# How to attract doves & pigeons?



## pigiesNdovies (Nov 21, 2011)

!Hola!
Due 2 so much googlin 2 where my fingers hurt n eyes hurt but didnt got str8 answer, what pine trees and fruit trees attract doves n pigeons?
I'm plannin 2 make a lil bird habbitat n the back of the backyard of my dad's house. 
I already got 5 palm trees that I dugged out from an alley which either way they were gona get cut down cuz if they grew up they would cause electric shocks on the power lines. So...I said well i need those n the back yard so that birds can sleep n nest there. 
NOw I need 2 find out watt pine trees atract birds -esp doves n pigeons but they cannot grow waaaaay 2 tall cuz they will cause damage$ n i cant ri$k that e$p n this economy. 

btw, so far this is a list of watt comes 2 the house 2 eat:
6 feral pigeons
like 20 house sparrows
like 15 type of other sparrows
5 juncos?
a rooster from the neighbor
a cooper hawk
2 mocking birds
2 jays not bluejays 
1o house finches
5 greenish type of finches
1 mourning dove few times a yr
1 eurasian dove few times a yr
2 red tail hawks n the winter
2 squirrls
5 big rats
4 feral cats
1 big snake
4 european starlings in spring n summer

ammmm i think thats about it? I put bread, food that we dont wana eat or like when i eat an apple i make the rest get stick on the twings of the branches......


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## pigiesNdovies (Nov 21, 2011)

Please list the name of the pine trees and possibly pictures.....pine trees, fruit trees, winter betty trees everygreen shrubs 2!

iFeb is almost here n birds gona start gettin n the mood so that means they wana look 4 homes which i will try put sum nests n boxes if i can reach 2 the roof. Thanks


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## pigiesNdovies (Nov 21, 2011)

WANA KNOW Y DOVES N PIGEONS DISAPPEARIN 4 MY AREA?

verrry simple:

mourning doves left cuz there used 2 b huge orchard fields of fig trees. owner sold prperty n new owner dug every fig tree
eurasian collared doves are continously gettin killed by people with shotguns
feral pigeons left the area cuz they used 2 nest, roost n feed off a grain mill. well business went down the drainage so now there is no more food, shelter so buy bi!


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## Quazar (Jul 27, 2010)

Firstly, dont press keys so hard & it wont hurt your fingers so much,
Secondly, turn down the contrast of your screen & it wont hurt your eyes so much   

Then, try more googling & you'll find pigeons dont really like fruit or trees (altough doves do hang about in trees).
Pigeons mainly hang about & nest in old buildings, or under bridges, which is more like the natural habitats of their rock dove ancestors.
Usually the only time you will see them in gardens is if they are foraging for food, or if food and water is put out for them and they find it, then they tend to come back if it becomes a regular occurrence.
They are naturally grain eaters & dont eat fruit, although they will eat bread & cake (& other leftovers) that arent really that healthy for them.
They are smart birds though, and have regular "routes" & places that they go to at certain times where they know they will usually find food, so if you do put seed out for them be patient, and dont be surprised if other birds find and eat it first.
You also dont want to attract pigeons if you have a hawk feeding - Pigeon = very tasty Hawk meal


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

Doves prefer cedar trees to nest in, in my experience. Pigeons do not nest in trees, they nest in/on buildings, bridges, etc. That's why there are so many in the city. Put up a bird feeder with a seed mix that has a lot of variety in it. Fruit wise, they will eat fruit but not very often. Put up some suet blocks too, to attract even more birds. But the birdseed is what will get the doves and pigeons.


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## pigiesNdovies (Nov 21, 2011)

hi. notice i got 2 replies now. 
its rainin right now where i live n california. OMG ITS CORLD!!! i wonder how cold those birds r outside. 

QUAZAR, do u think that puttin up a pigeon coop house will work?

MARRY, cedar trees r pine trees? my inglish is my 2nd language n notice english 2 spanish or spanglish is backwards kinda like when i listen 2 shakira laundry service cd.

Im gona go collect cans 2 save up 2 buy 1 or 2 pine trees. Unless sum1 wants 2 throw away baby ones? do christmas trees on baskets grow really tall? I shall go 2 wallmart or lowes or orchards n c how much r the pine trees. I live towards yosemite national park n wonder if its legal 2 get a ride n dig a baby pine tree from there?


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

Pine trees are a bit different from cedars, although they are both evergreens  Pine trees have needle-like leaves, while the leaves of cedars look like this:









But I've never been to Cali so I have no clue what kind of trees grow best there. I just know I've seen a lot of birds nesting in our cedars because they are thicker, so the nests stay put better and I guess the extra coverage makes them feel more safe  That's just what I've seen in my own yard. They will definitely nest in pine trees, if the forks are shaped right to hold up the nest.

The christmas tree pines (as well as other kinds of trees they use for christmas trees) should work too! Less likely to have their nest blown apart or picked off by predators


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## re lee (Jan 4, 2003)

Around here doves nest in regular trees and crows like cedar trees. But doves migrate And return in the spring. Pigeons unless they nest near by have an area where they feed. Around here Most everybody never feeds pigeons As there are plenty of grain elevaters around and hundres feed there there. So area tree type And prediters would make a difference. Might just put out some feeders and see what come to feed


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## pigiesNdovies (Nov 21, 2011)

MARY omg u know so much! how do u know so much? Now i c the difference of pines n cedars. its so true, doves n pigies prefer flat versus spikie stuff.

RE LEE reg trees meanin like what names? i forgot about crows 2

i'm gona c watt i can learn n get so i can do this lil bird project 2 keep my mind from stressin from money issues n economy. Listening 2 birds destresses me A LOT! I still havent bought a Thai Laugher hen 4 my widow male but Ill c how can I get him 1.

