# City / Police called my house



## andinla (Mar 11, 2003)

No more feeding of feral flock at baseball field. I was told I can't feed them anywhere in the city or on my own property. They also told me someone on the other side of town has been told to stop also. I can't let them starve. I don't know what to do now, except try contracting the company that sets up housing and feeding stations. By the time that could be arranged (months) poor birds will be starving. Any suggestions appreciated

Andi


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## re lee (Jan 4, 2003)

If the city has a law in place you should abide by that. The pigeons they are not dumb. They can find food . Some one has complained. you could ask to see the city oranince on the to see if its in place. There has in the past 20 years been several cities trying to reduce and control the pigeon population. From bringing in falcons to closing nest sites with wire. And passing feeding ordinances.Check the code and you might find there is not one


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## andinla (Mar 11, 2003)

*I checked the city codes and laws*

on the website and the only thing it has is nuisance in public or private owned land such as dog waste -reptile, birds where it would make health concerns for citizens of the city. Doesn't say feeding of anything but I guess the above applies to it.

Andi


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## BrianNAmy (Nov 2, 2003)

If there's a law, it must forbid the feeding of all birds. If it doesn't, you can keep feeding them claiming to be trying to feed the other birds in the area and the pigeons are just in the way 

You can also legally argue that public health is not a factor and prove it with research from the CDC's web site and other certified health organizations... of course it all depends on how many waves you're willing to make.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

"Darn pigeons! They keep eating my starling food!"

Pidgey


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## Whitefeather (Sep 2, 2002)

Hi Andi,
Sorry to hear of your recent encounter with the police.  
Did they give you a reason to stop feeding the pigeons or just told you to stop feeding them?

If this were me, I would phone the police & in the event they did not give me a reason why I was to stop feeding the pigeons I would ask them why.
Secondly, I would ask them to identify the city code by number which states the feeding of pigeons is prohibited.
There very well may not even be such a 'law'. 

Please keep us posted.

Cindy

I'm a bit slow in posting today. Looks like you've done your homework with regard to city codes.


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## kittypaws (Sep 18, 2005)

*Poor you*

Andinla, 

How awful for you but as re lee says they can usually find food elsewhere. They are not stupid to hang around day after day for a meal that will never come. There was a largish flock that used to wait every morning for me in my own street and I used to feed them daily, then I went away on a trip for 3 weeks and had beforehand been gently weaning them off - i.e.only feeding say every 2 days, then 3 and so on until I was only feeding them once a week so that they were getting used to not having food every day. When I came back from the trip they had gone and there wasn't a starving pigeon in sight.

They won't like it becuase they have been getting easy food on tap - but after a while they will fly off to find food and people make a mess anyway with takeaway rubbish and the like so they won't starve I am sure.

They adapt and they will find other places to feed but.... it will be very difficult for you because you will feel incredibly guilty when you see them, but they will move on. I've seen pigeons poking about on field before finding things to eat.

Can you try and avoid the baseball field so that you don't have to see them and then maybe go past in a couple of weeks. There may be a couple hanging around still and they will be alive!! and will only be there because they are passing on the off chance of "easy" food.

It's a rotten old world we live in sometimes but I do know that abundance of food supplies keeps the pigeons healthy and then they are more likely to breed and hence the numbers increase which can in some eyes be a problem. That's why these laws are passed but on the other hand they are laws that humans make to suit their own means - we can be a very selfish race and if something doesn't conform ( i.e. in pigeons - making a mess etc.) we decide it is our God given right to do somthing ( sorry on the soapbox here)

They will be OK. Try not to fret too much.

Tania


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## Whitefeather (Sep 2, 2002)

*"City / Police called my house"*

Just curious, how did the police get your number? 

Cindy


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

I'm sorry to hear the news.  

The police probably got the number after someone filed the complaint. They will never reveal the source.


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## Camrron (Dec 19, 2005)

I don't know about the rest of you but while I respect authority I don't respect stupid laws. Personally I would continue to feed the birds as is my god-given right if I choose. Notwithstanding that, if you have not received an order in writing or received a fine you should really do as you please. When did feeding birds become a crime anyway. If we all caved in to the demands of every complainer there would be no happiness in doing any of the things we do every day. Like give a hand to our feathered friends. I worry that if your birds are dependant that some of them, particularly those that may be under the weather at the time, will suffer if their food resources are withdrawn suddenly and without notice. 

