I had an analogous experience when uploading my last post. Each time I added one photo, another one changed locations, or disappeared altogether! In fact, it took me as much time to upload and format the post as it did to actually write it! And it doesn't even look so great!
To avoid overwhelming amounts of frustration, I headed to the sunny outdoors, (yes one whole day of sun in Venice,) several times during the day for breathers and to hang out with Linda, who is in town visiting!
At one point before I met up with Linda, I sat on the monument in Campo S. Stefano, which you can see on the left, (who is he by the way?) and watched the pigeons. I strongly dislike pigeons, in fact so much so that I will not, under any circumstance, pass through Saint Mark's Square, (the city center,) which is known for being home to abnormally massive flocks of pigeons that some tourists enjoy feeding, petting, holding, and taking photos with.
Here are some questions and thoughts about pigeons:
1) How come I've never seen a baby pigeon? Discovery Online revealed to me that this is because pigeons hide their nests and don't let their children leave until they are full grown. However, in the spring and summer it is possible to spot young pigeons, as they occasionally have some down poking out from beneath their feathers, and they also have narrower heads. Based on the picture to the right, young pigeons are actually just the pigeons I always thought were diseased. (On a side note, Discovery online also taught me that the calcium in a bird's bones is amassed through the eggs shell which thins during the incubation process.)
2) Why do pigeons peck at each other's faces, as if they violently kissing? I learned from a pigeon breeding website that yes, in fact pigeons do kiss - it's called billing, and it's part of the courtship and mating process. (By the way, this question lead me to wonder how pigeons have sex. If you are interested in learning the answer search it on Youtube, home to hundreds of videos on the subject.)
3) Sometimes I see pigeon on the menu at restaurants here. Are those wild pigeons or farm raised? I could not eat a pigeon for the life of me - I know that's totally a matter of socialization, but even thinking about that grosses me out. Now that I've yucked what might be your yum, have you ever eaten pigeon? If so, what's it like?
4) What if pigeons had arms? I unsuccessfully Googled this one. Guess I'll have to invent a pigeon with arms in my sketchbook, or perhaps I'll leave that image to my imagination - at least then I'll smile, instead of run, each time I pass a pigeon...
I loved this post!! Anything about animals I love really :) Never eaten pigeon, but I did eat guinea pig in Ecuador. Twice. It was very chewy and it's an expensive delicacy so when my 'mom' made it for me I had to eat the whole thing! Skin and all... I saved the head for her. To prepare it she took one of her guinea pigs out of the coop in the back, brought it inside, and pulled it with one hand around its head and the other one around its butt until its neck broke. Then she pulled out all of its hair and cooked it. Gross, I know, but interesting, no? And what IF a pigeon had arms?? They wouldn't exactly be pigeons then, would they? They'd be like little flying monkeys or bats... Bats have claws on the tips of their wings. Not exactly arms, though. It's hard to imagine..And would they still even be able to fly in this hypothetical? Or would their arms replace their wings.. in which case they'd be more like rats. All dirty and running around on the ground. They could use their hands and arms to feed themselves instead of their feet and they may be able to make more intricate nests... Hmmmmmm
ReplyDelete