# Wood Pigeon Antics



## jonnybravo

As i've noticed in only a couple of days on here, there are quite a few fellow woodpigeon fanatics. I thought it'd be entertaining to find out some of the funnier things you've seen woodies getting up to. Obviously the easiest things to notice are the parabolic display flight and the bowing courtship. 
So far i've seen them:
Showering by lifting their wings up to the heavens when it rains. I've even seen them walking around on the ground doing this. 
I've seen one ditch into a reservoir and then merrily paddle about for quite a while before it got washed ashore again.
I've seen them hanging upside down to try to grab berries. 
I've seen one see off a magpie when he was feeding on sunflower hearts on the ground by puffing up his chest and squaring up to the magpie.
I also used to have one local pigeon that used to like sitting on a steaming chimney in the winter whenever it was steaming. He'd literally be bang in the middle with puffs of steam coming out all around him!
I also read a book by Alex Horne called Birdwatching Watching where he describes his local pigeon (who had a harry potter like stripe on its forehead) that one day got on the tube with him and went down one stop before getting off again and apparently he was back outside Alex's house by the time he got home!


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## amyable

I'll have to give this some thought...

One that does spring to mind is when a couple of Woodies were trying to get a drink from my pond and one ended up slippping in.
After scrambling out the funny thing was this ones reaction to the other.
He stood up as tall as he could squaring up to the other Woodie, stared hard into it's eyes as if to say 'what did you go and do that for?' 

One of those instances when you wish you'd had a camera to hand !

I also spent ages once outside our local vets watching two courting Woodies on a nearby fence. They were totally oblivious to anything going on about them and as other people joined me, wondering what I was looking at, they just carried on kissing and canoodling. We must have been there for at least 15 minutes before they noticed us and moved to a more private place to continue no doubt !  So sweet. x


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## morphix

*Funny pigeons*

I get wood pigeons coming to my flat/apartment balcony all day long for the bird seed I put out on two tables.. 

I've seen all manner of funny behaviour from these interesting and adorable birds... I've noticed though wood pigeons are quite aggressive when it comes to food..they won't share the table with another pigeon or any other birds for that matter.

If a pigeon has the table and another comes they will have a stand-off and stretch their necks up to appear tall over the other, and also some "wing slap" each other and peck at each other. The males seem to be very territorial and will chase some other male pigeons away from tree to tree wing slapping all the time.. you can almost see a vexed look on them and in their eyes. 

Here is a recent video I took of a pigeon trying to get his share of seed while another has the table..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEYZct-6fRc

Occasionally I've seen pigeons come paired during the mating season and they share the table together. 

I also get a pair of ring collared doves coming every day and the pigeons always try and scare them away but the doves puff themselves up extending all their feathers out, maybe to look bigger..which sometimes works and the pigeons back off a bit.


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## amyable

I enjoyed watching your video.

I have loads of Woodies and Stock Doves come to feed every day and you're right, they really don't like sharing.

It's funny to watch though as their expressions are priceless. 

Janet


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## Feefo

*THIS* absolutely *non* antic video of wood pigeons always makes me smile!


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## morphix

amyable said:


> I enjoyed watching your video.
> 
> I have loads of Woodies and Stock Doves come to feed every day and you're right, they really don't like sharing.
> 
> It's funny to watch though as their expressions are priceless.
> 
> Janet


Hehe it is! 

Glad you liked the video I should film some more..that one trying to share was submissive but persistent and not easily scared, he started to fight and peck back at the end..you could see the one with the table was used to getting his own way and thought what a cheeky-upstart! 

I don't know if its the same in your garden, but the ring-collared doves seem to have no problem sharing the table with smaller birdies, they are also calm around squirrels that visit my balcony..pigeons get very nervous of squirrels and smaller birds that nest in my roof and loft will ATTACK the squirrel which is very amusing to watch..they just fly at it and fly away quick and land on the wall sideways staring at it. Sometimes the squirrel runs at them up the wall and down again and it starts over


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## amyable

Cynthia, that video is my absolute all time favourite, never fails to make me laugh. 

I only have one pair of Collared Doves coming to my garden which is a shame as I adore them. This is the first year I've even seen these so I'm hoping they breed and I get more!
Now they do scare easily, maybe as they're in the minority at the moment.
The squirrel is the master of my bird feeder though and anyone else that wants to feed just has to wait, and then generally there's nothing left once he's gone.
It provides lots of entertainment watching all this going on and I love it.

Janet


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## morphix

Feefo said:


> *THIS* absolutely *non* antic video of wood pigeons always makes me smile!


Made me smile too, great choice of song!


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