SFist: Pigeons: Y/N?

aynne

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 18:14:23 -0800

I am pro duck, squirrel and pigeon myself.. Wow... how awesome would SF be with more squirrels and ducks and stuff and less junkies, crackheads and drunks scampering around??

Belgand

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 04:23:23 -0800

I have nothing specifically against pigeons. They're not the most pleasant of birds and we have too many of them, but they're definitely not "vermin" or flying disease vectors. I'd prefer a few more seagulls in general and if we could somehow find a way to encourage more squirrels that'd be just great. At the same time, as I said, we have too many pigeons. They're mostly unpleasant because they're ragged, monotonous, and often in unappealingly large flocks. Best idea, replace the pigeons with ducks. Everyone loves ducks. They're amazingly cute and the king of all waterfowl (swans are stuck-up, arrogant, loud, and violent... geese are just loud and violent and both are usually mean to ducks). Not sure how we'd do it, but would people really complain about flocks of adorable ducks waddling around town?

ihartsf

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:25:59 -0800

I got up at the crack of ass this morning, and noticed that someone's mexican dinner doggie bag failed to make it home. When I got back 90 minutes later, it was a pigeon trough, and 90 minutes after that 2 pigeons were taking turns pecking at congealed refried beans still in the shape of their container. Foul. We need 10,000 hungry falcons to come in hear and thin out the ranks.

DeeDee7

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 13:25:08 -0800

Are you bird-hating posters for real? I hope you are joking. Otherwise, there are some really sick individuals out there. We're talking about pigeons, for pete's sake. Innocent little birds. Did you know that biologically, there is no difference between a pigeon and a dove? Now, why all the hate towards pigeon? They make those sweet little cooing noises and they are cute. Try showing them some love instead.

The Angry Young Man

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 12:56:40 -0800

pigeons are a disease vectors, their proponents mere pigeon disease enablers.

megang

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:10:01 -0800

But shooting pigeons with a bb gun is so much more satisfying than installing wire to a roof! Plus they get so scared you only have to nail one and they don't come back. Trust me, I have experience!

rubylovesnorman

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 11:56:35 -0800

I like pigeons in general. The cooing is nice and they can be prety. However most of the pigeons downtown are in sorry shape. They have mangled legs, infections and unkempt feathers and probably very sick. In general, I think that the best thing to do would be to humanely euthanize the animals that need it and limit breeding in the rest.

anopneumous

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 23:58:45 -0800

@T.E. Lawrence: The spikes aren't very effective at the Balboa Park station. :(

Brock Keeling

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:25:21 -0800

i thought most of you fine folks liked animals?!

cowsaysmeow

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 15:36:22 -0800

@TAYM: I found the squab at Thai Cafe to be tender and flavorful, no claws attached... I'm no fan of pigeons in general, but I too find amusement in their mating rituals and noises and don't like the idea of out and out slaughter, so I vote for birth control (which I also find highly amusing - then again, I'm very easily entertained).

T.E. Lawrence

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 13:03:01 -0800

I called Animal Care and Control and they said it was against the law to kill pigeons. You know that you can put spikes on your roof, they'll go away... seen them used on BART, great way to save on cleaning costs. Only way to get rid of dried pigeon poop is to use a high pressure hose.

Murrin

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 13:01:27 -0800

"WE HAD A PACT!!!!!!!!!!!!"

megang

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 12:20:16 -0800

The damn pigeons that sit on my roof outside my bathroom window torture my poor cat. She does the death rattle and whips her tail around desperate to kill those stupid, ugly birds and their damn cooing sound. I called Animal Care and Control and they said it was against the law to kill pigeons. So stupid. They are rats with wings. I can't imagine how many dead pigeons are on my roof wasting away in layers and layers of pigeon feces.

decepticonjones

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 11:05:17 -0800

We should pay the homeless to collect pigeon scalps

sissa

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 10:15:16 -0800

I don't get the extreme hatred people have towards pigeons. They mind their own business, I mind mine.

hcwms

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 10:07:34 -0800

ohhh hell naw... they are just RATS with wings!

Angrybat

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 09:56:37 -0800

I got shit on by a pigeon once, near Civic Center Plaza, which is apparently one of their local HQs. From that day forward, I vowed revenge on their whole species. You've made a very powerful enemy, pigeons. Watch your back.

wsanders

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 09:23:23 -0800

The only explanation for there being so many pigeons is that the peregrine falcons have free Internet now and just can't be bothered.

dcinsf

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 09:09:17 -0800

People who feed the pigeons end up also feeding the rats without wings.

misterpharmacist

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 09:05:42 -0800

Let's get rid of 'em. And while were at it, let's get rid off all the Bostonians that live in the City too.

suckafree

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 08:54:41 -0800

i'd much rather have pigeons around than the homeless. they have much more of a right to be here and to breed, imo. the homeless are the really vile creatures.

bluecanary

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 08:36:24 -0800

WTF? They're a friggin' bird. Who directs such vitriole to a bird?? They don't bother me. I like them, they're pretty, and as someone else mentioned, their cooing is rather soothing. "disgusting vermin" "vile, stupid"? Seriously, people. WTF?

ocelotsyeah

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 08:15:10 -0800

this is the most hilarious post ever. pigeons are disgusting and when they get too close to me my foot shoots out to kick. it's a reflex.

