When I was watching the Test Cricket recently, the mandatory discussion of
Bill Lawrie's racing pigeons came up. Bill explained that pigeon racing
has only just resumed after a lengthy break due to a virulent pigeon
disease. A quick Google search confirmed that a virus called avian
paramyxovirus had affected domestic pigeons, both racing and fancy pigeons,
from late 2011.
Perhaps the virus has taken a toll of feral pigeons.
Cheers
David
On Sun, Jan 20, 2013 at 4:46 PM, Dave Torr <> wrote:
> Plenty still hanging around on the old hangars by the old entrance to the
> Western Treatment Plant. But in general not very common around here either
>
> On 20 January 2013 16:25, Carl Clifford <> wrote:
>
> > Jenny,
> >
> > Rock Dove have virtually disappeared from my local area, Gorokan, NSW
> > Central Coast despite plenty of food, courtesy of a nearby bakers.
> >
> > Carl Clifford
> >
> > On 20/01/2013, at 12:25, jenny spry <> wrote:
> >
> > > Hi all,
> > >
> > > Like many people I start a Year List on 1st January each year. Now,
> > because
> > > I live in Carlton North which is on the edge of the Melbourne CBD, my
> > first
> > > birds for the year are usually introduced birds; Rock Dove, House
> Sparrow
> > > etc. Boring. For this reason I usually try for another common bird
> around
> > > here, Rainbow Lorikeet, to start my list and this year I was lucky
> > because
> > > 2 flew over as I opened the front door.
> > >
> > > With the year safely underway with a native bird I then started on the
> > > rest. Common Myna? Yes. Starling? Yes. Turtle-Dove? Yes. House Sparrow?
> > > Yes. Rock Dove? Rock Dove? NO!!! For me this was a surprise because I
> > live
> > > in the middle of a strip of cafés and a park. There are always Rock
> Doves
> > > around. They feed on pizza crumbs, picnic bits, dropped cake and
> anything
> > > else they can find. They are ubiquitous. They are "trash" birds. Common
> > as
> > > muck. They are always here, but not on the morning of 1st Jan.
> > >
> > > Over the last 19 days I have kept watch for them as I drive and walk
> > > around. Walking to BirdLife in Carlton on Thursday I saw a total of 5
> in
> > > Lygon Street, 3 in Swanston Street and none in Lincoln Square, a
> > favourite
> > > lunch spot for local office workers. Driving to WTP on Friday there
> were
> > > none on the footpath in the Kensington shopping strip. A few loitered
> on
> > > the nature strips down the Old Geelong Rd through Footscray and
> Brooklyn.
> > >
> > > Today, a gorgeous 26º with blue skies, and there are none outside my
> > house.
> > > The cafés are full, the park is full but no Rock Doves.Yesterday
> morning
> > I
> > > went to the supermarket and where there are usually 20 there were 4;
> > > yesterday afternoon a walk around Princes Park football ground gave me
> > 8; a
> > > local nature strip had 4; my local park had 2.
> > >
> > > Out of interest I went for a drive this morning. There was a group of 9
> > in
> > > the Carlton Gardens; there were none outside the library in Swanston
> > > Street; there were none on the RMIT campus; there were none in
> Flagstaff
> > > Gardens; there were none on any city footpath and, more worryingly,
> there
> > > were none that I could see at the Queen Vic Market. At Royal Park
> > Wetland I
> > > found 2. Outside Melbourne Zoo there were none. I guess they might all
> be
> > > down at StKilda enjoying summer at the beach, eating fish and chips
> with
> > > the Silver gulls; or over at Rod Laver Arena watching the tennis, but
> > there
> > > are not many in their normal haunts around here.
> > >
> > > My search of Melbourne has definitely not been extensive or exhaustive
> > and
> > > maybe numbers drop off every summer, I don't know, but in 15 years of
> > > living here I don't ever remember walking out the front door and seeing
> > > none. Is it possible that they really do "migrate" to the beachside
> > suburbs
> > > in summer? Has anyone else noticed a change in their local Rock Dove
> > > population or is it just in my area?
> > >
> > > cheers
> > >
> > > Jenny
> > > http://jenniferspryausbirding.blogspot.com.au/
> > > ===============================
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