They refer to us as street pigeons, city birds and believe it or not, sometimes even refer to us as flying rats.
The general consensus, we are an unacceptable lot, filth and vermin.
We are thirty strong. We survive day-to-day. Sitting upon the phone lines of this Rugee Vista neighborhood.
Sunny, is our fearless leader. She is a skilled glider, a fast thinker and not to be taken lightly.
Sunny is a mixed breed. Part Show Racer, part Birmingham Tumbler. She’s a warrior that knows the Importance of being resourceful.
Generally speaking, we are a peaceful group, But have been known to attack other birds that infringe upon our territory.
You probably don’t know that Pigeons are an intelligent bunch. We’ve passed the mirror test for self recognition lol… And we are expert navigators.
We are constantly foraging To keep our bodies, minds and youth strong. We mate for Life And we share the responsibility of rearing our young.
So the next time you see us hanging out in the neighborhood, we hope your thoughts will be pleasant ones.
Meantime, we will be rummaging the back alleyways, garbage cans and city parks for food to support ourselves and keep the city clean.
We'll leave you with this qoute that Nelson Mandela once said.
WE ARE THE KINGS OF RUGEE VISTA
“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”
I have a historic home in Phoenix AZ. Often in the evening hours I sit in front of my house and look out over the neighborhood. About two years ago I spotted this flock of pigeons that were constantly circling the neighborhood and sitting on the telephone wires across from our home The more I watched them the more I was intrigued of what it might be like to write a story about them. So here it is… it's short and sweet and I hope you like it.