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Falcons are ruthless killers of pigeons, so why protect them?
Thursday, 29 January 2009
Pigeons are ordinary Joes, common five-eights, the hoi polloi of the heavens.
Falcons are blue-bloods, grandees, aristocrats of the ether. This is the perspective in which to see the contretemps between the pigeon fanciers of the North and fans of the falcon.
Conservationist groups — so admirable in other matters— are determined to uphold the “endangered” status of the falcon — giving the raptors carte blanche to inflict more mayhem on the imperilled pigeon population.
One local newspaper reported on Monday that the carnage in Derry skies has reached such proportions that the gullies of St Eugene’s Cathedral spire have become choked with the discarded remnants of the pigeon dead, causing overflows which funnel into the pipes of the church’s magnificent organ.
The falcon is, in its way, impressive. The most common, the peregrine, found everywhere apart from Antarctica, is relatively small — about the size of a crow — but is the animal kingdom’s most ruthless killer.
The falcon is the swiftest of all animals, capable of diving with deadly accuracy, its wings folded aerodynamically back, at speeds up to 250 mph. Its hooked beak and dagger talons make formidable weapons. It can rip a pigeon’s back open or slice off its head before bearing the carcass back to its lair. A fluffy clump of pigeon feathers frequently indicates a peregrine prowling nearby.
It may look noble on the leathered arm of an Arab sheikh, but the falcon is not a nice bird.
Neither is it endangered. A few decades ago, there was genuine concern about the falcon’s future. Overuse of pesticides, especially DDT, had infected the birds and small mammals falcons fed on. As the poison built up in the predator’s system, its egg-shells became thin and brittle. Fewer and fewer survived. But a ban on DDT and the energetic implementation of conservation laws eliminated the danger. The falcon is now thriving. And pigeons are paying the price.
Flocks of homers flapping to their lofts present a beak-watering prospect. The east coast of Ireland is a popular racing course. Birds liberated in, for example, Wexford, make their mysterious, unerring way back towards Loughview, Ballymoney, Belfast, Derry. Except that many never reach their home coops.
On crags and cliffs along the coast, killer falcons wait to take off and soar into the skies as the oblivious pigeon masses approach, then plunge and plunge again, killing and scattering the panicked birds, many of whom, utterly disorientated, flee in terror before flustering down to their deaths in disarray. Thousands are lost every year.
We are so used to the swirl of pigeons around us it’s difficult to imagine them endangered. But the fate of the passenger holds out a warning. Once, the passenger pigeon was the most abundant fowl in the firmament.
The Scottish-American radical poet and pioneering ornithologist, Alexander Wilson, estimated one flock he observed in 1811 at over two billion. In 1871, a single breeding US colony contained at least a hundred million. Yet, the last passenger had perished by 1914. We shouldn’t take pigeons for granted.
Famous pigeon fanciers have included: Roy Rogers; Queen Elizabeth II; Elvis Presley; Mike Tyson (specialised in Flights Rollers and Clean Leg Tumblers); Yul Bryner (mainly Oriental Rollers); Charles Darwin (showed that all pigeons are descended from the Columba livia); Walt Disney (family lofts still hold a number of Belgian Pletinckx); former German Chancellor Willi Brandt; Marvellous Marvin Hagler; Michael Landon (intriguingly, produced and starred in the Where Pigeons Go to Die); celebrity stripper Gypsy Rose Lee (favoured Fantails); Lee Marvin; Monet; Picasso (named his daughter Paloma — Spanish for pigeon); Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward; Jimmy Smits (opened the National Pigeon Association convention last year); The Sultan of Jahore; Alexander Alexandrovich Romanova III; Samuel Pepys; and Suliman the Magnificent ... We could go on and on.
Fictional pigeon people include Terry Molloy (Brando’s character in On The Waterfront), Andy Capp, Jack Duckworth and Noah.
Hundreds of thousands of pigeons served in the Confidential Pigeon Service during World War Two. Thirty-two won medals. The Nazis had squadrons of falcons stationed on the French coast to thwart them. A Black Check cock called Cher Ami was awarded the Croix de Guerre in the First World War. The Paris communards communicated with the outside world by pigeon post.
Pigeon racing is the oldest sport in the world — mentioned in Chinese scripts circa 3,000 BC. Last year, the Royal Society for the Protection of (elite) Birds held talks with the Ulster Federation of Racing Pigeons. The pigeon people proved entirely reasonable. Which availed them not at all. The killing continues. It is difficult to disagree with the veteran Foyle Road fancier who told the Telegraph on Tuesday that, “Sooner or later it will come to a cull”. What reason can there be for the protection of falcons as they slaughter pigeons at will — and even threaten the rich musical heritage of a Catholic cathedral? What reason other that the status of the species and of the sorts who esteem them?
The relevant regulations are set out in the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985, which gives the Department of Environment power to remove protection from birds which don’t need it.
What we deal with here is class struggle in the skies. Hard to predict what way Sammy Wilson will lurch. But the question, as always in such matters, remains — which side are we on? Cull a falcon and save a thousand homers.
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pigeons are vermin and dirty dirty things. They are rats with wings and should all be terminated.
