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if the city did have feral pigeons, they probably weren’t viewed as a problem Jesus, it's clear you never had to deal with pigeons in any form. My university
by HarryHirsch 4y ago
if the city did have feral pigeons, they probably weren’t viewed as a problem
Jesus, it's clear you never had to deal with pigeons in any form.
My university department was in a tower building, which of course attracts pigeons, and during pigeon nesting season you better leave all windows closed, else you will have to deal with mad pigeons looking for nesting spaces. Worse if the window was left open overnight, then it's a mad pigeon and pigeon shit everywhere.
Even worse when the pigeons start nesting - the nasty birds carry fleas and mites, and once the last fledgling is gone, the parasites will come in in search of new hosts.
There is historical evidence for this view. The Jewish War by the Greco-Jewish historian Josephus includes a description of the Temple in Jerusalem, and the author goes into detail to describe the anti-pigeon devices on the building, because no one likes feral pigeons, and pigeonshit affects marble, and the temple was all whitest marble.
Egypt can't have been different. Fuck the pigeon.
- Ericson2314 4y agoCan you link that section from Josephus?
- HarryHirsch 4y agoIt's War, 5, 222 - "From its summit protruded sharp golden spikes to prevent birds from settling upon and polluting the roof." Golden pigeon spikes - Herod really spared no expense!
- Ericson2314 4y agoThanks!
- unity1001 4y ago> Worse if the window was left open overnight, then it's a mad pigeon and pigeon shit everywhere. That problem exists in Mediterranean countries too. Buildings put some measures in their roofs, on the ledges etc. But still nobody considers pigeons as pests, call them 'rats with wings', leave aside anything like 'exterminating them'. Same goes with your Biblical reference - in a Mediterranean country, they had a pigeon problem with the !building!, and they took measures. They didnt try to exterminate pigeons in the land, they did not even consider them any kind of 'pest'. They didnt even try to remove them from plazas, where they historically inhabited and still inhabit.
- Spooky23 4y agoThe flying rat thing is a misunderstanding. Wherever you have pigeon overpopulation, you have crazy people. Feeding the birds is a behavior that some people down down a rabbit hole. Pigeon lives consist of eating and reproducing in that order. If you see massive squadrons of pigeons, some lunatic is dumping bags of seed every week within a few hundred yards of where you see them.
- unity1001 4y agoPeople regularly go to the plazas to feed the pigeons in the Mediterranean. Also, some people keep pigeons in the neighborhood. (may not be allowed in upscale neighborhoods, depending). And I dont think the 'flying rats' thing is something specific to 'crazy pigeon ladies'. I have seen it in English literature too frequently.
- HarryHirsch 4y agoWe didn't have pigeon overpopulation, but the birds were still problematic due to their behaviour. (The shortage of available nesting space massively contributed.) It was like with Canada geese in America, even without overpopulation - if the habitat is suitable they come and shit everywhere. Worse when a pair leads goslings.