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one tough bird !!!; not for the squeamish
Topic Started: Mar 9 2016, 07:13 PM (1,243 Views)
sensiblenamejohn
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I was watching the birds feed at lunch time today when I noticed one of the Feral Pigeons looked very scruffy . on closer inspection through my binos then camera , I was amazed to see what I thought at first was victim of a predation attempt . the neck looked to have been plucked and when it looked up I was stunned to see the trauma it had suffered .it looked half eaten !! after looking again at the pics ,I then spotted a piece of barbed wire in the wound . I'm totally at a loss as to how the bird suffered the injury because the barbed wire wouldn't have snapped after a collision or similar event but goodness knows how the bird is still alive !!
it looked weak but it did fly up on to a nearby roof , then came back down and jostled and pecked at the seeds among the other birds . I fully expected to find a carcass on my return home but found nothing .it doesn't look a very fresh wound but I'm not expecting to see the bird again but if I do it would be an unbelievable example of the power of nature and the will to survive !
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feedyourhedgehog
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Ouch!! poor bird, what a horrible wound :(
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celticsparrow-Jan
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What awful injuries John I can't imagine that it could survive very long poor thing.
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JennyWren
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:( oh no ... poor bird :( i suppose you can't catch it , John
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Davebutterflyman
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That is a horrific injury John and i would be amazed if the bird lasted much longer.
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Tabatha
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:sad: that is a nasty wound. It's a wonder the poor thing is still alive.
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Night Owl
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That's very sad to see a bird with such an awful injury John :( Hopefully it wont last much longer & wont suffer in pain :(
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AnnB
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Oh, the poor thing. Very sad.
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Natural Poolie
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Marsh Harrier
Hopefully it looks worse than what it is. Will be a big drawback on this cold wet weather, birds need to be at the top of their game to survive the winter.
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Dovetail-Marg
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Oh, the poor thing. :( that wound looks horrendous. It's at times like that we feel so helpless don't we.
It can obviously fly, so it would be very hard to capture. :(
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sensiblenamejohn
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I've had a think about this and the injury has to be down to Human cruelty :rolleys: . the barbed wire must have been part of "Pigeon proofing " somewhere or been "fired" at the bird . I've tried to look closer and can't see any bit of additional wire in the wound . I still think a hawk has been involved by the way the neck has been plucked :think:
I know it's likely to be dead by now but it's still amazing how "tough" that bird was ! :yep:
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Davebutterflyman
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It certainly was tough John.
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DannyG
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Kestrel
Wow, its a terrible sight, but its also fascinating to see as a nature watcher....deffo looks like a sprawk attack to me along with the wire (which is deplorable if done on purpose). Wonder if he/she made it?
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Jane
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Just plucked up the courage to come in here as i'm squeamish :bag:

Ugh, that is awful! Poor bird :(
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sensiblenamejohn
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sorry , Jane but I thought a wee warning was called for :hug:

hi Danny :hello5:
welcome aboard ...I've not had any further sightings but you just never know :think: the wounds didn't look fresh so it had obviously survived for a while with them :hmm:
I've got a friend in Belfast and I'll be going over later ,so any suggestions for places to check out would be appreciated . we've already got Rathlin Island lined up . :bins:
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Niggit
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Thankyou for posting that. Poor thing - it's amazing what they can survive, isn't it? I'll be interested to hear if you do see it again.

It's difficult to imagine how that would have happened, as barbed wire doesn't break. I just wonder if the pigeon got caught up in some and when the person responsible found it they just cut it loose and chucked it to one side, either not realising or caring that it was actually still alive?
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DannyG
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Kestrel
sensiblenamejohn
Mar 20 2016, 01:05 PM
sorry , Jane but I thought a wee warning was called for :hug:

hi Danny :hello5:
welcome aboard ...I've not had any further sightings but you just never know :think: the wounds didn't look fresh so it had obviously survived for a while with them :hmm:
I've got a friend in Belfast and I'll be going over later ,so any suggestions for places to check out would be appreciated . we've already got Rathlin Island lined up . :bins:


Hey mate, thanks for the welcome! If you're coming over (and you've got Rathlin covered which is a must!) try Oxford island NNR on shores of Lough Neagh (my local patch). Also, RSPB Portmore Lough and Belfast WOW - Window on Wildlife is also great. Anywhere along the north Antrim coastal route should be good for any landscapes you might want to do :)

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sensiblenamejohn
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cheers , Danny :wink: ....will take a note of those sites .
Sarah , I agree about the bird being caught up and cut free :yep: ....I doubt if it'll make it though :rolleys:
btw , excellent shots on your thread :Cool:
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Jane
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sensiblenamejohn
Mar 20 2016, 01:05 PM
sorry , Jane but I thought a wee warning was called for :hug:

Glad you did, i made sure I hadn't eaten my tea first :giggle:
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Davebutterflyman
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:lol: Jane.
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