OMG almost 4got, the Homer hen that suddenly showed up @ my dad house, got pregnant n laid 2 eggs, now her n him take turns warmin up their 1st babies. I forgot 2 write down on the calendar when they had eggs laid but i do remember its been around this wkend since this happend. I think its gona b 1st time parents so i'm so excited 2. I'm gona c if i can take pics from my laptop but will all this rain n my laptop cam not workin its been a lil holdup 4 me 2 do this


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

re lee said:


> Around here doves nest in regular trees and crows like cedar trees. But doves migrate And return in the spring. Pigeons unless they nest near by have an area where they feed. Around here Most everybody never feeds pigeons As there are plenty of grain elevaters around and hundres feed there there. So area tree type And prediters would make a difference. Might just put out some feeders and see what come to feed


Like I said, it's just what I've seen in my own yard


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## NZ Pigeon (Nov 12, 2011)

Pigeons do nest in trees, Hear in Christchurch we have pine trees full of rock pigeons, In Blenheim which is also in the South Island there are thousands licing in pheonix palms. I understand it is not their natural habitat but just up the road from me about 20 -30 rock pigeons/ferals live in a pinetree, They nest and everything in ther branches, Admittedly the tree was right next to a building that was knocked down 10 years back so I imagine they resorted to the tree and I realise in most cases and most countries they would not as the citys are big enough to house them, But just pointing out how adaptable pigeons are, They will nest and thrive almost anywhere with shelter and somewhere to nest. The city I live in is incredibly flat and their are a lot of crop farmers so their is plenty of food for them, Maybe not enough buildings for them to nest on hence the reason they make do with pines and palms.


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## re lee (Jan 4, 2003)

Elm trees maple trees. Pecan trees. Just any tree. Then as said the cedar trees the crows like to nest in. And as said different areas they nest where they will. Pigeons here nest on buildings grain elevators. houses ect. But they have plenty of feed along the railroad tracks and grain elevators. So I have never seen any body feeding them.


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## re lee (Jan 4, 2003)

MaryOfExeter said:


> Like I said, it's just what I've seen in my own yard


I know i just said here they nest different. We have more turtle doves And just the past few years a few broad tail doves But not many. But many turtle doves. Which is also called mourning doves


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## 4nursebee (May 27, 2009)

I can't name specific trees but can offer where I see pigeons and doves hang out around here. 
1. Grain mills.
2. Under my black oil sunflower bird feeder.

Given that birds seem to enjoy nuts, perhaps try planting a pine nut tree, perhaps aka pinyon nut. Available in bulk from Musser Forests Nursery in PA


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

Well, living in the 'Pine Tree State', we have alot of pines! But they don't give as much shelter as Spruce Trees do. The larger birds and squirrels take up most of the pine trees here. I have a row of Blue Spruce along the back yard and Hemlock along the side yard. My spruce trees are full of Mourning doves and Cardinals year round......








Blue Spruce Trees. Mine are about 30 feet tall now making a natural privacy wall.
While the smaller birds prefer the Hemlock trees...chickadees, titmouse, nuthatches, wrens and the finches- house and gold. The sparrows prefer shrubs.









Eastern Hemlock









White Pine....which the Eagles like to occupy the tops......about 80-100+ feet tall. I just had 2 cut down last fall between my lofts.


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## pigiesNdovies (Nov 21, 2011)

Now after reading all of your replies along with staring at pictures, i got better idea what 2 look for when I go 2 gardening stores. I loved those xmas trees (blue spuce pine/trees} 

Im gona go to the 99 cents store and buy those sunflower seed packages and plant them next to the fence facing sunset.....yesterday night i found an interesting story of why its terribly important to care for birds and how vegetation balances things out.


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

I don't know how this would translate to mourning doves, but my ringnecks love those little black "thistle" nyjer seeds. (They're not the healthiest thing for them to eat--but they love it as a treat!)

My doves also eat: White millet, milo, wheat, canadian field peas, red millet, canary grass seed, popcorn, safflower, oat groats, etc.

Be sure that any popcorn is unpopped and completely unseasoned/unsalted/unbuttered if you wind up buying popcorn in a bag meant for people. In the winter time the birds like the popcorn more.


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## pigiesNdovies (Nov 21, 2011)

I woke up super early when my dad had 2 go 2 work. I ate sum cereal with unsweeated soymilk Oh and sum banana 2! Well aster my dad asked me if i could check the weather 4 him, i looked over the window n looked like it was clear sky. I kept searchin 4 that article about doves needing shelther but cant seem 2 find it.

The story/article summaries that a photographer/writer found an eurasian collared dove roosting on top of a horses back. For those with the Who/what/when/why/how/so, I got no clue! I read the article n wasnt there 2 take pics with my laptop. 

To juice things even lil more. I went 2 check how were the pigies doin n the dovies when i discovered they were all wet cuz the plastic cloth had fallen. I had 2 grab my blowdryer n airdry 2 birdies. I done this trick b4 n sure birds come back to life in a second!
The story doesnt ends there, well right when i had come back inside. Ready to take a break, a cooper hawk was sneakin in!!!! i knew sumthin was goin wrong cuz my grey diamond dove male n pigies always do a warnin continously n get super still n kinda look like they lost half their weight. Well I hear this squeakin loud noise n it was the cooper hawk that went after my thai laugher male but hahahaha 4 the hawk, he got caught on the kennel cage thats y he screamed. Then i thought he had left when not so did. He went 2 my neighbor's house n roost on her leafless tree. thats when i said ok, gona get my sling shot that my mom had got me from Mexico couple years ago n made couple shots just to scare it not to hit it. Finally it left but went 2 a BIIIG tree that is on the other side of a canal. it started sprinkling again so it flew idk where though.


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