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I live in newyork and there are many pigeon birds. Im not scared when their calm and eating food but IT FREAKS ME OUT WHEN THEY FLY LOW AT MY DIRECTION ALMOST HITTING ME but they turn at the last second and go away
Don't ever watch that Hitchcock movie "The Birds" or you'll be paranoid about ALL birds not just pigeons
Lmao. Oh this brings back memories. I wonder if they flock towards you because they're mistaking you for someone who has the habit of feeding them.
Story time.
Years ago at my first job I had a boss who had the habit of feeding the local pigeons every morning at the (often vacant) parking lot behind the building. He did this for years. I thought that was really neat but also kind of weird -- how come after all that time of feeding the pigeons still kept a good 5 feet distance from him? So I requested to take over the feeding routine the days I was scheduled to work. He obliged. 'cept he didnt know I had an ulterior motive.
On days that I worked I came in a few mins early to do the honors. I wouldnt throw the seeds on the ground and bugger off like my boss though. I would keep some in my hand, put my hand to the ground, sit down on my haunches and remain motionless for a good minute so as to not scare them by any sudden movement. I did this for two weeks and nothing, bastards always kept their distance. But I kept trying. I'd always give them a few moments to come close though, before pouring the birdseed on the ground and leaving the area because it would be douchey to tease their hunger. I tried various little tweaks and babysteps to my "motionless routine", and soon enough they started coming close enough to peck a few seeds right out of my hand... then quickly pitter patter away. Rinse repeat.
It took about 3 bloody months (about 40-60 feeding sessions) of doing this until one day I'm making my way to the feeding spot with the usual big cup of birdseed when a random pigeon flies right at me. I flinch as a reflex, but then notice it hovers around me before settling on my wrist and eating the bird seed right out of the cup. Talk about balls of steel. I stood still. Half surprised, half not wanting to scare it and half whispering fuck yeah that I finally got one to do what I wanted it to since the beginning -- sit on my hand and get some noms.
Of course, having achieved what I wanted I didn't try nor want anything else and started feeding them normally. But littlr did I know I set the wheels in motion. Soon a few other pigeons got fearless too. For me this was no biggie because I knew if they flew towards me it was harmless and just for food. But to other people? That parking lot became a hostile pigeon zone. This was pure awesomeness. The work building had glass walls and so even when I was inside and at work I could catch the sight of unsuspecting people, especially women, park their car there, get out and shriek and freak out at the sight of 3-5 pigeons swooping towards their body and then fly away. Hahahaha. Oh, this would cheer me up so much on dull or crappy work days