Whether you're in Sydney, Hyde, Baltimore or Paris, there are pigeons everywhere. I took this photo rue Cler (7th arrondissement) where they have a big market - normally for humans! It's actually pretty disgusting to think that someone will buy this grape and eat it, possibly without rincing it...
Ugh. I can't stand pigeons. I hate, hate, hate them. Yuck.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, the picture is kind of cute. So I'm torn :)
I like that photo. It could be titled, "The Thief."
ReplyDeleteAnd I love Rue Cler! It's a wonderful market street. I stayed just a few blocks from there on Rue Tourville...had a balcony with a view of the Eiffel Tower.
I was just talking about pigeons the other day...wondering why you ALWAYS see them in downtown areas but never just a few miles outside them (and if you knew Atlanta, there are several parts of town that have tall buildings and lots of people). Yet you only see the pigeons downtown.
Rummy's gone! Yeah!
Ewww! I hope it didn't land there to grab a snack and do his business!
ReplyDeleteI love Rue Cler! I stayed in that neighborhood when I visited Paris. Good times...
ReplyDeleteJe suis d'accord with buzzgirl...as a "city kid" I am really over pigeons..and in San Francisco it is against the law to feed them, but probably never enforced. However I do love the rue Cler...my favorite little hotel in Paris..Hotel Valadon at 16 rue Valadon is just around the corner. Fantastic area with great cafes and of course the view of the tour Eiffel!!
ReplyDeleteEeeewwwww!!! Get out of there at once!! Go, on!!
ReplyDeleteKPgallant: Kearny St. (and especially between Pine and Bush) has turned into Pigeon City only because of the number of restaurants around there, and the pigeons know they will find something to eat when people drop stuff on the sidewalk. So there are hundreds of them (or so it seems) resting up on the 2d Fl, right above the restaurants, waiting for something to drop on the sidewalk... I always feel like getting my umbrella out before I walk below all these birds, just in case something comes out of the wront end of them (it happens often enough!!!)
Once,I was seated outside at a restaurant near 101 California and a pigeon landed right on the table and proceeded to help himself to the bread basket in front of my plate!!! EEEEeeeeew!!!!
(of course, this particular pigeon is totally cute by virtue of having been photographed by Eric and posted on PDP, naturally! ;-)
Hate pigeons too. Bad luck, they are everywhere...
ReplyDeleteBut please Eric it's not a reason for doing a First of the Month Theme of them, please...
The composition of the photo is lovely. I like to look at pidgeons but they do do their dodo everywhere and anywhere at anytime. Yuck! The only time were literally attacked by birds was in Geneva, Switzerland. They weren't pidgeons but beaucoup des sparrows. Tiny and mean, mean, mean.
ReplyDeleteThe setting with its vibrant colours behind the very dark pigeon is quite attractive. Have never seen a black pigeon before--must be Parisian. Always thought French women dressed beautifully, but the pigeon---dressed to the nines?!
ReplyDeleteI actually hate pigeons to..really disgusting..in italy expecially in rome, venice or florence there are a lot of these dirty birds in the square..in venice expecially you could also buy some food to give to the pigeos..grr
ReplyDeleteEric..good shot..I like the composition of the frame and the colors..
This photo has everything. Centre character, colour, energy and great proportions. It's a ten!
ReplyDeleteThank you.
Eew!!! I must join the pigeon-haters club!
ReplyDeleteI've always thought of them as rats with feathers...
On the other hand, it's quite french. Just add a glass of wine and you have a romantic scene!!!
Quelle mine de photos ici, toutes plus originales les une sque les autres, j'aime beaucoup ton regard sur les choses et les gens!
ReplyDeleteMerci pour ce partage, I'll be back ! ;o)
Sensational shot, as usual, Eric. Like many previous commenters, I absolutely hate pigeons. I can no longer think of them without remembering that one day when my then husband and I took our daughter to the Philadelphia zoo. As we entered the place, a pigeon flew over our head and dropped his load on my husband's shirt. That was totally disgusting.
ReplyDeleteIn northern France, where I grew up, a huge hobby (mostly among old men) was to raise racing pigeons, and a guy who had this hobby was called "un couloneux."
I noticed I put a "d" in pigeon. Where I got that I'll never know. I just remembered when we lived in Boca Raton,Fla. We had a constant battle with wild ducks. The covered our patio with that disgusting stuff they produce. Ugh.
ReplyDeletethe grape must be really sweet to the pigeon.
ReplyDeletebut it must be sour to us, because we don't get to eat it!
la photo est superbe, pour savoir ce que je pense des pigeons : direction le post de nathalie de sydney sur le sujet (vite fait : JE HAIS LES PIGEONS , cela fait du bien)
ReplyDeletethe photograph is superb, to know what I think of the pigeons: direction the post of Nathalie of Sydney on the subject (quickly made: I HATE the PIGEONS, that made of the good)
Red-handed! Wait... red-beaked!
ReplyDeleteExcellent catch, detective!
