Pigeon fancying

“The north wind did nothing to dampen the ardour of a cock feral pigeon, which, unusually, appeared to have taken a fancy to a wild wood pigeon”

Country Sights and Sounds
John Shelley

ALONG the main road a constant stream of traffic raised clouds of dust into the air, creating a dull haze that dimmed my view of Clew Bay and Clare Island. I had thought to go there but the wind still holds its keen edge and, as so often is the case, the micro-climate created by the trees around the house had fooled me, so that I had left home with only a light jacket. Travel abroad could wait for another, finer day.
The north wind did nothing to dampen the ardour of a cock feral pigeon, which, unusually, appeared to have taken a fancy to a wild wood pigeon. He paced in circles in his dirty, grey-feathered overcoat, his shoulders hunched in a casual half-slouch, his hungry eye on only one thing, the tender body of the simple country girl who watched her feral cousin with intrigue.
Yet she was wise to his ways; no amount of cooing and strutting, no turning up of his collar or clever talk would allow him to approach within a few feet.
Nor should it, for there are fundamental and far-reaching differences between the two birds. When the time was right for her to do so she would hide her rudimentary twig platform of a nest in a private place, deep within the cover of thick ivy, and no amount of cajoling would convince her to do otherwise. He, on the other hand, would find an abandoned building where he and his eventual mate would live shoulder to shoulder with their relatives and friends, not finding their noise or personal habits at all impolite or invasive.
Hers is a wild and free spirit; she would glean her living from the hedgerow and fly free in a living wind. He would wait in city streets for crusts of bread and biscuit crumbs, breathing fume-filled air. She could cleverly open beech mast and knew where to find fruit in its season; he had learned to open thrown down fast-food wrappings. Her voice would embellish the soft greenery of summer woodland and float over fields of ripening wheat, his would be lost in the endless drone of taxi cabs and delivery trucks.
He was insistent, and for a short while I thought she might succumb to his dubious charms. Although she repeatedly turned her back and walked away her suitor knew this was part of the game and simply followed, fanning his tail and bobbing his head in an attempt to seduce her. Had the courtship been successful, the two would have danced briefly, touching and holding beaks before mating. But what then? The two would have found themselves incompatible.
There was no way of knowing if the male was a local bird or one from far away. I suspect the latter, for feral pigeons are few in this part of the country. Most feral pigeons are derived from domesticated rock doves, which normally live in rocky coastal areas. Some were originally domesticated to create a regular supply of eggs, meat and feathers, others as homing pigeons, and more for their unusual plumage. Over the years, distinct races have been formed and pigeon-keeping has become a popular hobby, especially in built-up, working-class areas.
Not only that, they have also become a major tourist attraction in many large city areas, including such diverse places as the Placa Catalunya in Barcelona, the Egyptian Bazaar in Instanbul and London’s Trafalgar Square, where damage to buildings and heavy soiling of public areas led to London mayor Ken Livingstone placing a ban on the feeding of pigeons. One corner of the square is within the jurisdiction of Westminster City council, however, and the mayor could only watch on as the local, plague-like pigeon flock was supported there by public action groups.
In the wild, pigeons breed only when there is an adequate food supply, and usually limit their reproduction to one or two broods a year, each containing a brace of youngsters. Well-fed city birds can easily triple that output. It is easy to see how their numbers can escalate out of control.
Seeing the difficulties created by the birds in other locations, many question the value of having feral pigeons resident in towns. Physical culls, feeding bans, even pigeon contraception, all meet with limited success in controlling numbers. Pigeons in the wild might be the better option.