Are pigeons becoming braver/more arrogant?

[g3org3y]

Idle musings of someone who has been up since 4:30am and driving around to settle a restless 8 month old.

However, I wonder whether pigeons are getting braver/more arrogant.

They appear to wait until the very last second to fly off and avoid being run over. A few times, they don't even bother to fly off and just side step, missing the passing car by a few inches. If standing at the very lateral aspects of the road, they don't even bother to move.

It could be they are actually just stupid and unobservant and I am giving them way too much credit (because tired) but just seems more noticeable to me this year.

Anyway, baby is very awake now so it's time for a cup of tea and Hey Duggee.

Wishing everyone a relaxing Sunday.

[alorotom]

I think there is something in this. Crows, ravens and magpies also seem to be doing similar only with people on foot.

Enjoy Hey Duggee

[anonymous-user]

Pigeons have always been stupid. One panicked as I approched on a motorbike once and flew out of a hedge straight into my face. Once all the bits of broken visor and pigeon were extracted from my face I was left with a broken nose and a haemorrhaged eyeball. Stupid fking pigeons

[anonymous-user]

Their pesky coo’ing too, can currently hear them in the trees in our garden. This can go on for hours...

Quite possibly the most stupid and irritating bird going!

[SimonTheSailor]

They're evolving.............

[Hub]

They ARE just stupid.

They are the only birds that manage to fly into my patio doors with any regularity,leaving a horrible dirty pigeon print!

The males seem to spend their whole lives puffing themselves up, cooing and strutting around chasing females without paying attention to traffic etc.

[mike74]

EFH189 said:

...

Quite possibly the most stupid and irritating bird going!

Pheasants take that prize without doubt.

I've lost count of the number of times I've seen a pheasant safely at the side of the road only for them to dash in front of my car as I approach them.
One a while back was stood in the middle of the road and took flight at the very last second and just missed my windscreen as it flew over my car, only for it to then turn around in flight, overtake my car and land back in the middle of the road in front of my car once again!

[anonymous-user]

mike74 said:

EFH189 said:

...

Quite possibly the most stupid and irritating bird going!

Pheasants take that prize without doubt.

Good point, agreed!

[mickyh7]

hucumber said:

Pigeons have always been stupid. One panicked as I approched on a motorbike once and flew out of a hedge straight into my face. Once all the bits of broken visor and pigeon were extracted from my face I was left with a broken nose and a haemorrhaged eyeball. Stupid fking pigeons

Never heard of a Visor breaking before!
Should have an EU or Kitemark on?
They usually just come off in a trauma.
Was it very old or maybe a Snide Copy?
I know they are super expensive to replace.

[Spare tyre]

Hi georgey

I purchased a Mazda bongo for driving around babies, once asleep I can sleep

I did t mind the driving about part, it was much better than sitting at home stressing

[anonymous-user]

Have you just noticed this recently?

I have on my weekend work commute early doors (5am -ish) , it’s only been since covid tho. So assume they aren’t braver but have become lax due to the less traffic about ?

[Johnspex]

EFH189 said:

mike74 said:

EFH189 said:

...

Quite possibly the most stupid and irritating bird going!

Pheasants take that prize without doubt.

Good point, agreed!

Absolutely. But that bloody pigeon noise gets on your tits, doesn't it?

[hotchy]

I had to litterly stop. Drove closer and closer.. nope. It's almost like the pigeons taunting me with his we pidgeon beady eyes... then I had the same piebold deer crosses the road in a panic every morning for about 2 weeks now at 4.47am at the same patch he must be eating. My 7 minute drive to works taking about 15 with all these pigeons and animals refusing to move lol

[Joscal]

They are thick as champ and without fail panic and fly towards me whether on foot or on my bike. I love birds but could do without them and Magpies.

[Dr Doofenshmirtz]

mickyh7 said:

hucumber said:

Pigeons have always been stupid. One panicked as I approched on a motorbike once and flew out of a hedge straight into my face. Once all the bits of broken visor and pigeon were extracted from my face I was left with a broken nose and a haemorrhaged eyeball. Stupid fking pigeons

Never heard of a Visor breaking before!
Should have an EU or Kitemark on?
They usually just come off in a trauma.
Was it very old or maybe a Snide Copy?
I know they are super expensive to replace.

When my lids come to end of life, I usually attack them with a hammer just to see how strong they actually are. Once I’ve recovered from the hammer bouncing off and hitting me, I’m usually left pretty confident they are almost indestructible.
For a visor to shatter or break I can only assume something wrong was used to clean or make water repell like Rain-X making it weak? Very odd to hear of one shattering.

[TGTiff]

They don't argue with lead!
No matter how stupid they are.

[MrGTI6]

I left some ant powder out yesterday evening and obviously didn't fasten the lid properly. I went out this morning to find the contents all over the patio with lots of little footprints in it. After I tidied up the mess I spotted the carcass of a pigeon lying face-first in the flowerbed a few feet away.

Having typed that out I realise that it doesn't answer the original question. Never mind...

[anonymous-user]

Dr Doofenshmirtz said:

mickyh7 said:

hucumber said:

Pigeons have always been stupid. One panicked as I approched on a motorbike once and flew out of a hedge straight into my face. Once all the bits of broken visor and pigeon were extracted from my face I was left with a broken nose and a haemorrhaged eyeball. Stupid fking pigeons

Never heard of a Visor breaking before!
Should have an EU or Kitemark on?
They usually just come off in a trauma.
Was it very old or maybe a Snide Copy?
I know they are super expensive to replace.

When my lids come to end of life, I usually attack them with a hammer just to see how strong they actually are. Once I’ve recovered from the hammer bouncing off and hitting me, I’m usually left pretty confident they are almost indestructible.
For a visor to shatter or break I can only assume something wrong was used to clean or make water repell like Rain-X making it weak? Very odd to hear of one shattering.

It did have a slight crack in it, was an old lid, I was only young and not that fussed what I stuck my head in. The visor breaking the way it did it probably stopped me being taken clean off the back of the bike, but was a very scary effort to bring the bike to a stop half blind and semi conscious!

[robsa]

Classic PH thread; "arrogant" pigeons, pigeons that can’t read poison boxes, stupid pigeons eh? Then the tough guy post about shooting them comes next.

The powerfully built ones are particularly arrogant I hear, dominating the seed-tray.

[Baldchap]

Whilst we were locked down the government changed the batteries in the pigeons.