No warmth, No sun. No cheerfulness. No comfort in the wildflower garden. No shade. No butterflies. No fruit. No flowers. No leaves. No birds. November. The first real weekend where it is now looking barren and grey. With winter on the horizon. The weekend came and went, and it feels good to be getting out of my funk with the passing of Buster. Looking back at the many pictures of him helps. And last week a picture of pigeons of all things made me feel good. Most people don't realize just how incredible pigeons really are. These are gentle birds, brilliant and complex. Tucked inside their beaks are tiny magnetic crystals which act like nature's GPS. With them pigeons can sense the Earth's magnetic field and travel thousands of miles with stunning precision. They can also hear frequencies too low for us to detect, and they can read polarized light patterns in the sky. And high intelligence. Studies have shown they recognize their own reflections, understand abstract ideas. They see three colors and a fourth-ultraviolet. They also form lifelong bonds with their mates. History has seen their courage too. During wartime a pigeon named Cher Ami delivered a message that saved 194 soldiers- even after losing a leg. Sadly, despite all this, we've forgotten our connection to them. Pigeons were once our companions, messengers and helpers- but like so many other things when we humans are done with things they are quickly forgotten when we no longer need them. But they stayed close to humans in cities because that's what they knew. They don't need much. Some seed, some oats and clean water. David Attenborough once said-" They deserve are empathy, not disdain. Pigeons are not pest. They are intelligent, emotional social beings. They remember us. It's time we remember them."
Awwww, the lovey-dovey pigeons! And wow, that double bee photo -- it deserved the best photo of the year award!
ReplyDeleteNice green suit! Jx
ReplyDeletePS Pigeons carry more diseases than rats.
PPS I hate this time of year, too. I'd like to hibernate. In Spain 😎
J’adore les house boys, les décorations et Snoopy et Woodstock :)
ReplyDeleteJ’aime les abeilles à miel qui ont besoin de protection.
-Beau Mec à Deauville
You're absolutely right about pigeons being very intelligent and great navigators! There was a new episode of "Nature" on PBS last week about urban pigeons that worth watching if you've not seen it already. Unfortunately, they're also prodigious breeders and their excrement is so acidic that it damages statues and limestone buildings -- which is why Trafalgar Square became a pigeon-free zone.
ReplyDeleteDarling Mistress,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the information about pigeons, most of which was entirely new to us. We now feel slightly guilty that the thing we both recall about these birds was a pigeon dish served many moons ago which was absolutely delicious. Perhaps our minds are still on the goose we ate this last weekend....but, maybe, with a cost of living crisis, pigeon pie should make a comeback on dining tables worldwide?
Happy Monday to you too, Mistress..... Tis a lil bit Chilly down here in the Deep Deep South
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