Now, the Pigeons have proved a problem. One particularly big and bright one figured out that the Crows appeared when I appeared, thus the peanut crumbs appeared when I appeared and somehow - in some great leap of imagination or reasoning, decided to come straight to me, the source.
So I crushed a couple up under foot, and thus began his harassment of me. All the other pigeons, they haven't figured it out, the bob-around aimlessly in their hit-and-miss style, but the big boss comes right to me.
When he's fed he can get quite aggressive, chasing off the competing pigeons, despite there being plenty enough to go around.
Fact #2, apparently they recognize people.
Now - this is the strange thing, he does all sorts of ridiculous things to get my attention - jumping to sit beside me on the concrete barrier, swooping me, even - while on the ground and running about my feet - tilting his bobbing head to catch me in his eye.
If you've ever watched a pigeon, or stared one in the eye, you'll probably share my sentiment it's hard to fathom what's going on in there, but - nonetheless, there has to be something.
I try the experiment of lying out a half-pound of peanuts and sunflower seeds. The disappear, quickly, and yet none of them seem full. Do they get full? Do they ever leave the buffet? I mean, they're all well-fed, healthy, so what the hell is up with this perpetual eating? Do they have nothing else to do? Is this what the life of a pigeon is, eat your fill and then go look for more to eat? Is there nothing else?
***
The crows, in the morning, are frequently besieged by the pigeons. The smart ones fly away to a tree or lamppost, a brave few try and eat it in the parking lot; they don't want to lose sight of me, they'll run the pigeons off by stooping and stabbing with their beak, when they finish the nut they turn and look beseechingly at me hoping I'll throw another.
Most keep a 20-30 foot distance. But there are 2 that have gotten pretty "Familiar", and will sit a couple of feet from me to eat their nut. One is pretty big and will follow me to the building and sit on the handrail when I'm out of nuts. Naturally these are my favourites.
The crows, while I prefer them, are of course no better than the pigeons, (more intelligent, sure) - jostling and jousting over nuts, 2 peanuts and invariably one crow will try and grab them both while obstructing the other. I swear I heard one growl like a dog at another the other day. And, occasionally if you listen and spend enough time with them you'll hear other vocalizations - more pleasing than the too-oft "Caw-Caw-Caw", low warbles and growls, glug-glug noises, etc. I should download a few of their vocalizations on my phone and see if I can't get a conversation going.
Anyways, the landlady's back in a few days, this party will have to move out of the parking lot to someplace a little further afield, she doesn't approve of my getting-on with nature and having an outdoor pet, and once moved we can undertake some more serious training of this circus...