A MOURNING DOVE'S FEEDER ESCAPADE!

Because I now have two pigeons visiting my garden (pictured above) and more than an occasional mouse (pictured below),

I have been trying to figure out another way to feed my wild song birds (eg a few blue jays; my cardinal couple; a lone chickadee as well as a lone downy wood pecker;  a number of dark-eyed juncoes, house finches, mourning doves, tuft titmouses, and white breasted sparrows) while deterring pigeons and mice who have been showing up to nosh on the crumbs my song birds spill on the "floor" when they eat from my feeders!

It would probably be prudent for me to simply stop putting bird seed in my feeders and changing the water in the bird bath for a few weeks to discourage the pigeons and mice.

However, in New York City where I live, we have been under a siege of oppressively hot temperatures since last Friday July 12th (with real feel temperatures reaching past "the century mark," according to Acu-Weather and the thermometer in my garden), and, therefore removing food and water sources during this stressful weather conditions for people as well as wild birds seems cruel.

Hence, I only removed my larger feeders and when putting seed in the smaller feeders (such as the one pictured below), 

was conservative with any amount I used in an effort to reduce spillage of seeds, and the smaller feeders which I have are designed for such purposes. But as you can see (in the images above and below), a lone (and very smart) mourning dove surveyed the situation by staring — shamelessly — at a lone house finch who was trying to nosh in peace!

And after making his/her observations of how the finch ate from the feeder, he/she switched his/her gaze to me, and then moved in to the finch's space taking over the feeder!

Moreover, as he/she moved around the feeder (as seen in the images below),

Much of the seed fell to my garden's floor, where, — you guessed it — was swooped up by my salivating pigeon couple!

Don't get me wrong, I know pigeons must eat too, but it is illegal to feed them in NYC;  and I don't want to see a mourning dove arrested!