# Feeding pigeons & doves on my windowsill



## 50FootQueenie (Feb 16, 2013)

Hi,
I live in NYC very near Central Park, and I feed a flock of Mourning Doves who live behind my apartment building. Last year I had a feeder for them on my fire escape and I even sent in a photo of it that was recognized as a winner in a contest held by Celebrate Urban Birds. This year however, the building across from mine have built a posh "roof deck" and the super of that building has begun to make my life miserable. He filed complaints about me having plants (or anything) on my fire escape (I assume he took that route because it's not illegal to feed doves in nyc?) so I had to take the feeder away but I put planters out on my windowsills (away from the fire escape) and had been feeding the doves seed in those. Today, I got a note in my door that all tenants must remove all fire escape *and* planter boxes on all windowsills because it is against fire regulations to have them (seriously? even on windows with no fire escape access?). My own super has never complained about me feeding the birds, and many of my neighbors love having them around, but the super across the way now has to clean their poop off the top of his building and I guess he hates having to do that extra bit of work, so he's raising a fuss about the doves. 

Basically, I want to know my legal rights. I do get pigeons and I feed them as well, and love them, but I know that it is actually a federal CRIME to harm a Mourning Dove, as they are protected songbirds. I want to know my legal rights. I moved the planters off my windowsill (though it's hard for me to believe that's really against fire regulations when the windows aren't on the fire-escape???) but is it legal for me to put out seed directly on my windowsills for the doves? Or is BIRD SEED a fire hazard?! Is it legal for me to drop seed down for them on the pavement beside my building? I was told that though the building is the property of my management, the space in between is considered public property, so I don't see why I can't feed the doves there? Thoughts? Thanks for your help! I only plan to feed in winter now, but I do want the doves to have food and water then, and if what I was doing was illegal, I don't see how Celebrate Urban Birds would have been able to recognize it as a NICE thing to do for birds TRYING to survive in the city: http://celebrateurbanbirds.org/comm...rd-left-behind-entries/stephanie-cleveland-2/ 

I have truly come to hate this super across the way. I think he is a bitter, lazy man who can't handle cleaning up a little bird poop. It's bad enough that he took away the doves night time roosting spot with this new deck up there, but to deny them food as well just seems so wrong


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## Ross Howard (Nov 26, 2009)

Suggestion your getting the enjoyment not him then you offer to clean the poop that the birds that you are feeding are leaving on his bldg.


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## 50FootQueenie (Feb 16, 2013)

I'd be happy to, except, to be honest I'm a little afraid of him. He rants outside my window about how I'm a crazy ***** and a **** who feeds birds that he has to deal with who may have rabies (ignorant), he doesn't get in contact with me directly but rather, has filed complaints with my management co (not about me specifically, as, I hope to god, he doesn't know my apartment number) and once he even climbed the fence between our buildings and took two dishes that I'd put food in, as well as plates from the people below me who were feeding the doves as well, which is, I would think, against the law, since he stole my property, not to mentioned climbed right outside my window. I'm not entirely sure what the address of his building is (I only see the back) but I have though about offering to clean up their poop before--I wouldn't mind, as I clean my own fire escape. It's kind of his job to clean the roof now I guess, which is why this was never an issue before the roof deck, but again, I'd be more than happy to help, if I weren't so afraid of him.


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## Ross Howard (Nov 26, 2009)

Time to move those kind a folks are bad for your health.Good Luck


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## 50FootQueenie (Feb 16, 2013)

Believe me, I'm thinking about it. I'm originally from GA in the country, and birds poop all over our front porch--we clean it off with no complaints because, well, we love them! I never heard of anybody who didn't like birds before I lived here. I see you are retired in Ontario. That sounds nice, wise move. Don't get me wrong, New York does thankfully have some people who really care about pigeons and wildlife, but I feel like there are also a lot of angry, rage filled, stressed out people here who make a huge deal out of something that's basically nothing--maybe we're over-crowded, or maybe it's the violence of American culture I don't know, but this city is INTENSE (which is part of why I love having doves around in the first place--calm, soothing, etc.)


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Your feeding set up is really nice. I'm so sorry that you have to stop feeding them. How many birds were coming to your feeder?


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## hong kong pigeons (Sep 30, 2013)

I have the following points for your problem.

1) you love the birds so you think on the way of treating them well (even willing to clean the poop unconditionally). And you may not understand why the guy complain. In another way, the guy dont understand you too because the guy doesnt love birds. So a guy loving birds see the thing totally different from a guy not knowing about birds.

2) you mentioned serveral times on legality. in my shallow living experience, law is interpreted and favourable for a person who have resources more than the others. If the gov wants you to stop feeding, then the law means that you dont have right to do that in any ways. In contrast, if you are bill gate, and you want to feed the birds, then the law means that you can feed the bird. 





50FootQueenie said:


> Believe me, I'm thinking about it. I'm originally from GA in the country, and birds poop all over our front porch--we clean it off with no complaints because, well, we love them! I never heard of anybody who didn't like birds before I lived here. I see you are retired in Ontario. That sounds nice, wise move. Don't get me wrong, New York does thankfully have some people who really care about pigeons and wildlife, but I feel like there are also a lot of angry, rage filled, stressed out people here who make a huge deal out of something that's basically nothing--maybe we're over-crowded, or maybe it's the violence of American culture I don't know, but this city is INTENSE (which is part of why I love having doves around in the first place--calm, soothing, etc.)


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