Influx of feral/city pigeons

Sue & Mutton

We’re 15 miles from the nearest town (as the pigeon flies) and for the last few days have had feral pigeons joining the merry throng around the bird table. Never had them in the garden before. I wonder if it’s because their food source is scarce in town at the moment with the cafes and takeaways closed. 

nick615

I regularly entertain between 10 and 25 every morning, some of which have rings on their legs that suggest they're former tame/racing birds.  I give them a breakfast of cheap seed and the rest of the day they forage under the other feeders, especially the nijer seed, but do no harm to the garden.

Obelixx

Could be worse.  Llandudno has the local feral goats eating its gardens - https://www.theguardian.com/news/2020/mar/31/llandudno-goats-herd-running-riot-coronavirus-lockdown   It's even featured on CNN and Al-Jezeera

josusa47

As a resident of Llandudno, I think the town should be very grateful for all the free international publicity we are getting thanks to the goats.  They are managed rather than feral, in that they haven't escaped from domestic service.  They are Kashmir goats, the original pair was a gift to Queen Victoria.  She must have found them more trouble than they were worth, as she gave them to the town and they were released on the Great Orme, a towering limestone outcrop on the end of a peninsula.  Others were added to the herd later, the numbers are kept to around 100.  

wild edges

It's really interesting to see the hidden side effects of this virus. We've been avoiding taking the kids to feed the ducks because it's hard to give people much space on the narrow paths around the pond. They're probably stuffed with panic bought and now gone off bread though.