Is a ransom (fidyah) or expiation (kaffarah) obligatory for someone who walked beside the pigeons gathered near the Grand Mosque (Masjid al-Haram) to perform prayer, and the pigeons flew away as a result, knowing that he did not hunt or kill them?

It is forbidden to startle game in Mecca, due to the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: "...its game shall not be startled..." However, if you did not intentionally startle it, there is no sin upon you, and you are not required to offer a fidyah (expiation), kaffarah (atonement), or compensation merely for startling it.