I've always been a fan of birds because they were beautiful, they could fly, and they would always come around when I had some old, crusty bread to feed them.

In 1963 when "The Birds" was released, I was only eight, and I could not understand why my mom and dad would not let me go see the movie. They said it was a scarey movie, which didn't make sense, even though the name associated with the movie, Alfred Hitchcock, wasn't exactly a nice-sounding name.

Every time I see a flock of birds just sitting around waiting for something -- who knows what? -- I think of Alfred Hitchcock and "The Birds."

The birds pictured above are, of course, pigeons (Columba livia domestica), more properly referred to as "rock pigeons," "feral pigeons," or "feral rock pigeons."

Like flamingos, but unlike most other birds, pigeons produce crop milk to feed their young, a task accomplished by both sexes.

Pigeons are distributed everywhere on Earth except for Antarctica, the Artic, and the driest areas of the Sahara Desert. They have adapted to most of the habitats available on planet Earth, and are just waiting to hitch a ride to the Moon or Mars, if they haven't already done so.

Did you know that the extinct Dodo bird was a pigeon? You did? Alright, then, smarty pants, what is a young pigeon called?

Personally, I love pigeons. I love their walk, their talk, their iridescence....

....and their companionship:

The guy above was a homeless person in downtown San Diego, but he had his faithful Rock Pigeon. They walked up and down the Embarcadero with the pigeon never leaving his head. I gave him $10 to take the picture.

For other posts in my "Mornings with Mother and Father Nature" series, click here.

Twenty most recent posts

1. Mornings with Mother and Father Nature: Remodeling your home....
2. Are you a complainer?
3. Mornings with Mother and Father Nature: Gang-gang cockatoo
4. Mornings with Mother and Father Nature: Sometimes you just have to kick back and relax
5. Mornings with Mother and Father Nature: Foot, feet, paws, and claws
6. Look what I logged in to this morning!
7. Please help welcome my 79th, 83rd, 84th, 87th, 89th, 90th, 92nd, and 93rd Invitees to our ActiveRain community
8. Mornings with Mother and Father Nature: Miniature horses
9. Shhhhhhhhhhhh.... Don't tell anyone. This is between you and me.
10. Mornings with Mother and Father Nature: A view of forever from Mount Soledad
11. Mornings with Mother and Father Nature: Black-necked swan
12. San Diego home inspections: Other uses for chimneys....
13. Mornings with Mother and Father Nature: Fire in the boondocks
14. San Diego home inspections: Can you tell me the R value of the attic insulation?
15. Mornings with Mother and Father Nature: The magnificent secretary bird
16. Speechless Sunday: Sad, sad kitty cat
17. Mornings with Mother and Father Nature: Manzanita
18. Mornings with Mother and Father Nature: Strange flower for San Diego
19. Foto Friday exposé: A journey to the boondocks....
20. Mornings with Mother and Father Nature: One-legged flamingos

Please join me in these special ActiveRain groups:

1. Out and About - Share specific events, places, and things to do with your target audience.
2. NAR 2009 Convention San Diego - Coming to the Convention in November? Check in here.
3. Guerrilla Marketing Tactics - Marketing that requires mostly ingenuity, creativity, time, and energy.
4. Inspired By Nature - Where you can come to relax among Mother and Father Nature's fauna and flora.
5. Classical Music - Share classical music events with your target audience.
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