What eats pigeons in Central London?

What eats pigeons in Central London?

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Kermit power

Original Poster:

29,622 posts

228 months

Thursday 26th May 2011
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One of the main support pillars on the Eastern side of the Jubilee bridge in London is built onto a concrete island in the middle of the river.

In addition to being the graveyard of any skateboards that get broken in the skate area on the Southbank, this island is also home to a few sets of pigeon wings.

Now, given that this is a small island in the middle of the river, this can't be down to foxes, and I don't think Kestrels are big enough to take down a pigeon, so what might be having its dinner there?

Frankeh

12,558 posts

200 months

Thursday 26th May 2011
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Determined tramps.

Willy Nilly

12,511 posts

182 months

Thursday 26th May 2011
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I think that Peregrine Falcons have become established in London.

OzzyR1

6,107 posts

247 months

Thursday 26th May 2011
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The peregrines that live on the Tate Modern?

AlVal

1,891 posts

279 months

Thursday 26th May 2011
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ethnics innit

Aberdeenloon

2,648 posts

172 months

Thursday 26th May 2011
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Me.

MercuryRises

516 posts

178 months

Thursday 26th May 2011
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Brunel University introduced a bird of prey to their campus to control pigeons

http://www.uxbridgegazette.co.uk/west-london-news/...

And NYC encourages the breeding of certain birds of prey.

Perhaps they did the same in London

Uhura fighter

7,018 posts

198 months

Thursday 26th May 2011
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Aberdeenloon said:
Me.
That's a long way to go for lunch.....

Kays vRS

1,988 posts

191 months

Thursday 26th May 2011
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Willy Nilly said:
I think that Peregrine Falcons have become established in London.
They've been seen in a few cities now. When I lived in Nottingham I sometimes watched them going after pigeons in the market square.

itsnotarace

4,685 posts

224 months

Thursday 26th May 2011
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They probably get run over by trains all the time along there, the wings are the last bits to decompose because there is barely any flesh on them

Kermit power

Original Poster:

29,622 posts

228 months

Thursday 26th May 2011
quotequote all
OzzyR1 said:
The peregrines that live on the Tate Modern?
Ooh! Are they easy to spot? That's comfortably within reach of a lunchtime stroll.

bigandclever

14,047 posts

253 months

Thursday 26th May 2011
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Plenty of kestrels and sparrowhawks in central London, and there are Tawny owls for night-time shenanigans. Don't the pelicans in St James Park eat pigeons too? smile

Nightmare

5,272 posts

299 months

Thursday 26th May 2011
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Kermit power said:
Ooh! Are they easy to spot? That's comfortably within reach of a lunchtime stroll.
http://www.londonperegrines.com/ is your friend....smile

Nightmare

5,272 posts

299 months

Thursday 26th May 2011
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Kermit power said:
Ooh! Are they easy to spot? That's comfortably within reach of a lunchtime stroll.
http://www.londonperegrines.com/ is your friend....smile

oh and kestrels wouldn't take pigeons but sparrowhawks definitely do - one killed a pigeon in front of me on holiday this year. I swear it looked like it had been hit by a high velocity round. There was this massive explosion of feathers, which settled to reveal this little sparrowhawk sitting on a corpse. It looked extremely pleased with itself!

Grey Ghost

4,607 posts

235 months

Thursday 26th May 2011
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A week or so ago I was walking through my building (above Cannon Street station) and a guy was waiting for the lift to the car park with a harris hawk on his arm. Beautiful looking bird and it was munching through a piece of a pigeon it had caught.

Apparently the bird is brought into our building every 2 weeks or so and flown from the roof garden to remind pigeons the area is populated by hawks. It catches a pigeon every other visit to our place, a little more often at others, according to it's handler.

Mobile Chicane

21,524 posts

227 months

Friday 27th May 2011
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I've seen a kestrel take out a pigeon, 19 floors up at a building in Canary Wharf.

It swooped out of nowhere, grabbed the pigeon in mid-air, landed on the balcony with it, ripped its wings off and started eating it.

Kestrels aren't huge birds, however I think they choose their location and their moment.

Cue a room-full of jaded cynics (advertising execs) open-mouthed in awe.

nevgroom

2,159 posts

174 months

Friday 27th May 2011
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bigandclever said:
Don't the pelicans in St James Park eat pigeons too? smile
Definitely do, I have witnessed that one - and the distress it caused to several toddlers in the viscinity!!