My sister works at a fast food restaurant in town. It's a little drive in with the best fries in town. It's also a little drive in with the most annoying pigeon infestation in town. Pigeons get into the roof and nest. You would never know unless you go into the bathroom, where it's quieter. If it's the right time of year, you'll hear the incessant little chirps of a million baby pigeons.
One of her coworkers decided to take the matter into his own hands a few weeks ago. He got one of the baby pigeons out of the roof and put it in a box outside the restaurant. He claimed he was going to take it home and kill it. My sister, animal whisperer, protested and decided to bring the bird home until she could find someone else to take care of it.
We kept it in the garage at first. Just for a few days, until the pigeon grew out feathers and could fly on its own, at which time, she would release it into the "wild."
A few days turned into a few weeks, as pigeons don't actually grow that fast. In that time, my dad secretly started bonding with the pigeon... he's a gentle soul. He took the pigeon out of the cage we kept it in and started petting it and cuddling with it sometimes. Needless to say, by the time the pigeon actually was old enough to leave, he was attached to us. My brother even named him.
By the time Archibald T. Chirps had enough feathers to smerf the coop, he was part of the family. One of my siblings even made him a Facebook page (does it get much more official than that?). That was about the time we learned that pigeons are not dynamic animals. They settle in where they are raised and won't be moved. Our multiple attempts to forcibly relocate him were unsuccessful- someone would drop him off away from our house, and about half an hour later he would be back.
What's worse though, is that Mr. Chirps decided he is the kind of family pet that should live inside. On multiple occasions, he has made his way INSIDE our house, much to my horror. My sister quickly shooed him out while trying to calm my frantic screams. Turns out I'm terrified of birds (add it to the list). But really, the thought of a pigeon breaking into your home and making itself comfortable is frightening. It's enough to give anyone the heebie-jeebies.
Wish us luck, hopefully the bad weather will drive Mr. Chirps away. Until then, avoid the deck. It's his territory now.
