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In the bustling heart of Norwich city centre beneath the clock tower of City Hall and the ledges of St Peter Mancroft, Chris Skinner answers listener Jocelyn Baxter’s question about five different-coloured pigeons in her garden. Surrounded by swirling flocks of up to 500 feral pigeons (the domesticated descendants of the wild rock dove), he traces their extraordinary journey from remote Scottish cliffs and Welsh caves to urban rooftops, including their role as ancient Egyptian messengers under Rameses III and heroic WWII carrier pigeons. Back at High Ash Farm the story unfolds across all five British species: the abundant wood pigeon — agricultural pest number one with its soporific five-note call, white wing crescents, flimsy stick nests and protein-rich “pigeon milk” for squabs; the collared dove, once Britain’s rarest bird and now one of its fastest-spreading success stories since the 1950s; the rapidly declining turtle dove with its gentle purring song and iconic summer sound; and the often-overlooked stock dove, a hole-nester in tree trunks and specially made boxes. Listener gems add extra delight: Phil Getty’s photo of house sparrows outwitting bird spikes under a louvred sunshade in America, Kerry’s striking elm bark beetle patterns (the tiny architects behind Dutch elm disease that changed the Norfolk landscape forever), and Chris from Masham’s trail-cam footage of hedgehogs still active in winter thanks to garden feeding. This episode celebrates one of our most familiar yet frequently misunderstood bird families, perfect for appreciating the remarkable adaptability and hidden histories all around us.
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2432378/episodes/18802012-episode-2-62-city-coos-and-collared-comebacks.mp3?download=true
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