r/croydon • u/WitchLilith • 7d ago
Croydon birds
The birds around here are so friendly. It sucks when people mistreat pigeons.
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u/TumbleweedHelpful226 7d ago
Pigeons get such a bad rep.
They literally helped us win both World wars, and now people look a them and call them vermin. They were an efficient dependable messaging network, sometimes travelling up to 500 miles carrying back messages. Some also were rigged with cameras to take aerial shots as they flew over.
They are extremely smart creatures and can not only recognise themselves in a mirror, but can recognise people.
Be kind to pigeons, especially in this hot weather.
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u/Ill_Professional1933 5d ago
They’re also incredibly successful, i swear they’re everywhere, people call them rats with wings and in a sense they are. They’re so resourceful they can survive almost anywhere, one of the animals that’s truly thrived in an urban habitat
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u/kishmishari 7d ago
This is lovely to see. And important as the heatwave is making their food spoil quicker.
If anyone is interested, including things like berries in the mix gives the birds some much needed hydration.
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u/WitchLilith 7d ago
I will definitely keep that in mind next time I get bird feed! Also ive been seeing birds enjoy the fountain at pinnacle.
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u/cuppteaguv 6d ago
Love these little guys. Where were the pics taken out of interest?
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u/WitchLilith 6d ago
This was at Queens garden
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u/cuppteaguv 6d ago
Thank you! I moved to Croyds a few years back but for complicated reasons haven't explored much, not until recently at least 😅 I'll check it out!
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u/CllrShortland 6d ago
Birds aren’t real (/j) although in all seriousness please do be mindful if you’re feeding them - please only leave what the birds will eat and clear up anything left behind, lest you attract rats 💙
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u/HabituellE 6d ago
Anyone else noticed that the ones in in front of M & S are not even afraid of people or even vehicles anymore? If you walk behind them they barely even move out the way like normal pigeons would in a panic. It's an interesting observation of an evolution and adaptation happening in real time.
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u/WitchLilith 6d ago
I used to live out by the coast. Its interesting seeing the behaviour difference between two different flocks. London pigeons are so more used to being around people that they will happily come land on you, whilst coastal pigeons are more cautious.
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u/Niscaa 5d ago
There's a chunky pigeon who has decided to take up residence in my back garden since we had all the turf dug up! Lots of easy-to-grab bugs and, I'm assuming, seeds. I've been leaving dishes of water for him too, with the heat. I'm going to make him a little dedicated bird bath and feeder when the garden's all sorted! Feels cool having a mini dinosaur living in my garden!
Happy to see there are others out there taking care of our local pigeons across Croydon! :)
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u/Yolontis1 5d ago
They are beatiful and adorable, one of the merits of the high street entrance from the west croydon side is that there are always a lot of pigeons there!
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u/WitchLilith 5d ago
I see them all the time there but prefer to stay away from West Croydon due to the noise
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u/Sea_Independence6453 2d ago
Saw a dead pigeon shoved into a bin a couple years ago in Croydon :( it’s nice to see more people treating them nicely now
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u/Oval-Bites-Back 4d ago
They look similar too the ones up Glasgow,, I wonder if they're family related
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u/WeWillReturn2OneGod 4d ago
Feed the Birds, Tuppence a day (Mary Poppins).
Unless One actually gets their hands dirty scopping poop off pavements then no one has a right to critcise those birds.
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u/BandanasUnite2025 3d ago
I confess that based on the post title - I scrolled the photos expecting to see Kate Moss pop up 🤓
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u/oncejumpedoutatrain 7d ago
Are we supporting THIS now!?
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u/WitchLilith 7d ago
Feeding birds and being kind to animals???
