strange powdery film floating on water

[coeruleo]

ok, so i've been getting this weird grey/white film on the water surface for a couple weeks, wasn't sure what it was. figured it out today. the pigeons nesting ont he balcony above have been using my wine barrel sized pond as their own little day spa. look how comfy they are, i;m only 3 feet away, pointing a digital camera at them. i was close enough to get splashed. they each jumped in 4 or five times splashed around, really dunking themselves and then climbing out. they preened their feathers for a while, and then sat in the sun to dry out.





at least it's not some weird mold or something.

[Brutal_Dreamer]

hahah... when I saw the title I though "must be some kind of algae or something". lol. Would not have guessed pigeons.

cheers,
BD

[shirleycox]

Feels so good to see those birds relaxing and enjoying. Nice ponds and plants. Are you growing any plants into your small pond?

[Halloamey]

That really is an exotic spa for those pigeons, do you specialize in some holistic massage and diets hehe !

[zainal abidin]

How happy this pigeons got free spa rest place on your pond.

[panam]

I hope these pigeons are kind and don't leave you too many ... offerings. I have to battle pigeon poo constantly.

[coeruleo]

mrs pigeon has a new mr pigeon, and he's still a bit shy, but she just hops right in the water in front of me. i've moved the lily closer to the door, where i was standing to take the photos and she isn't afraid at all. currently i have no cats to scare them off, so she is really secure, the new guy won't get in the water unless i go inside. and they don't leave a mess at all, quite polite. she was complaining the other day that there is too much water hyacinth in the way, so i need to weed it out for her to get in the water again, but she still stops to drink the water. i have had to stop using chemicals to control algae because of them, but it's ok. between the waterlily (nymphaea coerulea) and the water hyacinths, not much algae. there are some small aquarium plants int here too... i think, might have gotten too much shade lately though.

[yvonni]

hahah... when I saw the title I though "must be some kind of algae or something". lol. Would not have guessed pigeons.

cheers,
BD

Bruce you thought algae ? When I saw the first pic with the pigeons , I thought pigeon poop mixed in the water . Isn't it always the same though , you hear pigeon and you think poop .

[coeruleo]

i tell ya, for about 2 weeks i was scratching my head and scooping the powdery coating out with a little bucket. had no idea. but i have been around birds and even pigeons quite a bit, so i know the mess their dander can make. a friend told me about 'pigeon flies' years ago, and that is part of why they like to dunk in the water. these flies get under their wings and bite them. when they get one, they will dunk into water to scare it away. but they also like to get the dander off themselves this way too. ah, the hard life of being a pigeon.