# "My" Flock



## Pete Jasinski (Jan 2, 2005)

I've decided to share some pics of my extended family. These guys and gals are great! They wait on my roof above my bedroom windows and coo all morning until I come down to feed them, then they skim over my head and run to my feet for breakfast. I wish I could take them all in! 
Here's a link to my flock's super sized pic. It's amazing to see these guys and gals in flight! http://www.elliotscoins.com/images/myflock.jpg


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## Whitefeather (Sep 2, 2002)

*Nice looking flock*

Thanks for sharing your pijjies with us.
The black & white pij in your first photo looks like he could be a relative to one in my flock.  

Cindy


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## Pete Jasinski (Jan 2, 2005)

*Cooin' Cuzins*

I have enough pics to use up all you disk space probably! The flock is very photogenic. Who know's, our two black & whites could be related somewhere down the line


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## Pete Jasinski (Jan 2, 2005)

I've had pigeons around so much of my life I could never imagine there are places you actually have to commute to to see these lil fellas. I have 2 flocks in 2 seperate locations I feed and water, I'd gladly ship one over for your enjoyment  It'll cut my seed cost in half, who am I kidding I'll still by the same amount and just find another flock to feed elsewhere. My pijis know my truck also! They see me driving down the road and they'll fly overhead and follow me down the street and land on my roof as I pull into the driveway. 
I'm lucky, my area is teaming with birds to feed. I have my flock of 50 to 60 pigeons, 25 to 30 doves, a cardinal family, a hairy & redheaded woodpecker family plus hundres of sparrows and finches.


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

*Carob is a fine looking bird!*



AZWhitefeather said:


> Thanks for sharing your pijjies with us.
> The black & white pij in your first photo looks like he could be a relative to one in my flock.
> 
> Cindy


Speaking of photos,I was browsing through Webshots.com at the office and found a feral pigeon that resembles our *Tooter*, so I downloaded it! Most of my office screensavers have been transit buses.Carob on my desktop is so much relaxing to look at!By the way, yours and mine very well may be related!  ~Victor


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## Lin Hansen (Jan 9, 2004)

Great pictures, Pete. I will join the club here, and also say that some of "my" birds may be related to yours....although in our case, there is a good chance that it's true with the flocks being only a couple of miles apart! LOL

Linda


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## Pete Jasinski (Jan 2, 2005)

Lin Hansen said:


> Great pictures, Pete. I will join the club here, and also say that some of "my" birds may be related to yours....although in our case, there is a good chance that it's true with the flocks being only a couple of miles apart! LOL
> 
> Linda


 Ya know Linda they just might be the same flock.  They must know where the suckers are! They're here for breakfast and then hang out for a few hours. They probably hit your house later on in the day for brunch. What a life! Eat, fly rest, poop and sleep!


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## zoo keeper (Oct 3, 2004)

I was just wondering ... When you feed the feral flocks do you ever see birds with bands? That has really been crossing my mind lately and I know where a huge flock lives and I was thinking of going to feed them this week just so I can get a closer look at them. I always look at them when I am driving to work.


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## Pete Jasinski (Jan 2, 2005)

I've haven't found one with a band yet. These guys come within inches from me so I get up close and personal. If I did ever see a banded bird I'd be sure to nab it and try to finds it's home.


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## zoo keeper (Oct 3, 2004)

Thanks for that info. I always wonder if my lost birds are in a feral flock somewhere.


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## Lin Hansen (Jan 9, 2004)

Hi Zk,

I try to look my flock over pretty well while they are here each day, and in the last year, only once did I spot a banded bird. It was just one orange band and I could not get close enough to read it or to catch him. He seemed to be in good health and was with "my" flock only two days. I am assuming (and hoping) he was just resting and refueling before heading home.

Linda


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

I occasionally see a banded bird with the feral flock at the local duck pond park. Thus far they have appeared to be in good health and definitely not possible to catch (I always try). Most are with the flock for only a few days, but there was one black one I saw every day for about three months before he went missing. I'm hoping that one decided it was time to go home and did so.

Terry


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

Most times I see a banded bird, they soon seem to disappear again when I follow the progress of a group over a few weeks.

Where I live, tho, an all black banded pigeon turned up on my balcony with some of the local ferals something like three years ago, and he is still around having acquired a mate, looking fit and sleek

John


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## Pete Jasinski (Jan 2, 2005)

It's nice that the lost banded pidgie found a home plus a mate and is thriving! I wish i could return Dudley to his flock but he'll never be able to make it in the outdoors again


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## zoo keeper (Oct 3, 2004)

I think it would be fun and interesting to observe a feral flock for a while and just see what I see. This flock that I look at every day I go to work is huge, it must be 200 birds. This afternoon it was windy and the pigeons seemed to be playing in the wind. It was cute. I dont ever see them on the ground, they stay on top of the mobil, mcdonalds, carrows and del taco signs. I wonder if they would come down if I tossed some food?


