The ash-cloud from Eyjafjallajökull was blamed by some, as Alistair MacLean reports in this week’s “Talking Dutch”. Others blamed more sinister forces, like organised crime.

The answer may be more mundane. Quite simply, Belgium has little love in its heart for pigeons, even if they are top-class racing specimens worth thousands of euros apiece. Earlier this spring, Diksmuide started an action to rid itself of the birds because their poo was spoiling the city’s gables. Brussels has installed three baby peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) chicks in Sint-Jans-Molenbeek whose job it will be to eat the surplus pigeon population. Another peregrine is nesting in Brussels cathedral.

In Mechelen, meanwhile, the problem is fat pigeons. Apparently the people enjoying the terraces of the city’s cafes like to feed the pigeons, with the result that the birds have become a nuisance that won’t go away. Marina De Bie, the city’s Groen! alderwoman for environmental affairs, stressed that feeding the pigeons is against the law and carries a fine of €50 to €250.

Fat pigeons get sick more easily and are more likely to make nests in the city. Moreover, she said, terrace-fed pigeons have a one-sided diet, presumably living on the things café patrons throw down for them, like cookies, chips, peanuts, etc. It doesn’t sound like a healthy diet, but, according to Alex Eekelaers, head of the city’s environment and agriculture service: “We’ve noticed in the last few years that the population has grown substantially.”

If Dutch pigeon racers are wondering where their expensive birds have gone, the terraces of Mechelen might be the first place to look.