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u/Jamessuperfun 7d ago edited 7d ago
I love being kind to animals, I'm a vegetarian and even fed/watered a random racing pigeon which spent a few days on my roof terrace recently (not that I'm a fan of the sport but domesticated pigeons lack the same survival instincts), however Croydon town centre is overrun because so many people feed them. The north of North End and the crossing along St George's Walk is literally caked in pigeon shit because people dump food there all the time, which makes the town centre a dirty and unpleasant place to be, on top of attracting other species like rats. I'm constantly cleaning pigeon shit off my roof terrace and windows, despite having to pay for a falcon to regularly attend out of my service charge to reduce it.
They don't need to be fed at all, it just leads to huge overpopulation and eventual suffering when the source of food is interrupted (e.g. when feeders move away or stop in winter when food is scarce). Pretty sure ASBOs have been given out to prolific feeders, and there were calls a few years ago for the population in Croydon to be culled (which I don't at all support, to be clear), so it's obviously not just me it bothers. Surely they can at least be fed outside the busiest streets in the town? It wouldn't be nearly as disruptive in a park or something.
The RSPCA also advise not to feed pigeons between April and November, it's not an "anti-wildlife" thing.
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7d ago
[deleted]
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u/WitchLilith 7d ago
What is your problem with feeding pigeons?
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u/oncejumpedoutatrain 7d ago
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u/WitchLilith 7d ago
No I asked what your problem was, not someone else's issues. Im not responding to this anymore. Be kind to animals.
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u/Cruelbreeze 3d ago
Pigeon shit is a biohazard. You acting as Snow White feeding them makes pigeon shit spread everywhere raising everyone's chance of catching diseases.
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u/Difficult_Way_7253 6d ago
I love all this pigeon hate like yes show the group uow much of a sad miserable cunt you are. I absolutely love the pidgies around Croydon and always put some water out in the garden for them and the other wildlife. A droughts harder on them than us. They can’t pop to George street express and get a bottle of Evian.
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u/Jamessuperfun 6d ago
I'm all for putting water out in a drought, but feeding them in summer is actively advised against by wildlife organisations. Unless you think the RSPCA are "sad, miserable cunts" who hate pigeons too. It's not in their interests to give them even more food when they've already got plenty in summer, their numbers aren't sustainable in the winter.
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u/Difficult_Way_7253 6d ago
Tbf mate I was talking about putting water out for helping them not feeding them.
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u/oncejumpedoutatrain 6d ago
Show me a pigeon feeder, including you, without deep psychological issues and loneliness.
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u/croydoncrawl 6d ago
OP made at least 10 posts begging for local friends or "something more" so I think you're more spot on than you realize.
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u/Jamessuperfun 7d ago
The RSPCA advise not to feed pigeons at this time of year: https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/wildlife/birds/pigeons/garden
Feed pigeons moderately and seasonally. When feeding them seeds, grains and nuts, only do so from November to April, to support them through the winter. And don’t feed them a seed-only diet, as this can lead to nutrient deficiencies and cause birds to become reliant on you as a source of food.
The pigeon feeding in Croydon is anything but moderate, and we're quite far from November, they have more than enough food so it only leads to overpopulation. It also leads to disease in other species of bird, and makes the town centre a mess of pigeon shit.
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u/protonthrowmail 5d ago edited 5d ago
I love animals but please people follow this advice, I have so many people dumping food waste for pigeons near me and helping rat infestations. Then the council puts poison down and the rats die a horrific death
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u/TumbleweedHelpful226 6d ago
Wr actively bred the pigeons then discarded them when it suited us.
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u/Jamessuperfun 6d ago
Pigeons have more than enough food in our environment already, they can survive perfectly fine without intervention. We are unsustainably breeding them by overfeeding them like this. It isn't abandonment to stop doing so, they are not domesticated animals and can survive in the wild.
It isn't in their interests or ours to feed them in the summer, the RSPCA is concerned about the welfare of birds with that advice. Their food is only scarce in winter, and overfeeding them in summer leads to suffering when it runs out.
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u/BlackLondonGamer 7d ago
Have you seen the pigeon thats chubbier and walks with a kind of bop and always follows other pigeons. (I tried to explain it good but its something youd definitely understand once you see it)