"DB01" wrote in message
...

We started feeding birds last year, mainly sparrows, blue tits, robins
etc. This year a pair of wood pidgeons have built a nest in one tree.
Should we encourage the pidgeons or will they drive all the small birds
away

No, they're vegetarians. We have several varieties of small birds as well
as collar doves and wood pigeons nesting in out tree - the only suitable one
for some distance. The only birds we discourage are magpies, I've seen them
take fledgling collar doves.

Wood pigeons are beautiful creatures and they feel happily on the ground
with our bantams, sparrows, dunnocks, robins and blackbirds. The tits don't
feed from the ground but they're safe from pigeons of all kinds too.

It's difficult to discourage them in any case :-)

Mary