With the weather taking a, decidedly cooler, turn - so the action around the garden feeders has increased. House Sparrows continue to dominate, although Starlings are becoming far more frequent with a couple of double figured counts recently. However, the purpose of this offering is to pose a, hypothetical, question. Should I tolerate the presence of Feral Rock Doves around/under the feeders? I ask this because I am aware of other gardens where these wild birds are actively discouraged (shot!).
Before anyone get's all hot under the collar, shooting these "vermin" is not a crime, they have the same status as Brown Rats and I do shoot them if they appear around the garden/aviary.
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A selection of the plumage types exhibited by the Feral Rock Doves that visit our garden.
The maximum count, thus far, has been sixteen. |
It's that same old story of humans playing God! We like Squirrels, we don't like rats. Collared Doves are great, Turtle Doves are to die for - street pigeons? Not the slightest of interest, except perhaps on "Bird Race Day"? I actually quite like these feral urchins scratching about under the feeders. Their plumage is far from uniform and they have quite an intricate social behavior. So you can rest assured that they will continue to have a safe haven in our garden.
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