We have a pigeon problem in Waikiki so visitors are advised not to feed them because of the about of sanitary issues that arise with too many pigeon droppings - the one difference between the pigeon in this photo and ours is the color - ours are white =)
ReplyDeleteKPGallant, what a very small world considering the thousands of hotels in Paris: I too love Hotel Valadon! I sure never noticed pigeons on Rue Cler, though. Think I'll stick to the indoor boutiques on Rue de Grenelle, as the outdoor Halles on Rue Cler, as Eric shows seem to be "for the birds." The bakery across the street from this fruit/veggie market is superb (and enclosed!), as is the little cheese shop down the block. Oh my, I'm getting hungry. . .
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on this shot, Eric. That pigeon looks as if it's a trained performer!
-Kim
Matching colours too! Absolutely great.
ReplyDeleteWhat a co-incidence! I posted a photo of pigeons on Hyde DP today too! They can be a real nuisance.
ReplyDeleteSometimes they get into the inside market and can't find their way out.
Strange - so many of us posting animals today. I just hope that greedy pigeon devoured it and didn't put it back for an innocent person to eat later. Ugh!
ReplyDeleteIf you want to see a lazy duck, go to ukdailyphoto. Cheers Eric, great shot as ever. Excellent, comme d'habitude. x
I disgust pigeons. It was a nightmare to cross Saint Marcus Square in Venice (and some people think the place is romantic:) I run over the Square and held my hands on my head so no pigeon could land on me:D
ReplyDeletejohnnyparsons, they do do their dodo! That gave me quite a chuckle!
ReplyDeleteDos anyone else have "Doing the Pigeon" stuck in their head right now? Cause I haven't been able to stop singing it since I saw this pic last night! If you weren't singing it before, I hope you are now, so that I can share the annoyance of it with others. (Not the song, just the singing it over and over and over nonstop for hours on end!!!)
When I wrote my first comment of the day for PdP I was thinking of the song "You do something to me". The line went "you do that voodoo that you do to me". Funny how songs are always traveling in my head! Johnny
ReplyDeleteReally? People buy fruit and then eat it without rinsing it?
ReplyDeleteNow THAT's disgusting.
Why, Marju, what exactly do you do to make pigeons disgusted at you then? ... i dread to think. Just leave them alone will you? They're so much smaller than you are. Oh! oh i see... you meant THEY disgust YOU? Oh... well i'm just bored now.
ReplyDeleteCaught in the act! What a brilliant shot you're treating us to, Eric! Well balanced, olorful, action-packed and thought provoking: hard to beat! Thqnks for the link to Sydney!
ReplyDeleteTo rosalind: yes they disgust me. that way. i think i gave pigeons no reason to hate me;) cause i have not hurt them in any way. just by myself i don´t like them. i think they are dirty and it is awful when they fly by you just so close they almost touch your face with their wings (and one time one pigeon just did - hit my face with it´s wing!!!yakk)
ReplyDeleteJe suis enchanté par les couleurs de brillant!
ReplyDeleteI have not liked pigeons since one left a souvenier on my shoe as I stood looking in Trafalgar Square. ICK!
Oh, so you got your own "pigeon lucky moment". I had a few of my own too.
ReplyDeleteGreat photo man!
Well this simply demonstrates in graphic terms that you should do as your mother has said to you, for the umpteenth time, 'Always wash your fruit before popping it into your mouth'. And that goes for fruit anywhere, pigeon or no pigeons. It's not his fault.
ReplyDeleteA Wannabee
The 'd' in pigeon, probably from 'pidgin'
ReplyDeleteI SEE, Marju. All now becomes clear. Thank Goodness. I was having trouble sleeping.
ReplyDeleteI admit i would not like one to fly into my face, granted. x
Encroyable!
ReplyDeleteI just had a thought... this bird is going to get diarrea from eating that grape, no? Eww.
ReplyDeleteOh oh vous êtes très fort, vous avez réussi à ne pas le faire fuir !
ReplyDeleteToday, a grape. Tomorrow, an orange. Then, a cantalope. Next, it's "You wanna piece of me, buddy?"
ReplyDeleteDans l'un des supermarchés de Cherbourg, un (des) piaf(s) cohabite(nt) avec les denrées. C'est amusant d'entendre son (leur) cri(s) pendant qu'on choisit ses légumes.
ReplyDeleteWhat a funny picture. It's as if the pigeon is posing and decided to pick the lighter colored grape so as to not blend in with the other grapes.
ReplyDeleteThese comments are all funny. Me, I don't see a pigeon at all but a rat with wings. And hey, you gotta give them credit for being so clever. There can be one single pigeon who spots a single bread crumb in the middle of the street, and before you know it, thousands appear from nowhere.
ReplyDeleteAnd of course, don't even pretend that you haven't watched a male pigeon stalk a female. He puffs out his chest, coos, and she leads him on for a while before flying off. Of course, it's a bit like the bread crumb story...one male finds a female and pretty soon there are a bunch more males flying in to try to get a piece.
Pretty clever I say...
Well at least the oranges look good, and too big for the pigeon to bother with ha, ha!!
ReplyDeleteCurly's Photoshop
lol! The female pigeon sounds much like the female human!
