Moral Dilemma

Our building has it out for pigeons. In a big way. I've mentioned it before, but people have spikes, big plastic owls, and aluminum foil sculptures on almost every horizontal surface in our breezeway. Our building has it out for pigeons in a Bill Murray-in- Caddyshack-against-the-gopher way. Our otherwise calm, responsible and distinguished board president once came bulleting out of his condo in nothing but his whitey-tighties, slapping a broom around at a pigeon sitting on the railing. He later called me (innocent victim out watering my flowers) to apologize for the sight and said, "nothing angers me more than pigeons." That day was also Friday the Thirteenth and, according to the New York Times, National Pigeon Day. I made certain our board director knew all of this and he just huffed and agreed that those days should always be celebrated together. Anyhow, I've seen people hanging off of ladders with scarecrow tactics and throwing things, from their backdoors, directly at the birds. And you know, they have mostly disappeared.

Except for this one pigeon.

She has apparently been left behind. She sits in a window box on the sill of a guy's condo who has moved away. Besides our neighbor Don, we are probably the only people who can see her (though she's pretty tucked away-so I may be her only friend. Eric has only seen her when I've pointed her out). Long story short, I don't chase her away like I am supposed to because she sits on two little eggs-probably the two little reasons she has dropped out of pigeon society to sit for weeks in this abandoned sill. And today folks, look close and you can see, the two little eggs cracked! Little rats with wings are hatching!

I'm sure that this is bad news. Probably this means that these two tiny pigeons will forever feel that this particular square foot of planet earth is theirs. They will probably try from now on to live right there, pooping and scaring away the migratory barn swallows. But I can't help it. It's too much fun to watch and the lonely mom bird is so pitiful that I can't disturb her. If my neighbors knew they would fine me and run me out of the neighborhood. Or they would probably start throwing things at me and set up large plastic owls in the places I sit and sleep. But for now, before the catch me, I'll keep taking pictures of the newborn varmints. And I'll show them to you here.