A WARM SPOT

A couple of days ago, a friend of mine was bemoaning her astute observation that the birds were out to get her. She had gotten pooped on - and not in a "good-luck" sort of way, she had one dive bomb her on her way into her house, and, the weirdest event of all, a pigeon had flown into the front of her car... and was stuck between the radiator and front grill.... alive. And, did I mention, stuck? So she drove home. And then back to work the next morning. And then to run errands. And then back home. And back to work this morning too. All the while, the pigeon was tucked neatly, riding shotgun in the front of her car. I can only imagine the wind blowing through his wings... Today, at lunchtime, she went to check on her new travelling companion. And there he was, fit as a fiddle, snug as a bird in a grill... and the campaign to evict him from his, obviously preferred, mode of transportation began. First, the boyfriend dug around in the front of the car for awhile, trying to shoo him away. Then a very helpful elderly gentleman stopped by to see what he could do to help. And his wife got out of the car to see what he was doing helping this very attractive, young lady... Then the concerned citizens came by to make sure that someone wasn't trying to steal the pretty girl's car. Pretty soon a crowd had gathered. A couple rode up on their bicycles and ogled the misadventure of said pigeon. Two more ladies, obviously representatives from some animal rights organization hustled their way into the crowd to make sure the pigeon wasn't being maimed. And of course, I had to go out to see what all the fuss was about. There was the pigeon, obviously enjoying the attention, sticking his head out of the grill and pecking at any knees that came within pecking distance. It was beginning to look like they were going to have to dismantle the car to remove this new resident of Hondaville. When someone got a brilliant idea and simple pushed on one of the horizontal grills to open a space wide enough for the bird to squeeze out. He hopped on the ground, a bit disoriented... consider it.. he had ridden to Trader Joes, the mall, Target, home, and work for a couple of days... you'd be all turned around too! For a dramatic effect, he limped a bit and dragged his wing on the ground for a minute or two. Apparently not afraid of people, he let us all coo over him for a bit (ha... my pigeon humor). People were so anxious to help this weary traveler. They brought him a dog bowl of water. An additional cup of cold filtered water, some popcorn, and some crumbled up, day-old crackers... you know, the sort of things we carry around in our purses... He picked at the popcorn, casually perused the crackers, and looked at the water dishes like they were some form of torture device meant to keep him from satisfying his 3-day old thirst.

Someone finally got a brilliant idea and figured that birds like our dear pigeon probably were used to getting their water from the nooks and crannies in the sidewalks. She poured out the water and the bird was in heaven. Food, water, freedom. What more can you ask for in bird world? He hung around for awhile. I am thinking he kind of liked all the attention. The crowd dissolved back into everyday destinations and the bird just sat there, in front of my door, waiting for more of something. He finally gave up and flew away. Presumably to find another warm spot to sleep in tonight. I wonder if he'll choose a Lexus this time?