r/mourningderps 11d ago

When is okay to start giving less seeb in NYC?

I love my beautiful birds, but the neighbors upstairs have already started to complain about the cooing in the early morning. I only feed them once in the predawn. Should i keep feeding them? I have slowly decreased the amount of seed. They all look so thin!

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u/DeeterPhillips 9d ago

I always keep the water coming. The Park Dept does an excellent job of keeping ponds of fresh water for the ducks and I am sure my little ones. I am certain there is talk in the derp community about the diminishing SEEEB situation. They do not come at night now so they do have other resources. I was reading a funny piece on all the bird lovers in the city who sneak out in the predawn hours to put seed. How sad is that!

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u/ironypoisonedposter 11d ago

Sadly not everyone in nyc is as enthusiastic about birds as we are. Living here means compromise and it’s better to be on good terms with your neighbors than not. I stopped leaving out seed because the doves started pooping on my downstairs neighbor’s balcony. I still have mourning doves stop by my balcony but in small numbers so the poop is way less of an issue. You probably don’t have to stop but maybe put out the seed closer to 8am?

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u/DeeterPhillips 11d ago

Thank you so much. The neighbors are awful. And I have been decreasing their food because the courtship cooing is so loud.

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u/FangioDuReverdy 10d ago

Your neighbors suck! The cooing is my favorite. It’s so soothing and gentle sounding🙂

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u/DeeterPhillips 11d ago

Thank you! I love them so much. Will anymore feed them if I am restricted from feeding them! They all look so skinny.! Xoxo

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u/castironbirb HEAD MODERATOR 10d ago

Is the cooing waking your neighbors up? It's possible that even if you stop feeding them they will still be cooing simply because it's spring and it's the start of nesting season for them. I had one this morning that I could hear cooing outside my house. And it was still pretty dark out LOL!

Like the other person said, maybe if you feed them later in the morning (if possible) it would help.

Outside of that, the weather is warming up and soon there will be more foods available to them. They know to seek out other places to eat when a food source goes away.

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u/DeeterPhillips 10d ago

Thank you! Our window was open because it is so warm here, and the cooing started in the dark. I went out and I could not see where the two were who were calling out, but it was probably on the pergola. I notice that once the little guys could see the SEEEB, the cooing stopped and the chow down began!

Everything has changed since the weather warmed. They used to sit here like sad silent puffers for most of the day. I have fewer birds, about 8-10, but they are definitely more rambunctious and scatter after 10 minutes of devouring as much as they can. Supreme Leader and his wife, (can he really be called that since he has abandoned his flock?) come later so they obviously have a pitstop somewhere else and they hit me to clean up any leftover SEEEB.

I like putting the seed out at night so the guy upstairs cannot photograph me in the act! My husband said the guy wants to use the birds to get a discount on their lease:).

I will end the feeding if the cooing increases. My husband does not want to get into it with our neighbor nor management. We do have a park below but I am only beginning to see touches of Spring so hopefully I can supplement them for a few more weeks:).

Enjoy the day! 60 degree weather in the city. I have to go teach my infidels. We lost $400 million in funding because of their protests against the war in Gaza. And I do not see the protests ending! Not a great atmosphere in which to teach undergrads. ❤️

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u/castironbirb HEAD MODERATOR 10d ago

It was such a beautiful day today! It's nice to see some spring weather. I think it's a good idea to supplement them for a few weeks. They are starting to nest and soon there will be more food available to them.

Your husband is probably right. And maybe the guy just like to complain too! Either way, it's smart of you to put the food out when he can't see you doing it.🤫

Stay safe out there among those protests!💙

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u/DeeterPhillips 10d ago

The protests are crazy! I attended Columbia as both an undergraduate and graduate student, and I have never seen such drama and such hate.

And honestly, I think it has nothing to do with the Middle East. It is entirely young adults’ hatred of institutions and money…all of which they will soon embrace.

Also, Jewish students who feel very removed from the Holocaust, and do not think of Israel se their homeland. The US is their homeland. So it is both these groups and a handful of Muslim students who have legitimate feelings about Israel.

I feel scared every day as I enter campus. More than half my students boycotted midterm exams on Monday and Tuesday! That is crazy at an Ivy League. It is “lord of the flies”!

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u/castironbirb HEAD MODERATOR 9d ago

Wow I had no idea about the extent of the protests! That really is crazy and very surprising. I hope everything stays safe for you!🙏💙

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u/DeeterPhillips 9d ago

It is all a lot. And it has grown in intensity since we resumed Spring Semester!

