Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Charles Darwin watched pigeons closely as well as raising his own, honing his theor-
ies by studying how different forms evolved due to selective breeding. Psychologist B.F.
Skinnerconductedmanyexperiments onpigeonstostudylearning,andclaimed thatthey
were extremely intelligent animals.
Atfeeders,pigeonsmaybelargeandsometimesnumerous,butthey'renotparticularly
aggressive toward other birds. They don't compete with native American birds for food
or nest sites, and they do provide food for urban Peregrine Falcons.
STUMPING THE SQUIRRELS
Many people who feed birds wonder how to attract them without bringing in squirrels.
Whole industries appear to have sprung up around creating the perfect way to foil squir-
rels, but often that tiny rodent brain seems more than a match for the average engineer.
My father-in-law designed an effective squirrel baffle using a large pizza pan. He cut
a hole in the center, just a little larger in diameter than his feeder pole. He wrapped elec-
trical tape around and around the pole where he wanted the baffle and then placed the
pizza pan above the tape. Squirrels could not climb up the pole with the pan blocking the
way, and couldn't leap on the pan because it was so floppy they couldn't get a footing. A
cone of aluminum sheeting can also keep squirrels from climbing up the pole. Commer-
cial baffles are also available.
But baffles work only if the feeder is too high and too far from trees for squirrels to
leap to directly. If your feeder is anywhere within 8 feet (2.4 m) or so of a tree, a squir-
rel is eventually going to jump across and then teach its friends. Feeders on windows are
also fair game. If there is a tree near your house, any self-respecting squirrel will quickly
figure out how to leap to the roof and drop to the feeder from there. I've even seen large
gray squirrels squeeze into my tiny acrylic window feeders.
Another option is to purchase a feeder that has a cage around it, allowing small birds,
but not squirrels, to get in and reach the seeds. These feeders may not be as aesthetically
pleasing, but they will prevent squirrels from demolishing the seed supply. Of course,
there is one more option — learn to enjoy squirrels and their antics.
A pigeonhole is a small, open compartment (as in a desk or cabinet) for keeping letters
ordocuments;whenwe“pigeonhole”peopleorthings,weplacethemincategories,usu-
allyfailingtoreflecttheiractualcomplexities. Thetermcomesfromthesmallnestcom-
partments in pigeon coops.
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