~Paris Pigeons~

You're wondering why on earth would I be writing about pigeons on a Paris blog, right?
Well I've become quite fond of the pigeons in Paris.

You become very aware of the pigeons if you picnic in the park.  The pigeons know why you are there and they are very patient.

This is in the Tuileries gardens.  We were having one of our first picnics in the park, when all these pigeons started arriving.  The lady sitting next to us was discreetly feeding the last of her baguette to the pigeons.

It wasn't long before I decided to do the same.  This guy was especially "fearless".

I always try to give the "underdog" a chance....this guy was either old or battle weary; but he got fed good on this day.  Pigeons are very slow~the crows and wrens like to beat them to the treats.

Pigeons aren't always looking for a hand out; sometimes they're just people watching.

Or they may be taking a nice bath. 

  This fountain was a trough that ran down the center of the pedestrian walkway.

Or having a quiet drink.

This little "watering hole" was in the Jardin des Plantes.  He owned this spot.

More sitting around~an afternoon in the park.

This one is sitting on the wall that overlooks the Porte du Arsenal Marina.

 He seemed like he was watching the kids playing in the park below.

But mostly, pigeons like to eat.

This one was discreetly cleaning up the crumbs at this outside cafe. 

This little boy was having a fun time feeding this crowd

in front of the Pompidou Center 

I couldn't see what all the excitement was about, but these guys were having a "feeding frenzy" in the Luxembourg Gardens.  Pigeons were flying in from everywhere.

Looking for "leftovers".

I took this picture because I had never seen a brown pigeon and he stood out in the crowd.

I was standing near the flower market at Madeline when this girl casually drops

 a whole bag of birdseed and then keeps walking.

"The Anatomy of a Pigeon Wing"

When I was looking through my photos looking for "pigeon shots", I noticed that you don't really see many pigeons on the streets or near the churches or even flying around.  And you don't see a lot of the mess that pigeons create roosting above doorways, etc.  That's because of the iron "deterrents" that I mentioned in a previous post.  Much of the statuary has the long spikes on top so pigeons won't land, this one in the Luxembourg Gardens did not.

This is my favorite "feeding the pigeons" photo.

This woman was feeding the pigeons from her second floor apartment right along the Seine.

Note:  It is illegal to feed the pigeons in Paris.