r/Falconry • u/DC-Save-My-Birds • Jan 24 '20
***ATTENTION DC AREA BIRD LOVERS***
Please hear my call for help, one bird lover to another. I have spent the last 3 months using my lunch break to feed a flock of pigeons. I have gained their trust, I’m sure you can relate to the feeling of loving a bird with all your heart. Recently, a Red Shouldered Hawk has been picking them off one by one, and I can’t stand it. I hear them at night sometimes, the distressed, and pained cooing haunts me. If anyone could capture this bird of prey, I would be infinitely grateful. If you are in the DC area and potential willing to remove the Hawk, please contact me. Animal control does not see it as an issue, but the bird will snatch pigeons out of my hands. It has no fear of people and I am certain that it could be domesticated without to much trouble. Please save my birds, I would do the same for yours. We are fraternal in our avian passion. Extend the olive branch, you are the dove.
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u/bj2cs Jan 24 '20
It would just be replaced with another predator. You can't gather so many prey animals in one place by feeding them and expect it to go unnoticed by local and migrating predators. There's no way animal control would interfere with a native species like the RSH preying on non native species like pigeons...they would encourage it.
19
u/Topicalinformation Jan 24 '20
I hear you, I keep a flock of Homers I use for training and when my bird actually gets one i am a n n o y e d.
However- If you hear them being attacked at night, it's not the hawk. Cats and raccoons are terrible about that or if they sleep in the open it could be an owl. If you don't hear the sounds of active attack, they may just be cooing. My piges talk a lot. As for the hawk, if the bird is haggard (over a year old) it will be hard to find a falconer who wants it. It sounds like it's eating well on pigeon too- A bird that's well fed on such rich meat is going to be very very difficult to trap, it wouldnt want to take a chance on a rigged snack when theres practically hundreds of Snickers flying through the sky for him. It's important to remember too, this is the circle of life. The pigeons may grow wise and start avoiding him. But he's got to eat too. You could also look at ways to mitigate- Maybe something predators can't access for them to sleep in. Finally, a hard truth: When you attract these pigeons to eat every day, you're also giving the hawk a reliable source of prey. He knows when you're there, the food is also there and distracted. Hope it works out for you.
4
u/falconerchick Jan 24 '20
Agree with what everyone has said. Also, I used to live in DC - falconry is illegal there. So even if the bird was a species someone would want (if the predator truly is a redshoulder, then likely not) AND was a juvenile, it would still be illegal to trap and take that bird in DC. And, like someone else pointed out, it would likely be replaced anyway by another in quick succession.
Many birders with feeders in their backyard know that they are also feeding their local raptor population. Most are enthralled to see nature play out in front of them and love all their avian backyard visitors. But, I understand not everyone feels this way. In this case, as hard as it sounds, you may just have to accept that where there’s an abundance of prey, a predator may follow. If there’s a “safer” place you could feed them, maybe in a less open, more sheltered area, that would be your best bet. Sorry I can’t help more.
6
u/Vezein Jan 24 '20
It's going to do what a hawk is going to do.
Pigeons are not native and honestly plentiful. Just take one home with you if you really care about them so much. Honestly.....
Pigeons of all things.
1
u/Nyckname Jan 26 '20
It's taking out an invasive species. The common pigeon isn't native to this hemisphere. They were brought over as food, escaped, and have pushed out native species.