Hey, there! Log in / Register
City councilor not for the birds
By adamg on Tue, 08/28/2007 - 3:34pm
Boston Mag's Joe Keohane gets City Councilor John Tobin to commit to looking at ways to shrink the city's pigeon population, following the news that pigeon poop might have helped cause the Minneapolis bridge collapse.
But it turns out that while Tobin dislikes pigeons, what really terrifies him are squirrels:
... I hope there's a contraceptive for squirrels too, something to, you know, cover their nuts. Squirrels scare the crap out of me.
Memo to Councilor Tobin: The answer to that one, at least in the Westie end of your district, is simple - coyotes.
Free tagging:
Ad:
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
Peregrines!
Not a headache after drinking too much perrier, but the falcon kind. Peregrine Falcons like to live on cliffs and dine on rock dove. Pigeons are a fine substitute, being pretty much rock doves themselves. Falcons are also great for squirrel control (as are Red Tail Hawks, like the ones that live on Holyoke Center and keep Hahvahd Yahd's squirrely population in check).
Some of my younger one's earliest memories are of watching these falcons eviscerate pigeons. He would describe this to others in a fascinated 3 or 4 year old way by depicting their talons with his fingers and making clicking noises.
I was first afraid that I should shield him when we encountered one on a high MBTA rail overpass on North St., Medford. Rock Dove al Fresco is quite the gory sight to encounter when biking home to dinner after preschool, but he was utterly fascinated with the idea of big birds preying on fairly big birds like that.
The following spring, we saw a pigeon take down near Tech Square, followed by the feast. We were once again on bikes with the trailer, and he insisted on watching the large bird land in the park and start eating.
Perhaps there should be more nesting space for the area's hawks and falcons? That might curb the local squirrel and pigeon populations!
Heh!
Interesting idea!!! Maybe!!
I just witnessed the after math of a takedown in my back yard
I drive in and see these freaking pigeon feathers everywhere, im like did some one shoot a bird out here? The scene looked to fresh so in back of where I park my car on a snow pile was a peregrine mowing down on the pigeon, he got scared and flew into a nearby tree. I took a pic of him and the twitching pigeon, he flew off after I startled him, hope he comes back for his meal.