[obol] Band-tailed year

[Karan & Jim Fairchild]

We have about the same number of pigeons as in recent years, coming to cracked corn and mixed seed, 30 to 40, nearly all day long.  Our peak number I would guess in the past several years was around 80.  Another 80 acres adjacent to us was clearcut in the last year, so foraging and nesting habitat nearby has been lessened for a time.  

A decade ago our neighbor fed pigeons and had over 200.  They are no longer being fed there, but the seed merchant sure liked seeing her come into the store!  

Jim Fairchild
5 mi SW Philomath
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Roy Lowe 
  To: Lee and Lori Cain 
  Cc: OBOL 
  Sent: Sunday, May 25, 2008 10:25 AM
  Subject: Re: [obol] Band-tailed year


  Lee & others:


  The band-tailed pigeon numbers are up at our house in Waldport this years as well.  We have 30-40 coming draining our feeders twice a day.   I purchased a 50 lbs sack of cracked corn yesterday to try an fill the pigeon up on that less expensive feed.  Last time I did that about 10 years ago wood ducks started appearing at my feeders!  The woman at the feed store said I was the third person yesterday alone talking about pigeons draining their feeders.  The numbers are not close to the highest I have had in the past.  Ten year ago I had around 75 bird visiting us daily.


  Roy


  On May 25, 2008, at 9:46 AM, Lee and Lori Cain wrote:


    As I write this, at least 25 BAND-TAILED PIGEONS are gorging on my feeder (sunflower seeds), another 10 or so are in the spruce, and about 15 are on the ground (never seen them feed on the ground before).
    It is hilarious to watch them all try to fit on the feeder.  It has become rather expensive to feed birds this year.

    Everywhere I go I see BT pigeon flocks cruising the sky, both NW Oregon and SW Washington.  Anybody care to speculate on what conditions produced this sudden abundance? I am positive there are far more in our area than last year at this time.

    Lee Cain
    Astoria
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