Gasp! Shock! Horror! You can't tick 'em - you can only tick wild Rock Doves! That was the reaction I got when I once suggested that Feral Pigeons were tickable. Now I can sympathise entirely with the sentiment, but I can't follow the logic. For one thing, how can anyone be sure any of our Rock Doves are pure, even in the Scottish islands? For another, if feral species such as Pheasant and Ruddy Duck are tickable, what grounds are there for excluding Feral Pigeons?
So I just wondered what the concensus here is.
Jason
Hi Jason,
I personally waited until I saw some reasonably "pure" looking birds on a local headland,but realise that they too would probably have Feral Pigeon in their ancestry.
Also have Pheasant,Ruddy Duck and Mandarin on my list,but none of these did much for me(OK,maybe Ruddy Duck,as I've seen them in reed-fringed pools doing that odd display,but the other two....)
Harry H
I tick 'em, and always have done. As you say, just like or Ruddy Ducks or Pheasants. Or Little Owls, which everyone ticks (well, except for Harry, 'coz 'e don't get them in Ireland!).
Michael