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## relofts (Apr 8, 2004)

What are you going to do with them all if they do come down, they may follow you home you do know that don't you, and then you will need a bigger loft.  

Ellen


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## zoo keeper (Oct 3, 2004)

great, a bigger loft. I think I do have pigeon fever. The kids always tell me I am going to wreck my car watching the sky or following my pigeons in my car


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## relofts (Apr 8, 2004)

Ok, well lets see if you cut down the trees, take down the fence, fill in the pool, build stairs up to the roof, you might be able to fit them all in at the rate you are going.  

Ellen


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## zoo keeper (Oct 3, 2004)

Well the tree has been trimmed and I have talked about filling in the pond to put a loft there, I asked for the stairs to the roof and I was told to seek help!!!! The fence blew down, so that is not longer a problem. I think I just have the stair problem. LOL


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## relofts (Apr 8, 2004)

Well heck just use a ladder and act like you fell off because you didn't have stairs to walk up, bet you will get your stairs soon then. With a loft on top of the roof your pigeons would be able to see home from that much further away.  

Ellen


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## zoo keeper (Oct 3, 2004)

You should not give me ideas. I have pigeon fever bad and they are starting to cloud my normal thinking process. Actually I wanted a patio on my roof so I could sit and watch them comfortably. You know a patio with a small fence around it, a table with an umbrella and starts going up to it. I wonder what my neighbors would think. They already think I am crazy climbing on the roof each time my birds fly. The tennis balls did work good the other day. I was tossing balls at the birds and they would fly get off the roof fast. LOL


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## ZigZagMarquis (Aug 31, 2004)

zoo keeper said:


> great, a bigger loft. I think I do have pigeon fever. The kids always tell me I am going to wreck my car watching the sky or following my pigeons in my car


... and other people too.  



zoo keeper said:


> The fence blew down, so that is not longer a problem.


... a result of blond-carpentry, huh?


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## Yong (Oct 15, 2003)

I have a large flock outside my home office window, and I support them. It is VERY cool to see them coming swooping off the powerline when they see me go to my car. I don't get much work done though, as I love to stare out the window at them. I have a great set of binoculars, so that makes it even more fun. I have rescued some of them, so some have ID bands on them. It's fun to try and spot them. enjoy! Yong


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## kooper (Sep 19, 2004)

the picture you posted looks awesome. i wish there was a flock living on my roof. i think it'll be so cool, feed and observing them. your very lucky to have them. it was very nice to me you and your other half of the family. 

kooper


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## Pete Jasinski (Jan 2, 2005)

Thank you! It's great having them around, I look forward to seeing them each morning and I think they feel the same. Here's a pic of them all coming down from the roof for their breakfast.
http://www.elliotscoins.com/images/myflock.jpg


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## traci_sss (Nov 24, 2004)

Pete

what an amazing photo of the birds coming down to eat. I love the wing span being caught in the sunshine. I would love to be out every morning to watch this event. How wonderful. I don't have any feral pigeons in my area. I know it is wierd. I did when we lived in town, all I have out here now are sparrows and one very noisy woodpecker.


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## Pete Jasinski (Jan 2, 2005)

Hi Tracie,
It's a treat to wake up to them every day. I'm not a morning person but they give me that boost I need to get up and start the day. I can't wait to go down and see them. I have my fair share of sparrows and woodpeckers! There's a redheaded and hairy woodpecker family living in my vicinity that come to feed and I know the noise you speak of!


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## pigeonlover01 (Feb 9, 2005)

*hi pete*

your lucky you have all those friends , i wish i had pigeons on my roof all the time, i love pigeons and i have around 40 but i like em so much i always want more birds lol 
i live in b.c. and sometimes our family will go to a place called "white rock" 
its all located at the edge of the ocean and there is a bridge and stuff there.
Any way when ever our family goes there i always have a backpack and lots of corn handy........ every time i go there i attempt to catch some pigeons....
And everytime i try, i catch around 5 birds and take them home to my loft
its a great hobby i love them 
recently i have been there and there are two homers there they are white and have a black tail both identical i have been trying to catch them but they are fast i hope i can catch them and put them in with my birds. lol any way i just thought i would htrow that in.
man i love this site you can talk to people who relate to you my mom and dad arent the typical pigeon people 
but my brothers 5 and 8 years old they love em to. 
got to go


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## Garye (Feb 20, 2005)

*Playing in the wind*

My feral flock is annoyed when there is a lot of wind. Sometimes it takes them several times to land on the ground, the wind seems to scoop them up just as they are trying to land. It's sometimes funny to watch them as they are getting their landing gear down and then the wind picks them up again and they have to start all over again. They hate it! It's very windy here and they just have a hard time with the wind.

It's nice to know a lot of you are able to have pigeons visit you in your own yards. I could never do that. The neighbors here would complain so I just visit the pigeons at the shopping mall.


