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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
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Adrian Chiles

I loathe pigeons. You wouldn’t believe what they do to my downpipe

Cute little Girl in a Park, hand-feeding Tame PigeonsLittle girl kneeling on a path in a park, hand feeding a multitude of very brazen pigeons. Scene is fun and chaotic as birds waddle around the cute child. Conceptual with space for copy.
‘There is a photo somewhere of me as a kid covered in pigeons, and apparently quite enjoying it.’ Photograph: Posed by model; Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty Images

Pigeons. Appalling things. I looked them up on the bird charity RSPB’s website and snorted when I came across the Where to See section. The answer is, just so you know, everywhere. Perhaps not so much outside towns and cities but in urban areas you’re never far from the sight and sound of the bloody things. If, unaccountably, you’re not familiar with this species, do feel free to get in touch and come round to my place and observe them at your leisure.

Truly they are the soundtrack of my life. For years they’ve been getting into a drainage channel on the roof. Morning, noon and night they scratch and coo and jump about. The racket is infernal. I lie in bed reflecting on the filth in that gully just above my head. I know it’s filthy, because when there’s heavy rain their revolting detritus washes down and blocks the downpipe. I have to pull their unspeakable waste out of the pipe before something bursts and floods. There are no words to describe the tangle of excrement, nesting materials, eggs, feathers and bones. Oh Lord, the bones. I’d be less repulsed rummaging through the bin outside a chicken shop on a Sunday morning.

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