This is something they do, I'm given to understand. But watching them it's hard to believe this isn't choreographed. Weird and cool at the same time.
Monday, December 30, 2024
Additional bird business
I was in Downtown Providence―officially called "Downcity" but I'm not calling it that―and I had kind of a lucky vantage point. Pigeons were mulling around on the ground and then all of a sudden, they all took off together. And in this great orderly curved shape as well. They landed, and then a few seconds later they took off again, once more lighting about where they'd started.
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2 comments:
Of the several cities we've lived in and others we've visited, Victoria is the only one that doesn't have many pigeons. It's probably because there are a number of predator birds here and young pigeons are probably pretty tasty. In Halifax we'd see them flying in those curving patterns you describe where they all take off at once and then return. It's nice to see and a rather nice sound hearing their wings vibrating the air.
I wonder if you've ever seen a video of a murmuration of starlings? I don't know why this only happens in Europe - obviously it requires a lot of starlings and maybe they have more. This video is the first one I ever saw and it's quite amazing.
https://youtu.be/iRNqhi2ka9k?si=TWQRRDhO1sOGXjCw
Happy New Year 💖
I've never eaten a young pigeon myself. Or at least, you know, not to my knowledge. But they do appear to be considered a delicacy among humans, so raptors are likely to get a taste when they can as well. And since pigeons aren't completely brainless--if perhaps also not geniuses--that gives them reason to stay away. Halifax it seems was a different situation. It sounds like they enhanced things there.
That murmuration video was something else. Can see why those two boated out to see it. I'm not sure if murmurations always take place over water. It is apparently true that they're native to Europe, Asia, and Africa. They're introduced/invasive in the Americas, and haven't become that common. Something of a relief, I guess. Oh, and talking myna birds are starlings as well.
Happy Still Sort of Newish Year.
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