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## Pete Jasinski (Jan 2, 2005)

Hi Andreas, 
I feel special having all those pidgie pals, it's like they knew that they're welcome and safe here. How do you catch your pigeons? My flock would be easy picking if I decided to try and catch one, they come within inches of me. I would never try and catch one because I feel I would loose their trust plus they belong together as a family and I wouldn't want to separate a family unit. My family want really pigeon friendly until they got to know Dudley. Once they were sucked in by his charm they fell head over heals for him. 
Gary, it was windy here today and my guys and gal were having the same trouble. I took almost half the day for them to come down and eat, they were very unhappy with the situation. I'm sorry to hear your neighbors are anti pidgie, unfortunately everyone isn't educated as well as we are and still believe they are dirty and disease ridden.


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## birdboy12 (Jul 27, 2004)

*grrr*

LOL every one else has a wild feral flock to feed....but not me....but im trying to catch a wild feral group that is around the corner from me....theirs about 6 banded birds in their and the rest arent but where the are is a bad place.....they are trying to kill them with poision....i wont let them....i go down their and start getting mad(being nice and asking them to trap them and maybe send them to a local feed store doesnt work)so you have to get mad to show these people what u mean.but i need to get the birds to trust me...so i can catch them..even if it means giving them to someone who just wants them as pets and wont let them go(or someone wanting to start racing by using the babies) because every morning when i let my birds fly the wild flock joins them so i just stand out their and watch out 150 birds circle around me house(my birds stand out like crazy) any tips on getting them to trust me!?!!?


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## Pete Jasinski (Jan 2, 2005)

Hi Erik,
Good luck trying to catch and relocate the flock. I don't understand why people would want to poison such beautiful, intelligent creatures. Big deal so they poop on their cars and roofs, that's why God created rain! You should try and lure them away by constantly feeding them and moving the food farther away each day until they are a safely away from the place they aren't wanted.


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## KIPPY (Dec 18, 2003)

I agree, I would start feeding them and moving them away from the location they are at. Ask whoever if they can hold back on the poison and you will handle it. Just a thought.


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## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

Hi all,

Yes, I'd like to third the idea of moving the flock to a different location. If the business isn't there on weekends and you can be, you'll have an additional advantage of them learning to trust you as a reliable source of food. Also, if you make a jump that they don't seem to go for, then just return to the last acceptable place and try again. Once you've got their attention, they seem to find you.

When I first started seeing poison being laid out for the pijies, I was just horrified and didn't know what to do. I've gotten a little bolder these days. I bring a garbage bag and broom and I pick it up. If I'm not sure, as long as I'm leaving them w/food, what's the dif?? That let's whoever is putting poison down, know, that it is not happening unnoticed by others. It's amazing what "eyes on your behavior" can do. Then I put out untainted food for them away from the "tainted" locale, while the pijies are watching and they usually are gratefull. One of the flocks that I feed is just a few blocks away from my home. Apparently an older man used to go there every day and feed them. They got to know and trust him so well, that they used to land all over him when he would arrive on his bicycle everyday. A sight to behold so they say. He is gone now, to where I don't know. The flock shrunk, split and most have relocated. Follow your heart.
fp


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## Rockie (Jan 18, 2005)

birdboy12 said:


> because every morning when i let my birds fly the wild flock joins them so i just stand out their and watch out 150 birds circle around me house(my birds stand out like crazy) any tips on getting them to trust me!?!!?


I think you're very lucky that this is taking place so close to your house. At least you stand a chance at relocating them, moving closer & closer to your yard. I hope you have success with this and will be anxious to hear exactly how you do it.

I'm struggling w/a similar dilema...very soon I will have to stop feeding my flock and I can't see how to relocate them. Everywhere I turn I would be on someone's property. Mine will have to find their own way, and this is beyond sad for me. Best of luck to you and thank you for being there to help.


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## KIPPY (Dec 18, 2003)

*LOL every one else has a wild feral flock to feed....but not me*

I wish you lived close by, I would be willing to share.  
These guys eat more then my 2 dogs and will follow me around the backyard while I am picking up dog stuff if I don't feed them first. They also try to walk into the house to get my attention when the patio door is open. I'm not joking, these guys are crazy.


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## Rockie (Jan 18, 2005)

KIPPY said:


> *LOL every one else has a wild feral flock to feed....but not me*
> 
> I wish you lived close by, I would be willing to share.
> These guys eat more then my 2 dogs and will follow me around the backyard while I am picking up dog stuff if I don't feed them first. They also try to walk into the house to get my attention when the patio door is open. I'm not joking, these guys are crazy.


I ditto the part about how much they eat and how demanding they can be. I go through about 80 lbs of mixed seed EACH DAY!...and when they want more they start wandering into the middle of the street (so of course I immediately comply with their request). Even so, I love them tremendously!


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