Photo-a-Day  (Tuesday, 10th March, 2020)

The flying rat man don't you mean Mick ?

There's some beautiful pigeons there, racers gone feral I assume.

I suppose some folks would object to him feeding them, but he's doing no harm and if he enjoys doing so then good luck to him, if he can afford to buy more and more feed that is, because when the Coo gets round more pigeons shall come.

Perhaps the gentleman also enjoys the company of budgerigars - a courting pair, perhaps.

I wondered where they had gone - better off in the park than at the top of Market Place...
I'm not keen on so many all together. I hope he isn't feeding them from his hands whilst the Coronvirus is raging. You can see he loves the pigeons!

He's a blinkin' nuisance !

Feed the birds, tuppence a bag.

Poor pigeons. The outcasts of the bird world. Universally despised for who they are. If this was a flock of starlings no one would have a problem.
This chap is like St. Francis of Wigan Park.

The pigeons were needed vey much in the first WW. Very brave birds then over the trenches. I often wondered where they pinned their medals!!! ;o))

Pigeons helped us to win the war.wasnt calling them flying rats then.

I love pigeons..of course they did a lot during the war,but a lot of people don't seem to care about that,and I'll feed them whenever I can.
and thank God for folk like the man on the bench,it's probably his highlight of the day..I bet he sleeps peacefully.

A pair of courting pigeons noticed.

Phil Ive just put a video on Wiganworld of the courting Pigeons.

They started off with a bit of French kissing then he was up on her back and after a fluttering of wings it was all over with.

Hi Cyril , a lady , near me , used to bring an entire loaf daily to feed the pigeons . Unfortunately , they would gather on my roof and garage in ever increasing numbers for this feast. Being a respectful person of all life forms, I allowed this , until it quite simply got out of hand as the numbers grew . I ask you to note , we humans , like pigeons, we eat but also deposit. I asked the lady , who was a few years further forward than me in years , in the most kind and respectful way , if she would consider feeding her loaf to her pigeons , just fifty yards further up the path ., explaining my problem . Would she have it ? Not on your nelly! She accused me of
being an animal and God creature hater, and continued to feed in this place , as it was where pigeons looked for her . They know where I am .
However hard I tried to understand her argument , it always came back to , this is what I intend to do , Here!
What upset me most , which the lady would simply not embrace, was the site further up , gave her pigeons triple the scope to see her and her loaf .
Sadly , she would never accept this and viewed me following, as someone who had entered her private space , in a most abhorrent and even vile way . She never forgave me ,and her scowl at me , as we passed on the lane , like a witches curse, told me so.

Hi Cyril , a lady , near me , used to bring an entire loaf daily to feed the pigeons . Unfortunately , they would gather on my roof and garage in ever increasing numbers for this feast. Being a respectful person of all life forms, I allowed this , until it quite simply got out of hand as the numbers grew . I ask you to note , we humans , like pigeons, we eat but also deposit. I asked the lady , who was a few years further forward than me in years , in the most kind and respectful way , if she would consider feeding her loaf to her pigeons , just fifty yards further up the path ., explaining my problem . Would she have it ? Not on your nelly! She accused me of
being an animal and God creature hater, and continued to feed in this place , as it was where pigeons looked for her . They know where I am .
However hard I tried to understand her argument , it always came back to , this is what I intend to do , Here!
What upset me most , which the lady would simply not embrace, was the site further up , gave her pigeons triple the scope to see her and her loaf .
Sadly , she would never accept this and viewed me following, as someone who had entered her private space , in a most abhorrent and even vile way . She never forgave me ,and her scowl at me , as we passed on the lane , like a witches curse, told me so.

Xpat,if I were you I'd report it to the Authorities..fair do's ..you can't put up with that..mind you having said that I really wouldn't know who you'd report it to,but am sure you could find that out.

I do not find the feral pigeons attractive, simply a nuisance in great numbers. Homing and racing pigeons are quite different, those are the war heroes. NOT the feral pigeon.

You have left me wondering xpat what happened afterwards, as your story seems to have been a long time ago... Too many pigeons as in a the photo can be very unnerving, at least I find them so...

Michael! … Really! … up on her back.
I'll have a look for your film.

Flying rats are seagulls.

Found it, Mick! … found it. And doesn't the gentleman have a nice smile.

Feral pigeons WERE used during the war.

Are all pigeons homing pigeons?
" There are two different breeds of pigeons.
Both Homing pigeons and Carrier pigeons are the result of many years of selective breeding starting long ago with the Rock pigeon, a wild pigeon with a talent for unerringly returning to its home".
Even the feral pigeons have the instinct to return home.

Veronica,if you google "Feral pigeons riches to rags"it's a very good read.

Just as an aside,some years ago my Son brought two white fan tails home..hubby built a Côte for them in the back yard,painted a white cross on the top,they soon started breeding of course,but to see one swooping down to sit on the eggs while the other took to flight was lovely..to me anyway..of course the number of little ones soon took over..much like a lot of humans.and they had to go,took them to Tom Whalleys but they kept coming back..the female would land on my shoulder as I pegged the washing out..then we got a cat,she came down..saw the cat and never returned...but I shall never forget her.

Makes you wonder just how much air space is being given to Belgian racer Armando: The bird's new owner paid the record price of just over £1,000,000 for him, last march.

The thought occurred to me Maureen, when all the old housing was demolished in the mid sixties, a lot of the men who kept pigeons released them into the 'wild' my dad included! They couldn't keep them any longer as living in flats and maisonettes they wouldn't have been allowed to. I bet most of the Wigan pigeons we see today are descended from them! Aww! Yes it's very interesting to read about those 'we pull bred' pigeons during the war they were able to save thousands of men on land and sea by carrying messages....

Drat and double drat. Stop that pigeon!

'Well bred' not the predictive (damnable)text! Drat!

Alan
Pigeons are flying rats !
Seagulls are sh*te hawks !

Maureen
Would you entertain my pigeon ? ;0)

Keep in mind..Pigeon's, and most other creatures were on Earth millions of years before humans. They have more right to be here than we do.

So true Lynne,we humans think we're above
everything..when man is the greediest dirtiest creature on this planet.

I doubt he will be so fond of pigeons if he was unfortunate enough to contract histoplasmosis.