T.O. Backyard – Pierre and the Flock

Hello from our Toronto backyard! Happy new year to all. With a fairly busy holiday season and not a lot of bird activity here at home or in our travels, I thought I would blog about a species of bird that many probably don’t think a whole lot about… Pigeons.

Ten years ago I didn’t give these birds much thought. I thought they were big bullies and scared a lot of the smaller birds away. I didn’t hate them by any means and I would never hurt one but if they weren’t here or a Hawk got one, I was okay with that.

In July of 2012, my wife and I were sitting out back having morning coffee. We observed a lone Pigeon walk up the yard towards the deck. He hopped up the steps. He walked across the deck and towards us. Now at our feet, he looked up at us. He then flew up into my wife’s lap, looking her in the face. He then flew over to my lap and did the same thing. We both were like “what the heck is up with this Pigeon?”

Thinking back, it was his introduction to us, his way of saying “hello”. Little did either of us know how much of an impact this bird would have on us, especially me for 5 plus year to come.

We named him Pierre. He was more than just a Pigeon and a backyard regular. Pierre was my friend.

He visited almost daily for those 5 years, well minus some lengthy disappearances during the winter months, which I suspect was him knowing it was not a safe place to be with the Hawk activity. I marked his mini anniversaries, like 6 months, 1 year, 18 months and so on. I counted the days of his absences in the winter too. 54 days was the longest stretch he was away. Whenever he finally returned, he would be right outside our backdoor, sitting on the clothes line post. From here he could look into the kitchen window as well as be right there when I stepped outside. After some time, when he found himself a mate, she would be with him for the morning feed.

These two were inseparable. Pierre and the missus.

Sometimes I would call her Mrs Pierre.

Through Pierre and the missus, I got to know more of their flock. Some find it difficult to identify Pigeons as individuals because they all look the same. That is not true. It may be difficult in large flocks when there are a lot of bluish colored birds, but they all have individual feather patterns. It just takes some time with the birds to figure that out. If you had a situation like mine, having some of these birds come right to you, it gets even easier. They all have their own personalities too. If you ever have the opportunity to get to know one or two, you would see. Don’t be surprised if you start to grow fond of them too.

Here are some of the birds I’ve befriended over the years thanks to Pierre.

I named this one Charlie. She was a runt and all the others picked on her. Charlie figured out that coming to my hand for a feed, often with better food than what I tossed on the ground, gave her a good peaceful meal. Ground food is usually cracked corn and millet. Hand food is sunflower chip and shelled peanuts. Over time Charlie got bigger and stronger. Her attitude changed and she wasn’t so easily pushed around by the other birds. One thing I can say is that Charlie is always happy to see me.

A big boy named Fitz. He was a gentleman.

Not uncommon some mornings to have to hold both my hands out for Charlie and Fitz. They sure look quite similar, don’t they? Fitz is the larger one, on my left hand.

There is never ending photo opportunities with the Pigeons.

Another pair that came around for quite some time I named the Jerseys. The black and white pattern reminded me Holstein cows but Jerseys rolled off the tongue much easier.

They knew they had a friend in me, and that they were safe when with me.

I wondered if this backyard visitor was related to them?

Apparently reddish or rufous colored Pigeons are much rarer. Come to think of it, that is true. I’ve only ever seen 3 here over the years, even when I had a whopping 96 birds drop in one very cold winter morning.

Meet Ginny.

This is Red. He had really bad string toes but there was no sense in trying to take the material off when he started coming around. It was so deep into his flesh and the tissue was dead. He got around and was a visitor for over one year.

Red and Pierre didn’t get along very well in the beginning but over time they became friends. A typical Saturday morning that one summer.

Just a few more birds for you to meet.

Claire. What a beautiful and unique looking bird.

Dorothy. Angie named her this because she had bright red feet almost like Dorothy’s shoes in the Wizard of Oz. That pattern on her chest helped me quickly spot her in the flock, even from a distance.

Barney.

Another unique looking bird. No idea what was up with his head feathers but he spent a summer with us.

Having a flock of Pigeons brought us in some racing Pigeons over the years. I used to get the band numbers and try to contact the owners. Unfortunately with the couple guys I have spoken with, it would seem most don’t care for their stray birds and prefer if they just didn’t come home since they lost the race. Once a bird wound up here, coming all the way from Quebec. In my experiences, the racers only stay for 1 to 3 days and then I assume they continue on their way, heading for home.

Another unique bird in the flock.

Pigeons in trouble can show up with the flock. I’ve had oiled birds here over the years. I have managed to catch a few and my friends at the Toronto Wildlife Centre have been able to clean them up and get them back out to the wild. Some think it’s a waste of resources to help these birds. Why do they think Pigeons have less of a right to a good life?

Living in a big city like Toronto, you just have to accept that Pigeons call it home as well. They really are beautiful birds to look at.

On these dark and dreary winter days, the beauty of nature shows to those who look for it.

This is Sherman, a new visitor the last couple months.

I’m pro-Pigeon now. I have a shirt to prove it (thanks to Angie for this at Christmas).

Sherman approved.

There are many stories I can share about my backyard Pigeon friends, both good and bad, as well as interesting behaviour. I think I will save those for another slow month.

I never would have imagined getting to know these birds like I have, all thanks to this guy. He used to bring me sticks some days. I wish I had kept one.

He first arrived on July 21, 2012. The last day I saw him was August 4, 2017. He was a blessing. Those last couple weeks as an example, I had been home with 2 broken ribs from an accident. He spent every day with me, hours on end, as I sat in my chair unable to do anything really except enjoy the summer in the backyard. A thunder storm was rolling in around 3 pm. He was having a feed from my hand when we heard the first booms. I remember telling him to take care, to be safe and I would see him later on. He was looking to the darkening skies and then flew in his usual direction towards the high rises down the main road. Little did I know that I would never see him again.

I always appreciated our time together. The same now goes for all the others I cross paths with here at home.

One thing I can say is you will always know where you stand with a Pigeon, it’s people you have to wonder about.

Pierre may be gone but he will never be forgotten. Both myself and his kind owe him a lot of thanks.

Lastly, handling Pigeons, or any other wildlife has it’s risks. ALWAYS wash your hands after any encounter much like you would after shaking peoples’ hands during flu season. *wink wink*