I spent a most enjoyable afternoon with Touchstones and Bryony and then we went onto the unit and I met some of the residents. One person was talking about his passion for birds and wildlife - He said he'd spotted some house sparrows, a heron gull and lots of pigeons. We said that we were hoping NOT to attract pigeons - but then he said that pigeons are much maligned and people pick on them unfairly - flying rats and so on. And I learned from him that pigeons are picking up disease from human saliva, that they catch from eating discarded bits of bread or pie that people drop in the street.
After all homing pigeons are amazing; that they could transport messages across continents during the war.... the ordinary everyday Pigeons are one of the rejected species of birds, along with magpies and seagulls, living close to us and with us, we see them around us all the time, and yet we dont really notice them perhaps - could be an analogy for people who may be feeling rejected by society..
so "in defence of pigeons" has become a working title for the "Top Ten Tips" fanzine - we can change it later. but I'm definitely going to keep it for this blog!!
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I love this idea and I too believe pigeons are very much maligned.
ReplyDeletePIGEON FACT.
1.
Pigeons have lived alongside man for thousands of years with the first images of pigeons being found by archaeologists in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) and dating back to 3000 BC. It was the Sumerians in Mesopotamia that first started to breed white doves from the wild pigeon that we see in our towns and cities today and this undoubtedly accounts for the amazing variety of colors that are found in the average flock of urban pigeons. To ancient peoples a white pigeon would have seemed miraculous and this explains why the bird was widely worshipped and considered to be sacred. Throughout human history the pigeon has adopted many roles ranging from symbols of gods and goddesses through to sacrificial victims, messengers, pets, food and even war heroes!