The influence of human and goshawk Accipiter gentilis activity on wood-pigeons Columba palumbus at brassica feeding sites

Humans caused more than half the disturbance of wood-pigeons, Columba palumbus, from roadside brassica feeding sites. The birds always flew away from pedestrians, cyclists and horsemen, but often remained feeding when closed vehicles passed. The pigeons resettled immediately on the same feeding site after 23% of goshawk, Accipiter gentilis, attacks, and birds were feeding there later the same day after nearly half the attacks. They resettled immediately after a similar proportion (19%) of the times they were approached by humans on foot, and rarely fed in fields where people were working. The shorter the time pigeons had spent feeding before an interruption, the sooner they returned after it. This probably reflected the level of their crop food reserves. This behaviour should minimise the effect of short duration disturbance, as caused by goshawk attacks, on wood-pigeons feeding at brassica sites. Goshawk attacks did not cause a reduction in pigeon pecking-rate. Pigeons feeding in roadside fields tended to avoid the side nearest to the road, but not parts of fields adjoining walls and hedges which could have provided cover for predatory attacks. It is concluded that scaring techniques based on man himself are more promising than use of the goshawk in protecting crops against wood-pigeons.