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Kamikaze pigeon - Whodunnit/what just happened?
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- Lemon Quarter
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Kamikaze pigeon - Whodunnit/what just happened?
I was sitting at my desk reading the newspaper when there was a loud bang on the window; loud enough that my wife in another room asked if I'd dropped something. I got a heck of a shock, I thought something had been thrown against the window about 2 foot directly in front of me.
I got up and noticed two marks on the glass of the double-glazed window, about a foot apart, a small streak of faeces, and a long opaque streak of perhaps saliva with a waxy crescent of lines radiating from around it's source.
The large window had had a roller-blind almost fully down, just a foot at it's base raised to let in light over my desk. I raised the blind to look if there was anything to see. I noticed a pigeon diagonally away/below about 30 foot away lying on top of a tall narrow wall that divides the basement garden of this house from the neighbours. It was looking very unwell, alive but 'semi-KO'd'.
An hour or so later I looked again and I was further surprised to see the pigeon was on the ground beside the wall, and the top part of it's body above it's wings appears to have been ripped off leaving a bloody mess. It is surrounded by a moderate amount of loose feathers.
So I'm wondering just WTH happened there!? Did it fly directly into the window so hard it it almost knocked itself out, but managed to somehow land a way away on top of a narrow wall. And then... either it fell to the ground after being semi-eaten by another bird, or, fell to the ground to be swiftly semi-eaten by an urban fox? Why might it have flown into the window in the first place, rather than being on the side/edge of the building and sensing a flight-path through, it's positioned almost at the apex where two long 'wings' of the house meet at 90 degrees? It couldn't have seen a route through, or any form of 'sanctuary' by heading that way.
Notes: This is in 'Zone-2' urban London.
I have seen a fox on the street before, just once about a year ago. But the garden below is pretty securely enclosed on all sides so for there to be a fox coincidentally below in the garden behind right after this happened seems a long-shot.
My parents had a rough parallel years ago - A woodpecker similarly killed itself by flying into the window of their lounge. But in that case the room had many windows with curtains back, together with a clear above-ground flight-path, and it seems the bird could see a route through, oblivious to the glass. In my case the blind was essentially closed, and it's the only window in the room, so no through-route could have been apparent.
I got up and noticed two marks on the glass of the double-glazed window, about a foot apart, a small streak of faeces, and a long opaque streak of perhaps saliva with a waxy crescent of lines radiating from around it's source.
The large window had had a roller-blind almost fully down, just a foot at it's base raised to let in light over my desk. I raised the blind to look if there was anything to see. I noticed a pigeon diagonally away/below about 30 foot away lying on top of a tall narrow wall that divides the basement garden of this house from the neighbours. It was looking very unwell, alive but 'semi-KO'd'.
An hour or so later I looked again and I was further surprised to see the pigeon was on the ground beside the wall, and the top part of it's body above it's wings appears to have been ripped off leaving a bloody mess. It is surrounded by a moderate amount of loose feathers.
So I'm wondering just WTH happened there!? Did it fly directly into the window so hard it it almost knocked itself out, but managed to somehow land a way away on top of a narrow wall. And then... either it fell to the ground after being semi-eaten by another bird, or, fell to the ground to be swiftly semi-eaten by an urban fox? Why might it have flown into the window in the first place, rather than being on the side/edge of the building and sensing a flight-path through, it's positioned almost at the apex where two long 'wings' of the house meet at 90 degrees? It couldn't have seen a route through, or any form of 'sanctuary' by heading that way.
Notes: This is in 'Zone-2' urban London.
I have seen a fox on the street before, just once about a year ago. But the garden below is pretty securely enclosed on all sides so for there to be a fox coincidentally below in the garden behind right after this happened seems a long-shot.
My parents had a rough parallel years ago - A woodpecker similarly killed itself by flying into the window of their lounge. But in that case the room had many windows with curtains back, together with a clear above-ground flight-path, and it seems the bird could see a route through, oblivious to the glass. In my case the blind was essentially closed, and it's the only window in the room, so no through-route could have been apparent.
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- Lemon Half
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Re: Kamikaze pigeon - Whodunnit/what just happened?
I can remember this happening back home - a pigeon flew right into my bedroom window
It was being pursued by a sparrowhawk (?) or similar and presumably the sky reflected in the window looked like a clear path to the panicked bird.
It was swiftly devoured, but left a pigeon shaped ghostly image on the glass...
It was being pursued by a sparrowhawk (?) or similar and presumably the sky reflected in the window looked like a clear path to the panicked bird.
It was swiftly devoured, but left a pigeon shaped ghostly image on the glass...
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- The full Lemon
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Re: Kamikaze pigeon - Whodunnit/what just happened?
I had the same in a ground floor window and not only that the bird actually smashed the glass as well.
Dod
Dod
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- Lemon Quarter
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Re: Kamikaze pigeon - Whodunnit/what just happened?
We have had several birds hit the glass of our rear windows. Mainly wood pigeons. I'm pretty sure that they simply see a reflection of the sky or similar and they therefore don't see the glass as an obstruction. Most fly away leaving only a powdery outine on the glass of evidence of their misjudgement, probably because they tend to be flying slowly having just taken off from our lawn.
Clearly not the sharpest of birds...
Clearly not the sharpest of birds...
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- Lemon Quarter
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Re: Kamikaze pigeon - Whodunnit/what just happened?
It's a persistent problem for us. We normally get 3-4 pigeon hits a week on our living room window. Probably more in reality since we don't know how many hits when we are out. They feed on the debris falling from the nut and seed feeder, about 5m from the house, then fly into the window when they leave. And they just don't seem to learn, they don't have more than a couple of neurons between them.
