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The Roaring River fish hatchery reopened in December 2020 after being closed for renovations over a two year period. This meant the public once again could view the Roaring River Spring. At the time of my visit to the Spring in January I heard more than just water running down the rock face into the strikingly beautiful blue pool of water at the mouth of the cave. Listen for yourself (insert video) and observe. Do you hear the “cooing”? Did you see the pigeon? I was initially charmed by the combination of these two sounds.
I observed a handful of pigeons on the rock face above the Spring. Then my thoughts started turning ugly. I don’t recall seeing pigeons in the wild on hiking trails in Missouri. Have the pigeons always been here or are they a recent new resident? How will it affect the Spring and the trout if the population of pigeons starts exploding with the many rock ledges available at the park? We know about the challenges urban cities have with pigeons. The relationship with pigeons depends on who you talk to.
In an Audubon article, The Origins of Our Misguided Hatred for Pigeons, Matt Soniak addresses the pesty pigeon mentality which is thought provoking.
“The pigeon-as-pest, sociologist Colin Jerolmack thinks, is a symptom of people’s idea that the environments we build are separate from natural ones. In what sociologists call our “imaginative geography” of cities, there’s a border that separates clean, orderly civilization and wild, uncontrolled nature. “That doesn’t mean there’s no nature, but ideally, the city is the place where we invite nature in in ways that we control,” Jerolmack says. "“We cut out little squares in the concrete, and that’s where the trees
belong. We don’t like it when grass and weeds begin to grow through
cracks in the sidewalks, because that’s nature breaking out of those
boundaries that we want to keep it in.”
Pigeons invaded and polluted human space and became an epidemiological threat despite actually being poor vectors of disease. Pigeons became a health menace in people’s mind which was exacerbated when the New York City parks commissioner labelled them as “rats with wings”. “With that, Jerolmack says, pigeons were explicitly linked to disorder and disease, and our perceptions of them as nuisances, “dirty” animals, and health threats were all emphasized and threaded together in a neat little package.”
The pigeons I encountered at the Roaring River Spring were in a naturalized habitat and their population will surely remain in check with the predators that also make Roaring River their home and hunting ground. I extend my apologies to the resident pigeons who have found their home at Roaring River State Park. 
Pigeons have a very interesting history. There is not enough space in a blog to cover all this. I was fully aware of the value in homing pigeons and their importance in WWI and WWII as carrier pigeons. But I was surprised to learn that pigeon racing is a sport/hobby. The American Racing Pigeon Union, Inc on their website asks, “Do you fit the profile?” Then it proceeds with, “We find that this hobby has a great appeal to those who enjoy working with animals, to those who appreciate athleticism, to those who like friendly, wholesome competition. If you find yourself in one or more of these descriptions....be careful, you may discover that the allure of these amazingly athletic birds is overpowering.” https://www.pigeon.org/index.html
The mention of pigeon racing brings to mind the ethics of this sport. PETA answered this question for me.
“In April 2012, PETA released a 15-month undercover investigation—spanning five states—into some of the largest pigeon-racing operations in the U.S. PETA documented massive casualties of birds during races and training, discovered rampant killing of unwanted birds and abusive training and racing methods and exposed a multimillion-dollar illegal gambling industry.” The investigation resulted in three race organizers, including the executive director of the American Racing Pigeon Union, being charged with violations of Oklahoma’s felony gambling laws. Fortunately, the pigeons at RR are enjoying their freedom on their own time schedule.Pigeons currently aren't a pest where I observed them at Roaring River, but our very own Missouri Extension identifies pigeons as the most serious bird pest associated with human habitations. It offers an extensive list of damage prevention and control methods.
“The common pigeon (Columba livia) that thrives throughout Missouri and most other states was developed from the European rock dove and introduced into this country as a domesticated bird. When these birds escaped captivity, they formed feral populations. Today, the pigeon is probably the most serious bird pest associated with human habitations.”
Pigeons are a problem in the urban areas, but for me to assume that problem could apply to Roaring River was an uneducated thought process.
Hang in there, she has a couple more stories!
Compassionate citizens have come together for the urban pigeons. Chava Sonnier, a certified nurse in the Chicago area, spent 2 years as a volunteer for the Chicago Bird Collision Monitors, an organization of over 200 volunteers working to protect, rescue and rehabilitate injured city birds. Her story is about saving a disabled pigeon (named Jonah after his rescue) living on the streets. He was rescued by a police officer and she nursed back to health. But since Jonah’s condition was not improved enough for return to city life, she adopted him as a pet pigeon.
Feral pigeons born in the wild have the instincts needed to feed and protect themselves from predators, but pigeons raised domestically (often wearing an ankle band) don’t stand a chance if they find themselves dumped or lost in the city. As a result of the repeated dumping of domestic pigeons in the city, the sub-organization, The Chicago Pigeon Pets Rescue, was established on Sept. 6, 2018 to combat this problem.
“Still a fledgling organization, the members share responsibilities, which include responding to calls involving pigeons made into the 24/7 monitor hotline, retrieving and transporting pigeons, fundraising to pay for pigeon’s vet visits, fostering the pigeons in Chicago suburbs (a livestock ordinance prevents Chicago residents from owning pigeons within city limits), and adopting out rescued domesticated and non-releasable feral pigeons. Once fostered to full health the birds become available for adoption. That process includes an application and a $40 adoption fee.”Lastly, we owe thanks to the urban pigeon as it appears they were instrumental in the successful nesting of 14 peregrine breeding pairs in Missouri’s two major cities. According to an MDC article, “All of our 14 peregrine breeding pairs in Missouri use artificial nest boxes in our urban areas around Kansas City or St. Louis,” explained MDC State Ornithologist Sarah Kendrick. “They seem to prefer the nest boxes over natural nesting sites in the state on rocky cliffs and bluffs on the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. This may be due to an abundance of food in the form of urban pigeons.”
And to think this blog all started with the captivating sounds at the Roaring River Spring. Kelly Koch, the Interpretive Resource Specialist, deserves recognition for her leading me to the online article, "The Origins of Our Misguided Hatred for Pigeons." She reminded me that trout are not native and that conversation led us down another rabbit hole … uh oh.
Thanks for hanging in there! Below are several more links if you are interested in learning more about pigeons. It truly was a fascinating study for me.
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Editor's note- This from a reader:
"My daughter Susan had a baby pigeon that husband Duanne brought home to live with them. This bird immediately became integrated into the family and whenever Duanne raised his voice in irritation, the pigeon would fly over and land on his shoulder and flap his wing against Duanne's mouth. He became so involved in what was going on in the family that Susan was very worried about him when they opened an outdoor large cage with a variety of birds. But the pigeon quickly adapted and assumed a similar role in his new environment. "
How did the pigeon get to New York City
MDC - Rock Dove
Cunning Neanderthals hunted and ate wild pigeons