It's a perennial fight. They succeeded last year with the birth of their prince/princess, Francis (lack the intel to know for sure, hence the androgenous name). Been chasing them off the balcony ever since.
We can learn something from pigeons. They're weak, stupid and annoying. They are also tenacious as hell. No matter what measures are enacted to throw out of the home they have chosen, they persist in returning to rebuild their smashed home. Their persistence in the face of adversity would be inspiring, if not for the fact that they shit more than any two dogs.
More than persistence though, I reckon it's a weird combination of memory and forgetfulness that keeps them coming back. They remember where home is, but forget that it is also home to two angry bipeds and a carnivorous (and very territorial) cat. They remember only that this is the place where their son/daughter was born.
Without getting all political, this reminds me of a number of displaced cultural groups - not the bit about being weak, stupid and annoying, nor the bit about shitting a lot, but the rest of it.
Of course we're encroaching on their habitat. Let's not forget that they are also encroaching on OUR habitat. Who's to blame here? Clearly I was here before the pigeons were - both in terms of how many years we've been on this rock (2 for them, several more for me) and in terms of how long we've been living in this particular location (a year and a half for me, a year for them). Also, this habitat was built for humans, not pigeons.
Maybe Garfield was right about something: You must establish your territory, and then be prepared to defend it. Or was that Henry Kissinger? I have trouble telling the difference sometimes.
We can learn something from pigeons. They're weak, stupid and annoying. They are also tenacious as hell. No matter what measures are enacted to throw out of the home they have chosen, they persist in returning to rebuild their smashed home. Their persistence in the face of adversity would be inspiring, if not for the fact that they shit more than any two dogs.
More than persistence though, I reckon it's a weird combination of memory and forgetfulness that keeps them coming back. They remember where home is, but forget that it is also home to two angry bipeds and a carnivorous (and very territorial) cat. They remember only that this is the place where their son/daughter was born.
Without getting all political, this reminds me of a number of displaced cultural groups - not the bit about being weak, stupid and annoying, nor the bit about shitting a lot, but the rest of it.
Of course we're encroaching on their habitat. Let's not forget that they are also encroaching on OUR habitat. Who's to blame here? Clearly I was here before the pigeons were - both in terms of how many years we've been on this rock (2 for them, several more for me) and in terms of how long we've been living in this particular location (a year and a half for me, a year for them). Also, this habitat was built for humans, not pigeons.
Maybe Garfield was right about something: You must establish your territory, and then be prepared to defend it. Or was that Henry Kissinger? I have trouble telling the difference sometimes.
Garfield rocked a much more presidential beard.
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