Most of the time they just fly away, having left an imprint on the window, but a few times they lie stunned on the ground for 5-10 minutes, and in one case we had an ex-pigeon, with blood and goodness knows what else all over the window.
I hate those birds!
--kiloran
Most of the time they just fly away, having left an imprint on the window, but a few times they lie stunned on the ground for 5-10 minutes, and in one case we had an ex-pigeon, with blood and goodness knows what else all over the window.
I hate those birds!
--kiloran
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- Lemon Half
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Re: Kamikaze pigeon - Whodunnit/what just happened?
kiloran wrote:It's a persistent problem for us. We normally get 3-4 pigeon hits a week on our living room window. ...
Don't those window stickers work as a pigeon scarer. Something like this for instance:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f2/7b/45 ... 1daf3a.png
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- Lemon Quarter
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Re: Kamikaze pigeon - Whodunnit/what just happened?
PinkDalek wrote:kiloran wrote:It's a persistent problem for us. We normally get 3-4 pigeon hits a week on our living room window. ...
Don't those window stickers work as a pigeon scarer. Something like this for instance:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f2/7b/45 ... 1daf3a.png
There's no way I'd have any stickers on my windows. Not even your suggestion
Pigeons are so stupid it would make no difference. Even if I bombard them with small stones from my catapult, they just look confused.
"Errr, Whazzat?"
--kiloran
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- Lemon Half
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Re: Kamikaze pigeon - Whodunnit/what just happened?
We get kamikaze pigeons flying into our windows all the time.
Many years ago I came to the quite stark conclusion that pigeons are absolutely mental....
Cheers,
Itsallaguess
Many years ago I came to the quite stark conclusion that pigeons are absolutely mental....
Cheers,
Itsallaguess
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- Lemon Half
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Re: Kamikaze pigeon - Whodunnit/what just happened?
For those that have never had the pleasure of mental pigeons -
Cheers,
Itsallaguess
Cheers,
Itsallaguess
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- Lemon Quarter
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Re: Kamikaze pigeon - Whodunnit/what just happened?
Itsallaguess wrote:For those that have never had the pleasure of mental pigeons -
Cheers,
Itsallaguess
At Watis Castle, we call these 'angels'.
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- Lemon Quarter
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Re: Kamikaze pigeon - Whodunnit/what just happened?
When I walk out of the back door, I have to walk along the side of the dining room to come in into of sight of the birds on the feeders and if there are many birds there then they explode away in all directions.
Mainly they fly away from the house, but if there are enough of them they fly in all directions. Into the glass, the door frames, the brickwork and the frame that the feeders hang on.
Obviously, if you are are inside you are mainly only see those that hit the glass, but if you are outside you see everything being his in the panic.
Slarti
Mainly they fly away from the house, but if there are enough of them they fly in all directions. Into the glass, the door frames, the brickwork and the frame that the feeders hang on.
Obviously, if you are are inside you are mainly only see those that hit the glass, but if you are outside you see everything being his in the panic.
Slarti
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- Lemon Quarter
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Re: Kamikaze pigeon - Whodunnit/what just happened?
Slarti wrote:When I walk out of the back door, I have to walk along the side of the dining room to come in into of sight of the birds on the feeders and if there are many birds there then they explode away in all directions.
Mainly they fly away from the house, but if there are enough of them they fly in all directions. Into the glass, the door frames, the brickwork and the frame that the feeders hang on.
Obviously, if you are are inside you are mainly only see those that hit the glass, but if you are outside you see everything being his in the panic.
Slarti
The pigeons feeding in my garden refuse to budge unless I make a distinctly hostile approach. And then they usually move on in a leisurely fashion. The only time I see them moving at any pace is when one is attempting to carry out unwanted amorous advances to another.
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- Lemon Quarter
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Re: Kamikaze pigeon - Whodunnit/what just happened?
scotia wrote:The pigeons feeding in my garden refuse to budge unless I make a distinctly hostile approach. And then they usually move on in a leisurely fashion. The only time I see them moving at any pace is when one is attempting to carry out unwanted amorous advances to another.
That's very feral urban pigeon, fat, complacent, sick looking, don't give a damn about most things, they get so close in the London parks you could almost stamp on them. Contrast vs the rural pigeon, slimmer, distinct plumage, healthier looking and you won't get near them. It takes great skill to shoot a pigeon (I mean for the table) vs just about anything else country-folk go and legally shoot.
But then you have the oddity of going to London parks and seeing the occasional rural pigeons on a visit 'uptown', clean, quite healthy looking, but waddling rather, and a damned site less shy than their rural kin.
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- Lemon Slice
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Re: Kamikaze pigeon - Whodunnit/what just happened?
AleisterCrowley wrote:I can remember this happening back home - a pigeon flew right into my bedroom window
It was being pursued by a sparrowhawk (?) or similar and presumably the sky reflected in the window looked like a clear path to the panicked bird.
It was swiftly devoured, but left a pigeon shaped ghostly image on the glass...
Without a doubt it’s a sparrow hawk, exact same thing happened to me a few years back. Sitting in my office and out of the corner of my eye I see something zip past and hear a thump from the office next door. I jump up to see a sparrowhawk flit across and I look down to see a pigeon lying below the other office window. By the time I walked round to have a closer look the sparrowhawk was standing on the pigeon and I could see the familiar powder impact shadow of the pigeon on the glass.
I have observed sparrowhawk chasing pigeons past the building a number of times most of times the fleeing birds manage to avoid obstacles, every now and again they get fooled by either seening through the glass or by reflection and at panic speed it maybe fatal. i’ve found A number of half eaten carcasses around the site including another below an impact Marked window
Bh
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