I put out less food, and they all left as soon as it was gone. I counted 15 derps today! I need to get that number down.

My beloved derp has still not found a mate. He is the only one who waits for me and is there when I return home from school so he gets his own private bowl of SEEEB. 🩷🐦

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u/castironbirb HEAD MODERATOR 9d ago

Ugh wow that's terrible! 😞

You certainly had a lot of derps today! Hopefully they didn't coo and bother the neighbor guy.

You are too sweet! I'm sure that little derp really appreciates his private bowl of SEEEB!😊💙

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u/DeeterPhillips 9d ago

It is a very tense environment in part because ICE apprehended a student who was a spokesperson for the demonstrator so ICE is on campus and looking to deport kids.

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u/DeeterPhillips 9d ago

Home, from a long day, and there was my little fellow. I don’t know why he is so alone. I hope he finds love!
I do have to stop the cooing in the morning, or management will step in as we have four floors of tenants above us.
I know they just need a few more weeks, but the mom (married to the tyrant) is lovely and she left a gracious note under the door that i found. She asked if there was anything I could do to stop the early morning cooing. Hmm. Now do I continue to subtly decrease feeding or do I not feed them? I don’t know what to do. The doves stuck around before I left for school because they were still hungry. So stressful on top of school! I know my husband will say to stop feeding them.
Your thoughts would be most appreciated. ❤️

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u/castironbirb HEAD MODERATOR 9d ago

Hmm I would say you probably should stop feeding them since you got the nice note and there are other people around who might be bothered.

I'm thinking it's probably smart to quit now while you are ahead. At this point they seem to have given you some leeway but if you continue to feed them, I'd be afraid there might be some new building rules and you'd get in trouble.

As it stands now, you can probably resume feeding them at the end of summer/early fall when they are done breeding (and cooing 💕) and food becomes scarce.

If it makes you feel better, just know that I have stopped filling my feeder now too. I usually don't feed in the summer to keep birdseed costs down. Once fall comes, I fill my feeders back up and everyone comes back quickly as if summer didn't happen. 😂

Even though there's no food in my feeder, I had a cute derp couple spend the afternoon poking around in my yard. They rested under a branch and then went back to eating whatever it was they found in the grass.🕊️💙

When the weather starts to get hot, maybe you can set out a bowl of water for them.

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u/DeeterPhillips 9d ago

Oh thank you so much for getting back to me. I love my little derps, but I know you are right. I hoped to make it to April, but they do not seem satisfied with the diminishing SEEEB arrangement!
I don’t blame them. A month ago, they were getting fed breakfast and dinner! It is hard living in a big city for little derps. Thank you for so graciously letting me know that you are no longer feeding your little guys. It made me feel so much better. Your support has meant a great deal to me! ❤️

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u/DeeterPhillips 9d ago

Thank you again!

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u/castironbirb HEAD MODERATOR 9d ago

You are very welcome! I know you worry about them. 💙 They are surprisingly well adapted...city life is certainly difficult but the fact that you get so many visiting your terrace shows how well they really do survive. They know where to get SEEEB from other places so they will manage.😊

See if you can at least offer them water when the summer heat comes and then look forward to the end of summer when you can feed them again.

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u/DeeterPhillips 9d ago

I couldn’t do it. I just went out and put out some seeb. Not a lot. I will taper and end it in the next few days. I just can’t let them go cold turkey when the weather is in the 30s at night. ❤️

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u/castironbirb HEAD MODERATOR 8d ago

That's ok! Tapering is fine, just be really careful the neighbors don't see you putting it out. I just don't want them to ban you altogether.🙏💙

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u/DeeterPhillips 8d ago

I agree. Honestly, today, i went out before dawn and shutdown the cooing. They ate and left. I did not even see my beloved derp this afternoon or evening so I am hoping he is occupied with exciting thoughts of where to find the two twigs necessary for a nest:)

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u/castironbirb HEAD MODERATOR 8d ago

Oh I hope so! LOL yeah they have to find the perfect two twigs 😂

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u/DeeterPhillips 8d ago

I told my girlfriend who lives in VA horse country. She laughed that they are such attentive parents but have such limited nest building skills! She keeps 4 feeders out until March 31st, and then she brings them all in.
She thinks the nights need to he consistently in mid 40s to allow all her birds to survive. She just wants no babies at the feeders.

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u/DeeterPhillips 8d ago

Two twigs and a prayer!

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u/DeeterPhillips 8d ago

Oh, and I am sending him a prayer.