Published on September 13, 2023
At their Sept. 12 council meeting, Lakewood City Council Members, the City Attorney and city staff emphasized and clarified that a 1985 ordinance and its 2023 grammatical updating related to the mass feeding of pigeons and other wild birds is in no way intended to prevent the feeding of hummingbirds or similar birds, and that city staff will prepare a new ordinance for the City Council that fully clarifies that matter. At the council meeting, council members and staff indicated their appreciation for bird feeders that support hummingbirds and similar birds, with at least one council member saying that he has two hummingbird feeders in his backyard.
Since at least 1985, Lakewood has had a city ordinance to prevent the feeding of wild pigeons and similar birds, based on the experience of a few residents over the years who have fed large numbers of wild birds in their yards, causing bird swarming issues and negative health and quality of life impacts on their neighbors.
The 1985 ordinance has never been interpreted to prevent the feeding of hummingbirds or the use of bird feeders for similar birds. An effort by city staff to correct grammatical errors in that ordinance led to a misunderstanding recently by some residents that the grammatical updating of the 1985 ordinance was designed to prevent the feeding of hummingbirds.