The *Noonday Witch Spooked my Pigeons
About two years ago a motley group of Street Pigeons, variegated colour forms of the native Blue Rock Dove Columba livia, began to take up residence on two roofs in Aldcliffe Crescent, Balby, mine being one of them.
But why these roofs? Well, their south-facing aspects were clad in solar panels and for some reason solar panels are said to attract pigeons. Quite why seemed a mystery since there are no ledges as on towering sea-cliffs, high-rise buildings or the interiors of dove cotes where pigeons, wild or feral normally live. Anyway, since this unlikely story had been put about by salesmen with a vested interest in selling me anti-pigeon devices, I thought no more about it.
However, in the fullness of time I discovered that the pigeons were indeed able to sneak under the solar paneling, even to the extent of building nests! This year the colony has risen to 20 birds, their constant cooing, bowing, twirling, pouting and wing clapping, demonstrating their prime motives to be courting, pair-bonding and procreation.
Roof guttering quickly became blocked, producing a grassy flora no doubt characteristic of pigeon debris. Also, occasional pigeon eggs would roll down the roof onto the adjacent lawn or bounce off the conservatory roof, much to the satisfaction of the local Magpies Pica pica ever on the look-out for a tasty snack.
On warm days I would take my lunch into the back garden and watch the pigeons behaving badly on the rooftops … my personal Bempton Cliffs. In addition to the afore-mentioned courtship behaviour, small groups would suddenly take flight, take-offs accompanied by ostentatious wing-clapping with subsequent aerobatics presumably demonstrating the fitness and prowess of the prospective male partners. Minutes later the birds would return to the roof ridge, and continue their billing and cooing with seemingly renewed amorous fervour.
However, occasionally the entire flock would suddenly and explosively take flight, this time without any of the fancy displays or aerobatics. The birds would launch down the pitch of the roof in order to achieve maximum speed before flying out over the housing estate. Initially I thought this was simply part of their social repertoire until on 20 March at 1.30pm an explosive flight coincided with a male Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus flying at rooftop height along the street. On 29 March at 1.45pm the same thing happened, this time in response to a large female Sparrowhawk flying over and being mobbed by a cluster of pestering, twittering Goldfinches Carduelis carduelis. On each occasion the pigeons eventually returned though instead of resuming their nuptial behaviour, they indulged in earnest bouts of preening and grooming, presumably to restore the flight-efficiency of their plumage. But the most extreme example of these anti-predator flights was at lunchtime on 31 March when a Peregrine Falco peregrinus in a long and spectacular stoup, shot like a bullet over the house, its angle of flight indicating its targeted quarry was on a nearby sports field. Not only did the pigeons launch themselves down the roof, they took off at 90o away from the trajectory of the falcon.
The Peregrine encounter was clearly the last straw for the pigeons, for none have yet returned. However, two pairs, presumably oblivious to the falcon while canoodling under the solar panels are still with me. Interestingly, mewing Buzzards Buteo buteo which occasionally circle high above the estate didn’t seem to worry the pigeons.
*The Noonday Witch of Slavic mythology – A mother warns her son that if he does not behave she will summon the Noon Witch to take him away. (See also Antonin Dvořák Symphonic Poem Op. 108. B 196).
CAH. – April 2025