Posted by p beattie | 05.02.09, 13:43 GMT
people who can't afford race horses buy greyhounds, people who can't afford greyhounds buy pigeons
Posted by conor | 04.02.09, 10:17 GMT
its time there was a cull on the peregrine
Posted by taylorsloft | 03.02.09, 20:42 GMT
people like kate know nothing about racing pigeons, but preach they're dirty. how much money do pigeon fancier's give away to charity every year. i'll tell you, it's hundred's of thousands every year. it's people like kate who are pathetic, know nothing about something but shout the loudest. let me tell you kate and any other's who don't know anything about racing pigeons, they are the cleanest,fittest, healthiest birds flying the sky's.fact. kate you also mention you should'nt interfere with nature..well what did they do with the falcon. maybe kate you should go and visit a pigeon fancier, at least that way when you start spouting off you may know some thing about which your talking about.
Posted by adrian | 03.02.09, 14:18 GMT
I feel overall that the public have the perception of pigeons wrong overall, the racing pigeons mentioned in the articles are not a 'vermin of the skyes' as suggested by Kate and various others below in the comment box, they are in the most cases highly trained, well prepared athletes with the owners spending a large amount of time nuturing these pigeons from birth up until their untimely vicious death via a predator.
Kate - Imagine my dog killing your cat!, is that nature and would you be happy about such an act, i presume not and this is what many thousands of pigeon fanciers have to deal with on a weekly or even daily basis.
The RSPB generate massive income from their Peregine schemes and this is the only reason these birds are still protect. (money talks £££)
Pigeon fanciers give £1000's to charity each year, maybe its time they kept their money to fight the cause!
Posted by Chris Vallance | 03.02.09, 13:02 GMT
Pigeons are the cockroach of birds and need to be culled. They are dirty and disgusting and they poop everywhere.
Falcons are beautiful, magnificent creatures that have been around since antiquity and should be preserved.
There is a reason for falcons and that is too keep the population of nuisance birds like pigeons down - we shouldn't interfere with the natural order of nature.
For those pathetic people that keep pigeons as pets or racers - why don't you do something useful like helping the poor instead of wasting your time getting your jollies from abusing nature.
Posted by kate | 01.02.09, 18:59 GMT
The comments left by readers so far make total sense. If the author of this article is a paid journalist, he should be taken to task for his biased and shoddy work.
But Google his earlier writings on the subject and you'll see he brings only one very personal viewpoint to the table. My money is on him being in the fancy himself. So, when a respected political activist and journaist writes rubbish like this, what cause does it advance in getting pigeon fanciers and conservationists to understand each others viewpoints?
None.
Posted by James T | 31.01.09, 10:46 GMT
What a pity that Eamon McCann's lack of belief in the Bible prevented him from using a powerful argument in favour of the pigeon / dove, namely that the Holy Spirit chose that form in which to manifest Himself --- see Mark, Chap. 1, verse 10.
Posted by R. Taube | 30.01.09, 16:47 GMT
I write from Italy and I am a bird lover. I know that many european cities have a huge problem with the high number of pidgeons and are looking to solutions, some of them really owful! ... Some italian historic cities wants to let pidgeons free to hunt or are trying to reduce their birth rate and pidgeons droppings in fact damages munuments and buildings. I'm against this kind of managment and feel sad also when pidgeons are killed by falcons. But on this is nature.. raptor and prey are playing in this way their right rules. There aren't good or bad animals or nice and not nice, they are adapted to be like they are and from my point of view peregrines are wonderful birds too, nice and necessary to keep the nature well balanced... I read somewhere that during 2° wordwar peregrines were near to disappear from UK as they were massively killed to save carrier pidgeon, this should never happen again every animal is unique and precious. Pls forgive me for my poor english
Posted by rosanna della coletta | 30.01.09, 10:16 GMT
'Street pickers,flying rats'. Cities all over the world are plagued with an excess of pigeons. Don't forget it is man who decided to domesticate the pigeon,not the raptor!
Posted by RMS | 29.01.09, 16:23 GMT
Mr McCann makes some really silly statements in this article, 'the falcon is not a nice bird'. 'Neither is it endangered.' It all depends on what you term endangered and it all depends on your view of nice, Mr McCann! Animals do what is natural to them. 'What reason other that the status of the species and of the sorts who esteem them?' Mr McCann even tries to drag class prejudice into his argument!!
Mankind is neither endangered or nice. Man is a ruthless killing machine. Does Mr McCann advocate human annihilation too? (It was man who wiped out the Passenger pigeon!)
The title of this article states, 'Falcons are ruthless killers of pigeons, so why protect them?' The same argument holds true for any killer type creature! So according to Mr McCanns' argument we should not bother to protect any predatory creature that is a ruthless killing machine. The range here is endless, from the tabby cat at your back door to the magnificent lioness or polar bear etc. Mr McCann is plainly daft!
Posted by T J McClean | 29.01.09, 10:03 GMT
Lazy journalism at its' best. This article has the feel of something where the author typed "falcons" and "pigeon racing" into Google and then copy and pasted enough paragraphs together to fulfill his required word quota, stopping only to sneak in a low blow to wind up any religious readers - can he prove that Noah was fictional?
If not, then why say it? It has no relevance to the other rubbish he is writing, after all. You can do better, BT. Much better.
Posted by Richard | 29.01.09, 10:02 GMT