questions about pigeons in hurricanes. 

OK, thanks for the info/suggestions :)

My wife followed your instructions Susan, though we don't have any bird
seed we put out some bread along with a container of water. It's now going
into the third day and it hasn't made a sound (and I mean that literally),
doesn't move when my wife went outside (and when our dog was out there, tho
the dog didn't pay it no mind). It just sits there.

Cheers

W
 >> Stay informed about: Questions about pigeons in hurricanes. 

Waddle <dfgdfgdfg.RemoveThis@dfdsf.com> wrote in message news:<Xns93FDAEBBDCB9asdasdsdfsdfcom.RemoveThis@140.99.99.130>...
> OK, thanks for the info/suggestions :)
>
> My wife followed your instructions Susan, though we don't have any bird
> seed we put out some bread along with a container of water. It's now going
> into the third day and it hasn't made a sound (and I mean that literally),
> doesn't move when my wife went outside (and when our dog was out there, tho
> the dog didn't pay it no mind). It just sits there.
>
> Cheers
>
> W

Just wanted to add that I agree with most of what Tony said, however, I do not
believe that their mortality rate is so high from disease. Just from my own
observations, I would say it is from starvation. Not enough food to go around
to match their prolific breeding. (Year round.) However, a starving bird has
a lowered resistance to disease, hence, probably, why the high mortality
attributed to disease.

Waddle, pigeons hardly make any sounds anyway, unless with other pigeons.
For the bird to be sitting in one place that long, something is definitely
wrong with it. Did the bird eat any of the bread and water?
Has it pooped anywhere that you can see the condition of the poop?
(Firm, brown with a white cap, or soft, or liquid or runny, bright green, etc.)
Although most bread is made from wheat, it is not the best food for them.
Their systems were designed for processing seeds. You could pick up a bag of
wild bird seed from your local market.
Most feral pigeons are what we call blue bars and blue checks. But other
colors and patterns happen frequently. But I would possibly suspect that the
bird is an escaped pet. Does the bird look like it has been living in the
streets, or is it pretty clean?
Pigeons generally, do not bite or peck people. But even if they do, believe me,
it does not hurt, nor is it strong enough to draw blood or break the skin.
If the bird does not move when you stand in front of it, try putting your
hand up against it's chest and see if it will step up on your hand. (If it
does, it's almost a sure sign that it once belonged to someone.)
Sometimes, most feral pigeons sickness can be cured with a little apple-cider
vinegar in the water for several days, (2 tablespoons per 1/2 gal.) and fresh
birdseed. Just drinking and eating fresh water and food from clean containers
can make a lot of difference. Please let us know what happens,
E-Man
(ps: the vinegar just makes the gut more acidic, so lessens the bacteria.)
 >> Stay informed about: Questions about pigeons in hurricanes. 

The bird seems to be gone now (wasn't there on monday morning). It did
look pretty clean (cleaner than the pigeons I see downtown). It was it's
colour that made me curious about it. If I had known earlier about what
way to approach the bird to see if it was a pet, I probably would have
tried (if only to say that I did :) ). Hopefully it was just relaxing for
a bit and has decided to go back to it's own place (or owner).

Althugh i'm not fond of urban pigeons (like the ones you see in packs in
a town center), I'm first as foremost an animal lover. I just couldn't
bear the thought of an animal dieing when I could have done something.
The buildings super would have a fit if he found out we fed it lol.

But like I said, hopefully it's gone on it's merry way to where it came
from.

Thank you for all the suggestions and information. If she ever comes back
I'll be sure to let you all know :)

Cheers

W
 >> Stay informed about: Questions about pigeons in hurricanes.