ReplyDeleteI'm very bored while waiting for pre-order for the Wii bundle from my fave game store, so I put up a little me quiz on my Blogger blog (since Lord knows I talk about myself a lot on here!). Stop by if you want. You know you want to....(do something else, probably!)
I've been pooped on by pigeons three times in San Francisco! So freaking disgusting. Obviously, they feel the same way about me as I do about them!
ReplyDeletebuzz, have you ever seen the Red Bull commercial where the guy gets pooped on by pigeons, drinks a Red Bull, sprouts wings, and poops on the birds (if I'm remembering correctly)/ That is about the funniest commercial I've ever seen!
ReplyDeleteHave you ever seen a baby pigeon, a pigeon nest in the city? Here, they nest very high up on building ledges. I've not seen one of either.
ReplyDeletesoosha_q: Is THIS the commercial you are referring to? The one on the bottom right that says S**T Happens and +Pigeon I ?
ReplyDeleteVery funny!
Yeah that one. Obviously I remembered it wrong! Shouldn't you be asleep? It's looking awfully late over there in Paris.
ReplyDeleteYes I should indeed. Was kind of waiting to see "tomorrow's" photo before going to bed. Congrats on the new photo by the way!
ReplyDeleteOK, the bottom line is: you all hate pigeons! And a lot of you have been pooped by them at least once (three times for buzz girl!).
ReplyDeleteBut we also learnt many interesting things about them: in Waikiki Kala tells us they are white (aren't they doves???), in the north of France they used to raise racing pigeons (how, on earth do you make them race, Elisabeth ???) and according to Ujima, they nest on high building ledges...
And LOL on Jeff and Michael comments.
Soosha I went to see your quiz but how on earth is anybody going to answer any of these questions ???
Pay close attention to me, I talk about myself a lot. I'm a gemini, it's a big character trait of ours! Plus, I'm not expecting anyone from here to know THAT much about me, just wanted to see what anyone who does it does know.
ReplyDeleteI guess I am last to commend on this pictur but I am wondering how you got so close without skaring this bird away.
ReplyDeleteYes...Pigeons are feathered rats, for sure! All this "Pigeon Talk" reminded me I have a great photo I took a couple of years ago in Paris and it is of the back of a bread wagon[van]making deliveries to a restaurant and it is open and there are still baguettes inside...also inside are PIGEONS..snatching up the crumbs. There are also pigeons outside getting the crumbs that led to the restaurant. I wish I had a way to share it with Eric et al...but it isn't digital..Oh well...one day!! Like they say...It's for the "birds"...LOL!!!
ReplyDeletejan-erik, with a lot of animals in areas heavily populated by us, they become used to humans being around. When that happens it becomes a lot harder to scare them away just by coming close to them. Of course Eric could just have a good zoom on his camera.
ReplyDeleteUjima: I read somewhere that pigeons make it a rule to nest out of reach so we (humans) don't see them. In fact, I'm pretty sure I have never seen a pigeon's nest in California. But I was surprised to see some in Paris, last summer, in the Les Halles complex, not very high up at all, right outside the escalator.
ReplyDeleteUjima, I can testify to the fact that pigeons have definitely found their way to my flower boxes on my balcony to nest, lay eggs, and raise chics. Another 2 things I learned was that (1) pigeons often return to the same spot to build their nest (such as my flower boxes) and (2) the anti-pigeon sprain I bought does not work!
ReplyDeleteAfter all those pigeon comments i had a dream tonight that pigeons made a nest on my balcony and the female pigeon was excreting eggs already when i finally noticed the nest...and then when i went to balcony she was looking at me with big eyes - like "what are YOU doing here?"
ReplyDeleteLOL marju! "The Birds" by Hitchcock is definitely not a film for you to watch before bedtime then!
ReplyDeleteEric-great pigeon pic! Looks like my Daily Photo blog from Minneapolis is the New Kid on the Block....thanks for inspiring this awesome community!
ReplyDeleteAnd a great blog it is crhis & deb!
ReplyDeleteOnce, while walking my golden retriever on the Esplanade des Invalides, she spotted a pigeon, gave chase and got lucky. While I was mortified, screaming for her to release the bird (btw - she was not listening!), a group of French gathered around us and gave my dog a standing ovation. "Bravo, one less dirty pigeon in the city" said an elderly lady. I knew then, we "were not in Kansas, anymore" :-)))
ReplyDeletegreat catch =)
ReplyDeleteSomething I miss from home are seedless grapes. I guess now I know they are genetically modified, but spitting out the seeds just takes something away from eating grapes here. I suppose the pigeons don't mind!
ReplyDeleteMust remember to wash my fruit and vegies more thouroughly!
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ReplyDeleteI LOVE pigeons and this is a great shot. They are sweet and friendly and no dirtier than any other wild animal. (Look it up--nobody has EVER proven that they are a health threat. They can't even carry the avian flu!) I think people are buying into the pest control industry's scaremongering. http://www.urbanwildlifesociety.org/zoonoses/
ReplyDeleteOf course, I would definitely wash my food carefully if I knew a pigeon or a robin or whatever had been on it. That's just smart.
By the way, pigeons are doves and doves are pigeons. They are different words for the same animal.