If you must stop feeding or are afraid of the consequences then I do subscribe to the idea of weaning your birds as Kittypaws suggested. Your birds will no doubt recognize you. Try placing food first at the edge of the ballfield and gradually, day by day, moving the flock to a new location. Slowly decrease the amount you give them until they can adapt and find other sources. I would not just cut them off cold. It is so unfair and unnecessary. Sorry to hear baout your troubles. Hope all goes well.

Cameron


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## Pikachu23739 (Jan 6, 2006)

andinla said:


> No more feeding of feral flock at baseball field. I was told I can't feed them anywhere in the city or on my own property. They also told me someone on the other side of town has been told to stop also. I can't let them starve. I don't know what to do now, except try contracting the company that sets up housing and feeding stations. By the time that could be arranged (months) poor birds will be starving. Any suggestions appreciated
> 
> Andi


*yeh you get the companys Did you say what rights do I have any way..poor birds*


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## andinla (Mar 11, 2003)

I am also not one to watch pigeons waiting for food, there have been days in the recent past where I had not put the food down the night before and they showed up at my work the next day actually walking up to my door. 

When the police called this morning I thought it was the from the night before when I had rescued 10 pigeons trapped inside a trap and were half starved to death , one of them barely made lift off away from the roof top. The gas station attendant caught us and told us we had two minutes to leave or the police were going to be called and as we drove away he was writing down my license plate. So I had expected the police to make a visit soon. 

The complaint came from the corner store owner, who knows I work at the daycare at the end of the block which is on the school grounds which the baseball field / field is also owned and cleaned by the city but the school uses it for the kids to play on during school hours. So when a co-worker turned us in when she came over to work at our site for the summer to the big boss we were told in person and writing if we are seen feeding and watering the birds on the daycare/schools property we would lose our jobs. So little by little I moved them out into the big field next door which is owned by the city. The city workers never complained and I talked with them and they said birds aren't a problem. What happened after moving them to the big open field was several hawk attacks one after the other right out in the open with feathers, body parts etc, there for all to see. Well I couldn't stand it anymore and felt bad that I was causing this by putting seed down out in the open area. So I moved the flock over on the same field but behind the backstop to give them protection from hawks. Well in doing this they moved closer to the corner store (right smack across corner to corner) they would mostly hang on the back stop fence but I had noticed they recently moved to the high phone wires directly above the corner store. Well I had a feeling something was going to happen and in the last month I had purchased black seeds from the corner store, and then last week the lady behind the counter said oh sorry we have no more seed , I said thats ok I don't need any? she said you are the one who buys it all right, I said I suppose? whatever!! The officer who called me knows me because my son is on his travel baseball team and he knows I work at the daycare and I drive a black jeep. When he called he said we had a complaint that you were feeding birds at the baseball field. I said yes I am , I told him I wasn't the only one, there is a old lady that feeds them across at the church,(actually its bread for the sparrows) and a family comes down every now and then with bread and someone from my work , he then said well should I call the school and tell them to inform them , I said no its no one from the school and I will tell my co-worker to stop, that would be the end of our jobs if he had called. I said I will take care of it and move the birds and that it may take a week, he said move them how??? he said no you can't feed them anywhere in the city not even at your house. I said ok and that was that. 

I contacted a non-profit group I am afffliated with here in town called the tree muskateers which is a group of people who plant trees in the city with a huge memory row tree area out on a long highway right smack next to LAX airport. The lady who started this is friends with the city council and informed me that our mayor is a bird lover and feeds birds himself. She also thought dovecote USA would be ok to have out on memory row greenbelt for the community, so now I have to work on getting this done here in my town. 

I am also contacting someone on the cruelty to animals in connection with the pigeons starving on top of the gas station last night .... Boy am I going to be busy ha!

Andi


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## Anarrowescape (Jan 6, 2004)

glad you are doing something to help these pigeons  good luck with the feeding them issues


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