Everyone is familiar with pigeons in England. London is well known for having large flocks of them, and I think the notion was also popularised in the Mary Poppins musical about the old woman who feeds the birds for "tuppence" a bag. Most people are annoyed by pigeons--indeed, I have been known to call them "rats with wings." There are too many of them, and they can be very annoying. I've been pooped on by one before, and they come into restaurants when their doors are open to let in fresh air and can become a big nuisance--not to mention the damage that all their poop can do in places where they congregate regularly. These pigeons are rock pigeons, or rock doves, as they are sometimes called. I don't mind them in small numbers, and they can even be entertaining. We also have them at home, although not with as much colour variation as you find here. But the pigeon in this post is a different type of pigeon called the wood pigeon.
If you hear gentle and soft cooing as you walk along a treed pathway, chances are, you're hearing a wood pigeon. They are bigger than their rock pigeon relatives, and they only come in one colour pattern. I find them quite beautiful, and their cooing is so soothing and relaxing. In a park near where we live, there are a number of them that hang out with the large flock of rock pigeons, and I'd been wanting to go with my good camera to get some nice close-up shots of them. Today was that day!
What do you think about them?
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