Poorly chicken

[sjp]

any body know if it's usual for carrion crows to actively hunt pigeons. We've got 2 or 3 I think lone males that have took up residence on in the street which isn't unusual this time of year but this year's ones are very territorial towards the mixed mob of pigeons and doves over the one garden were there's a bird table. To start with the crows just chased them off mainly because they hadn't got the speed to do much else but as the weeks have gone on the crows are getting a lot closer to the pigeons at least one has got a beak full of feathers, know in the last 7 days or so I've seen 1 dead pigeon or dove, the remains of a dove, and today going by the amount of feathers one more pigeon or dove. We've not got any raptors here this year I think it was to windy for them to get back here in late March early April.

the remains had been partly eaten by a fox but I doubt a fox had killed it as they were in My garden and the Pigeons and dove don't over night in low enough down for the fox to get them

Edited June 29, 2017 by Guest

[Grandmashazzie]

Not sure about pigeons but one year I was enjoying watching a mama robin guarding her fledglings. I could see a crow walking down the garden and next moment he had snatched a baby and made off. I was gutted I hadn't chased him off but it never occurred to me he would eat another bird

[sjp]

fledglings and chicks I can understand and smaller garden birds for that matter. but pigeons are as big as the crows and it's only them and the doves they seem to have the problem with. just wish they would get the message through and move only but pigeons are to dumb for that

[The Dogmother]

I am interested to read this; there's been an increase on crow numbers and noise in my area lately. I have also noticed a crow sitting on my fence and watching the garden, the chooks don't seem too bothered and I have assumed that my attack cat will see it off. A neighbour has a mixed flock of pigeons and doves, so I will watch to see if they are still around.

 

I wonder what attracts the crows and what they are after, they aren't accessing the run and I don't have any chicks either.

[sjp]

I am interested to read this; there's been an increase on crow numbers and noise in my area lately. I have also noticed a crow sitting on my fence and watching the garden, the chooks don't seem too bothered and I have assumed that my attack cat will see it off. A neighbour has a mixed flock of pigeons and doves, so I will watch to see if they are still around.

 

I wonder what attracts the crows and what they are after, they aren't accessing the run and I don't have any chicks either.

We get crows all year round here I'm right on the edge of the green belt area that surrounds the Rayhall interchange that's the M5 M6 junction to outsiders in the winter they form 1 or 2 big mixed flocks but split up in early march into their own species, but by April the lone crows come back onto this part of the estate (it's away from the crow rookeries but in the middle of the magpie and Jackdaw nest areas) but normal just 2 but this year it's 3 this is the first year that they've become territorial and have started to 'attack' the pigeons they aren't interested in the chooks and the chooks don't regard them as a threat

as to what attracts them that's easy the damned woman just over the back of Me that has a bird table that must be putting the wrong type of food out I also know at least one neighbor that puts out dog and cat food for the fox and local cat population . plus We have got a lot of small birds nesting in the gardens this year We're on at least the 2nd fledge of sparrows they are at least 2 types of Tits plus a few adult Sparrows that have chicks judging by the number of times their coming onto the plum trees in the garden after the Aphids

[sjp]

just a little update the 3 lone male seem to be actively trying to hunt the pigeons more now and not just chasing them from the bird table garden they seem also to be changing tactics one gets them air born the others them move in from the sides they also chase for a longer time and more often. no more evidence of dead pigeons though.

We've also now got a family of carrion crows 3 fledglings and at least one adult feeding them, never had young crows here before just Jackdaws and magpies. still got the magpies but I've not seen any Jackdaw young this year just a couple of pairs trying to set up nest areas on the chimneys

the 3 youngsters are on my kitchen roof just now just under my computer room window, inquisitive noisy little blighters

[sjp]

further to the above post it looks like the carrion crow breeding population is bigger than I thought on the estate I live on I've seen at least five sets of youngsters this morning in an area about 6 streets wide main trios but a couple of pairs and one single the colony most have moved up from the 'Valley'

[The Dogmother]

They are very bold here sjp - too much so; shame we're surrounded by houses or I'd be tempted to borrow a friend's air rifle! There seems to be a colony, which hangs out, but doesn't nest in the big ash and oak trees at the bottom of my neighbour's garden. The jackdaws tend to stick to the roofs and chimneys, picking out pointing on the ridge and stack

 

I wonder what has changed in the food chain to make them so plentiful, although there are now more magpies than ever - and they are also pretty much at the top of the chain too.

[sjp]

They are very bold here sjp - too much so; shame we're surrounded by houses or I'd be tempted to borrow a friend's air rifle! There seems to be a colony, which hangs out, but doesn't nest in the big ash and oak trees at the bottom of my neighbour's garden. The jackdaws tend to stick to the roofs and chimneys, picking out pointing on the ridge and stack

 

I wonder what has changed in the food chain to make them so plentiful, although there are now more magpies than ever - and they are also pretty much at the top of the chain too.

 

they Jackdaws seem to have moved this year and Magpies are fewer in number as well

food source wise I think all the high winds We had around Easter have played a part We've had a lot of small garden birds nest around here this year they started earlier and had 2 or 3 batches of chicks but they've mostly disappeared in the last couple of weeks they were feeding of the aphids on the Plum trees I've not had ones in this morning

I have seem the crows feeding of the bird table just over from Me yesterday afternoon and just now but they aren't takes my cherries I'm loosing a few to something but it's can't be Blackbirds as they'll strip the lot in a few hours

[The Dogmother]

An update on this.... I was up at a place yesterday, where they'd had a real problem with crows being very bold, and stealing eggs form the pens and inside the shop. Anthony tells me that they 'suddenly disappeared, and come to think o it, I haven't noticed them sitting on my fence recently or making a huge racket in the neighbour's Ash and Oak trees. Perhaps they've moved on after nesting, and have decided that the recently harvested fields have better pickings.

[sjp]

still got the youngsters here not sure about the parents or the 2 rogue males. also got 4 or 5 young magpies did have a couple of adults up to the early part of last week feeding them quite often but I think that's stopped now going by the number of youngsters that are together now