Photography by Steve Solomons. Site by Weblight Studio (Australia) All Rights reserved
Black-faced Cuckoo Shrike
Black-Backed Magpie
Chestnut Teal
Crested Pigeon
Domestic Pigeon
Eastern Rosella
Figbird
Galah
Little Corella
Noisy Miners
Rainbow Lorikeets
Grey Butcher Bird
(Left) The rubbish bin was left beneath my
bedroom window and the pigeons developed the strategy of pecking it until the
noise woke me and I fed them. They looked unhappy when the bin was moved to it's
normal place at the back of the house.
A
chubby little feathered moocher in all it's finery
A couple of weeks ago the person who fed
them died. I started feeding a few of them as soon as I noticed but for the
first few days they were so scared of missing a meal they would watch me as I
slept. I often woke to this sight
I
didn't want to get out of bed today. The pigeons were waiting outside my window
cooing as hard as they could so I would remember to feed them. I started to nod
off as I do when the pain is really bad and there was a flapping sound. One of
the birds had decided he wasn't going to stand being ignored and had flown
through the window into the room. He seemed to stamp his feet until I grunted
and moved my head to look at him. He stared his one-eyed stare. If I could speak
pigeon I am sure he would have been saying"Get up you fat, lazy so-and-so, I'm
hungry!" Then he flew back out the window and sat below the window ledge on a
box waiting for me to appear. As soon as I appeared he flew to the spot where
the seed is normally placed and made a fuss..
It was easier when animals were just creatures of instinct.
Naked
bathing...click here
The
flock grew to thirty pigeons and threatened to continue growing. With bird flu a
looming possibilty for Australia and fleas, lice, smell etc. I decided that was
already too many. The quantity of seed has been cut back considerably. The flock
dropped to eleven birds and I finally stopped feeding all together and they were
all gone.
There are still a few who visit for water
when they are injured or unwell. I am glad to see them gone. It was impossible
to feed the native birds with pigeons ready to leap "en-masse" onto anything
that I put out
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