ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A home near Paseo del Norte and Wyoming looks quiet during most of the day, but around traditional meal times, it becomes a home base for dozens and dozens of pigeons.
“It started a year ago in about March and escalated since then. The neighbor is feeding more frequently and now the birds know there’s food so they come in flocks,” said a neighbor.
Neighbors say it happens two to three times a day and that it is not unusual to see approximately five to six dozen birds.
Neighbors say the homeowner who is feeding the birds scatters seeds on the ground, which attracts birds and some other unwelcome guests.
“With all the mice it has drawn the hawks in and the hawks started killing my chickens,” said a different neighbor.
Albuquerque’s Environmental Health Department says this house has been on their radar for about a year, which is the same amount of time neighbors have been filing complaints through 311.
“Approximately every two weeks. Nothing has changed,” said a neighbor.
Nick Pederson with the city’s Environmental Heath Department says he’s visited the home about four or five times. However, on his visits, he’s never actually seen the homeowner feeding the pigeons.
Pederson says for the city to be able to do anything about the complaints, they need to see the problem actually happening. He did say the Environmental Health Department is considering changing their rules to allow time stamped photos and video as a replacement for witnessing the complaint first hand.
Feeding pigeons is against Albuquerque City Ordinance, in part because the birds can carry diseases.
“I just would hope she would understand what the city ordinance is and there’s a serious reason why we don’t feed them,” said a neighbor.
KRQE News 13 spoke with the homeowner in question and she told us she doesn’t feed pigeons.
“I just feed the songbirds. That’s my intention and if anything else shows up I’m unaware of it,” said the homeowner.
As she said that, there were at least two dozen pigeons on her roof or in her yard.
When KRQE News 13’s Brittany Bade asked about the dozens of pigeons in plain view on her property, the homeowner replied, “Hmm, I don’t know anything about that.”
Neighbors just hope the homeowner stops throwing seeds in the yard and that the pigeon problem goes away soon.
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