RobInSF

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 08:05:57 -0800

I win. haha! "doin' the *brrrp brrrp* pigeon" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPj3G7U-K04

sfrealist

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 08:04:12 -0800

icbalaam

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 08:03:50 -0800

I always see lots of dead pigeon bodies on the ground. I like to take pictures of them for morbid reason. A dead pigeon is a beautiful pigeon.

The Angry Young Man

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 07:57:33 -0800

"You know that these critters are listed as "squab" on a food menu, yes?" I had squab once at Quince. It was disgusting. Raw and stringy. The claw was still attached. I think I'm going to be a bit sick.

plumpy

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 03:51:19 -0800

I saw a pigeon in the JFK Airport earlier today. Wandering around a food court, far far away from any door to the outside, so it had presumably been there a while. And no one seemed to give it a second glance. I did.

largo01

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 03:48:00 -0800

I have never met an intelligent pidgeon. I've had a couple try and land in my food as I was eating outside. and after making threatening stomps with my foot they still try and creep back toward me...as if I'm going to let them eat my food.

mpantone

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 23:52:47 -0800

You know that these critters are listed as "squab" on a food menu, yes?

Slappydafrog

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 22:49:58 -0800

mark me down for killing the disgusting vermin.

EllyMental

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 22:27:32 -0800

What I want to know is, what with the hundreds of millions of the nasty creatures, why we don't see hundreds of millions of nasty pigeon corpses littering the sidewalks of every major city in the world! Also, Suckafree: wow.

suckafree

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 21:09:38 -0800

pigeons are much less offensive than the homeless!

timmay

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 20:09:03 -0800

kill 'em all!!!!!

KatyG

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 19:32:43 -0800

Hey, they're a food supply for the falcons, so I'm all for 'em. I'd like to take you now on wings of song as it were, and try and help you forget, perhaps, for a while, your drab wretched lives. Here is a song all about springtime in general, and in particular about one of the many delightful pastimes that the coming of spring affords us all. Spring is here, a-suh-puh-ring is here. Life is skittles and life is beer. I think the loveliest time of the year is the spring. I do, don't you? 'Course you do. But there's one thing that makes spring complete for me, And makes every Sunday a treat for me. All the world seems in tune On a spring afternoon, When we're poisoning pigeons in the park. Every Sunday you'll see My sweetheart and me, As we poison the pigeons in the park. When they see us coming, the birdies all try an' hide, But they still go for peanuts when coated with cyanide. The sun's shining bright, Everything seems all right, When we're poisoning pigeons in the park. We've gained notoriety, And caused much anxiety In the Audubon Society With our games. They call it impiety And lack of propriety, And quite a variety Of unpleasant names. But it's not against any religion To want to dispose of a pigeon. So if Sunday you're free, Why don't you come with me, And we'll poison the pigeons in the park. And maybe we'll do In a squirrel* or two, While we're poisoning pigeons in the park. We'll murder them all amid laughter and merriment, Except for the few we take home to experiment. My pulse will be quickenin' With each drop of strych'nine We feed to a pigeon. (It just takes a smidgin!) To poison a pigeon in the park. Thank you!

RinconHillSF

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 17:51:37 -0800

Don't forget to try the "chicken"

travin

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 17:13:44 -0800

Having raised them before, they're quite amazing and intelligent little animals. However, city pigeons tend to be vile, stupid little creatures that just, literally, gum up the works. On the ecologically symbiotic side of things, they provide ambiance as one of the few animals that live in urban environs, they're great feed for our local endangered Perigrines, hawks and other birds of prey and scavengers, they eat weeds seeds and clean up our food litter and other such type substances (you're a changed person the day you watch a flock of pigeons fighting over a fresh splat of chunky vomit).

Generic

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 16:27:49 -0800

Rats with wings.

Plug1

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 16:18:16 -0800

feelthy feathered rats!! i think we should hold a contest in union sq to see who could punt one over the Dewey Memorial statue in the middle.

bodegaselkie

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 16:16:19 -0800

I'm probably in the minority, but I like pigeons. They're pretty (and, as Brock said, they have shiny necks), they make a neat flapping noise when they fly, and their cooing sounds are soothing. Also, you can tell everything about a neighborhood by the health of its pigeons. Compare the ones in Glen Park to the ones in the Tenderloin. Fat and glossy vs. skinny and mangy.

largo01

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 16:12:40 -0800

While humans, house-pets and endangered species have rights, pidgeons and vermin do not. Death to the pidgeons!!!

Brock Keeling

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 16:04:36 -0800

i like their shiny necks.

T.E. Lawrence

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 16:00:45 -0800

I like them for their resilience, and their mating dances are funny to watch. Although I agree with the animal control peeps who say people shouldn't feed them, since extra food = extra baby pigeons.

charlesporch

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 15:55:16 -0800

You couldn't get rid of them fast enough.

The Angry Young Man

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 15:54:46 -0800

Is this even up for discussion? Pigeons are disgusting, stupid, vile, ugly things that spread filth and disease. All pigeons must be rounded up! Bring in more falcons to nest downtown! If we're lucky they'll eat up all the pigeons and then turn their attention to the dreadful parrots of Telegraph Hill...

Ginger

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 15:36:12 -0800

die. die. die.

Xenu

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 15:36:06 -0800

Take zem to ze SHOVERS!

Akit

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 15:26:03 -0800

I remember when the city was planning to put the pigeons on birth control. Free condoms for birds! (really, it was bird feed laced with some kind of birth control)