Band-tailed Pigeons Visit the Feeder

I was pretty excited this season when I saw a couple of new birds visit the feeder that I did not recognize. I managed to get some pictures with my zoom on the Panasonic Lumix FZ35 to share.

I saw the first two in May and then the single one just a few weeks ago in June. I looked them up and they look like band-tailed pigeons to me.

The feathers on the back of their necks are very pretty and iridescent like a mallard duck and change appearance at different viewing angles. One of the pictures shows off the colors.

Once I spotted the birds I got more interested in them and looked up some facts about them. There is a lot of good information on the net you can read more about the Band-tailed Pigeon here on the Audubon web page.

At one point these birds were hunted a lot but the populations recovered once they were protected. Now they are declining again. I found out they have some serious problems from a parasitic single-celled protozoan. You can read more about it in this article: What’s Killing California’s Native Pigeons?

Apparently many of the mourning doves and other birds carry this parasite but are not effected too much. The band-tailed pigeon gets growths in its esophagus and as a result can’t eat or breath properly leading to death through starvation or suffocation.

Most of the outbreaks of this disease look like they were farther south in warmer climates. I haven’t heard much about it around here. Although I like these birds, perhaps I should chase them away from the feeder because I don’t want them to possibly get sick. I’m not sure how big a deal this is though - the weather is usually colder around here and I doubt the protozoa can survive long without a host.

As the water gets warmer protozoa can cause increasing problems. The amoeba that lives in stagnate warm water can cause serious issues for human swimmers too if they get into the nose. This is usually fatal.

Some have suggested that we should not put out food and water for the birds. I think this is only a partial solution. We really need to make better areas for them to live and increase the natural sources of water. Many of the major rivers no longer drain into the ocean around countries that use up these resources.

Whether you believe in climate change or not, getting away from fossil fuel sources could allow many other people to benefit economically from free or low cost energy. Our current agricultural practices use much water and oil and reduce bird habitat, but I don’t mean to single the farmers out for any of this.

Epilogue

Dog and I went out walking this evening. Somehow he knows when I want to go walking. I don’t have to say a thing. Perhaps the “click” of the glasses case closing clues him in. He bounds to front door just full of joy. Bouncing around making the most amazing sounds. It makes me happy to see him like this.

It has warmed up from 55 degrees Fahrenheit this morning to around 70 degrees. With the cloudless sky I feel comfortable but it is a bit hot. I guess I should not complain, where my father in law lives it has been very hot and he was in the hospital again because he had trouble breathing. I’m concerned.

In the desert farther south the smaller jets can’t fly because the air is so thin and the engines can’t make enough power in the heat; they have had some record setting hot days.

I let Dog set the pace. I wait for him patiently as he sniffs around. We kind of go faster than the snails which are all hiding in their shells. If this weather holds for too long they might be in trouble. I say to Dog, “I’m worried about the climate.”

Dog looks up, “Why worry Human, there is plenty of chicken. Happy, happy, joy, joy.”

“Your a good buddy Dog,” I say.

(Dog doesn’t really talk in so many words, but I know what he means. LOL.)

Thanks for reading! I’m grateful for all the support I’ve received. Photos are taken by me.