For the past three months I have had a solo Bronzewing Pigeon feeding with my parrots, always on its own. Has become quite tame and not to mention plump from cleaning up after the parrots.
Used to have a Wonga Pigeon call in on a regular basis but has not been seen for around four months now.
Has any one else experienced the Australian native pigeons? Crested Pigeons are quite common around here and sometimes drop in for a handout but the Bronzwing and Wonga pigeons are not seen very often.
I get common bronzewings occasionally but there is a small flock of peaceful doves I sometimes see moving through the grass. I saw about 6 of them this morning - the grass around here is very dry but they must have been finding seeds. They are very small for pigeons but their call is quite distinctive.
I often see Crested Pigeons which are pretty birds, but love the Wonga pigeon, saw a pair strolling along a bush track in bushland part of the Callicoma Walk Western sydney.
elizabeth
Crested Pigeon is the most common native pigeon here on the south easter slopes of the Mt Lofty Ranges in SA. However, numbers of this species have declined significantly over the last few years. Why I'm not sure.
Very occasionally we see a Common Bronzewing. We would probably see this species more often had not a farmer a couple of kilometers north of us severely vandalized a high quality stretch of roadside native vegetation. Numbers weren't helped either by the skittling of a Common Bronzewing outside our front gate a couple of years ago.
We've also had three or four brief visits from Peaceful Doves but they, too, would have been deprived of habitat by the aforesaid slash-happy farmer.
Fortunately, lots of neighbourhood folk have revegetated significant parts of their land so I'm hoping there'll soon be sufficient habitat to encourage more of the native pigeons to take up residence. This will be aided by the increasingly rare sightings of feral pigeons which would otherwise compete with the native pigeons for resources. Then again there's an increasing number of people with horses moving into our area. Unfortunately, horse feed generally attracts feral pigeons. It's a constant battle to provide appropriate conditions for native pigeons in my neck of the woods.
Thank you one and all for the replies, love the picture of the Wonga Pigeon, the one I had visiting here was much darker and plumper.
The Bronze Wing Pigeon is a delightful bird, very quiet and undemanding, unlike the parrots. It's mentioned in one of my bird books that they are usually seen in pairs, only ever seen and had the one here, same with the Wonga Pigeon, just a solo visitor.
Being a ground forager they are open prey to cats and foxes. I had a huge problem with cats here killing birds during the day. Lost a juvenile King Parrot, Crimson Rosella and Red Wattle Bird. Our esteemed local council was not interested at all despite a large number of "Green" councillors who always mention "native wildlife" etc.
Bought myself a cat/possum trap with excellent results, four cats caught in five weeks. Good quality trap, made in France. Cat is unharmed in the trap so you have to dispose of yourself. The local Vet puts them down for me free of charge.
Good on you for enabling your local vet to play an important role in the conservation of the native pigeons in your area, Raven. Very well done!
However, it seems a group in your council carries an inordinate amount of power that its members can thwart the wishes of a large number of councillors. Can anything be done about this? E.g., a vote of no confidence. Or is the wildlife-friendly group in council not large enough?
There seems to be some dispensation with not only councillors, but many residents, that they embrace the encouragement of natural habitat and fauna and so called "green belts" for wildlife, but on the other hand, let their cats roam free day/night and dogs off leash wandering about causing havoc.
They want to and love living in a rural environment but fail to harness their domestic pets, feral cats and dogs top the list around here followed by goats and pigs.
Probably a case of "don't do what I do, but do what I say" regime. Lot of it is "city people" who move to the rural areas, just last year some "bohemian" types from Sydney bought a house on three acres that verges on the main western railway line and are now moaning to all and sundry who will listen about noise from the trains. Sorry, the train line has been there since 1857, so if you don't like it...
Said bohemians also let their cats roam free, actually I was overjoyed the other week when I seen one of their cats splattered on the road. Was told by Parks & Wildlife officer that feral cats are not officially listed as "feral" unlike dogs, pigs and goats and hence the reluctance of many councils to engage the control and erradication of cats. Not to mention spending ratepayers money.
Yes, it's an interesting contradiction, Raven. Thousands of people are moving into Mt Barker in the Mt Lofty Ranges in order to enjoy nature. So, in collusion with developers, they rip out the native vegetation & create ecologically sterile environments with their pencil pines & ornamental plants. Go figure. Not only that but one of the major developers has as its logo a pair of Rainbow Lorikeets!
It seems little wonder that people with the natural environment at heart feel compelled to take the initiative when there is such a lack of support from authorities.
Same is happening out of Sydney, any place within a two hour drive is a prime target for developers, farms are being carved up and sold as "rural retreats".
I have friends at Hartley and they have been there just short of 20 years, all farms back then and plenty of bush. Now everything in past five years is being carved up as "farmlets" of five acre lots or even as small as two acres and sold. Place is getting more "urbanised" as the years pass, you can see this by the traffic problems between Lithgow and Penrith.
First thing the developer wankers do is get a bulldozer and clear all the bush and even the ground off for lawns etc. People come from Sydney and buy these blocks and then put a house up then complain it's hot as no trees to provide shade and protection from wind. The "country" community spirit goes too with this development, getting more "city centric" as the years pass. Not to mention demand on resources too, both natural and electricity/water too.
As Sydney becomes more expensive as most homes are around the $750,000 plus mark, the more than will move to these parts as they can no longer afford the city. Pity the animals, road kill is a common sight around here, birds and kangaroo's mainly.
It's not only here, but where you are, and also in the outer areas of Brisbane and Melbourne too, god help us all.
My Bronzewing Pigeon visitor has been missing for four days now, wonder what happened to it? Used to be a regular joining the parrots for the morning and afternoon feeds, conspicuous by its absence.
I enjoyed its company, sometimes it would sit on the railing a few feet away while I was reading the paper, miss the little fellow.
I have seen Crested Pigeons offen.