Unlucky Pigeon's Foot

The life of a pigeon in the East Village is not an easy one.

Behold, on East 5th Street between First and Second Avenues:

Pigeon foot.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

It's hard not to conclude that it was a hawk that did this!

#eastvillage #5thstreet #pigeons

Another Hawk Casualty?

Hot on the heels of the eviscerated pigeon in Tompkins Square Park comes this poor specimen, seen on East 4th Street:

Poor specimen.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

It's possible that this carcass was not dropped here by a passing hawk, after being ripped apart and having its insides devoured — it's possible that it died some other way, and was eaten by a rat!

#eastvillage #pigeons #4thstreet #unseemly

Against The Hawks

I think the hawks should be removed from Tompkins Square Park.

To begin with, the presence of the hawks has contributed significantly to the explosion in the rat population in the park, and surrounding areas. When the hawks moved in, the Parks Department stopped putting out poison to kill the rats.

Also, since the hawks arrived, East Villagers have had to suffer this sort of carnage (seen in Tompkins Square Park):

Carnage.

City parks are not meant to harbor wildlife; there's something sinister about nature invading a city.

The Parks Department should trap the hawks and move them to the Adirondacks, where they belong.

#eastvillage #carnage #hawks #pigeons #ratpoison #rats #tompkinssquarepark

Feed The Pigeons

East Villagers love feeding the pigeons in Tompkins Square Park!

Here is a picture from yesterday morning, of pigeons eating bread:

Pigeons eating bread.

You might remember that this was once the site of a fake Parks Department sign, place by some prankster, telling people to not feed the pigeons — as if that would ever happen!

Whoever brought the bread was considerate enough to leave the plastic bags for someone else who needs them:

Reduce, Reuse…

#eastvillage #tompkinssquarepark #pigeons

The Dream Catcher

East Villagers love new-agey things: from homeopathy to totems, the Age of Aquarius lives on!

This past weekend, I saw a dream catcher that was hanging from a branch in Tompkins Square Park:

Dream catcher hanging from branch.

I knew right away that this pigeon was contemplating the dream catcher, embellished with… feathers! Feathers from… a bird, like itself!

Remember pigeon that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return.

#eastvillage #dreamcatchers #newage #pigeons #tompkinssquarepark

Pigeon on a Gearbox

I know, I know,
It's serious.

Pigeon on a gearbox.

All the more so because it's a riot gate gearbox!

#eastvillage #gearbox #pigeons #riotgates

Headless Pigeon

I was standing around on St. Mark's Place, having just shot five minutes and twenty-four seconds of activity, when I happened to look up and saw this:

Headless pigeon.

I don't think it's a totem, I think the body just doesn't realize its head's gone yet!

Keeping up appearances… in the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #gravity #pigeons #stmarksplace

Pigeon Prints

East Villagers love to mark up freshly-poured concrete! Whether it's their name or hand-print, they like to leave their mark

Now, even the pigeons are getting into the act! I recently saw this on Second Avenue:

Pigeon prints.

There's always something to write home about… in the East Village Today!

#eastvillage #secondavenue #sidewalks #pigeons

East Village Wildlife

Sometimes when I walk around the East Village, I think of CBS News Sunday Morning, with Charles Kuralt, that I used to watch. Sometimes, it's birds chirping in a garden, other times, animals scurrying around inside the park. Naturey stuff!

This was one of those Charles Kuralt moments, yesterday, in Tompkins Square Park:



East Villagers love reminiscences!

#eastvillage #tompkinssquarepark #pigeons #rats

The Stump Patch

Not every tree in Tompkins Square park is a rescue tree. Some are stumps:

Stump patch.

If you would like to visit the stump patch, enter the park at Avenue A and East 7th Street. The stump patch is on your left at the first sidewalk intersection.

Make sure to bring old crusts of bread with you, to feed the pigeons!

#tompkinssquarepark #pigeons #avenuea #7thstreet

The Official Bird of the East Village

If the East Village had an official bird, it would be the pigeon! East Villagers love to feed pigeons. 

I was walking across East 2nd Street the other day, when I saw these pigeons eating (just before I was nearly run over by an outlaw biker!):

Pigeons eating on East 2nd Street.

One way to have fun with pigeons is to slap your foot down as you approach them. This always makes them take flight:

Pigeons in flight.

There's no end of fun… in the East Village!

#eastvillage #2ndstreet #pigeons

Pigeons Roosting

Here's something you don't see every day:

Pigeons roosting on building, on Avenue A and East 4th Street.

It's like a scene from that Hitchcock movie, "Psycho"… in the East Village!

#eastvillage #avenuea 4thstreet #pigeons

Fake Parks Department Signs Back in Tompkins Square Park

A little while ago, I posted something about East Villagers feeding the pigeons in Tompkins Square Park, and I noted that a sign bearing a resemblance to a Parks Department sign was now gone.

Today, it was back:

Fake Parks Department sign.

This is not the only one. Whoever put this up also hung one on the fence behind this pile of garbage:

Fake Parks Department sign behind a pile of garbage.

Some East Villagers love to feed the pigeons, and others love to make fake signs — you never know what's what… in the East Village!

#eastvillage #pigeons #signs #tompkinssquarepark

Feeding the Pigeons Again

Just as I arrived at Tompkins Square Park today, a flock of pigeons flew out of this area and onto the roof of a building across the street, leaving their bread behind.

As you can see, the fake Parks Department sign is gone:

Lots of bread, no fake signs.

Maybe this is why they flew away:

Rodent eating bread.

Soon, his cousin joined him:

Two rodents eating bread.

The flora and fauna all survive as in the wild, in the wild East Village!

#eastvillage #tompkinssquarepark #pigeons #rats #squirrels

More Deterioration on Avenue A

Back in October, I posted a picture of an example of the recent deterioration of Avenue A. Yesterday, I was walking up Avenue A again, and I took some more pictures of this deterioration:

Exterior wall peeling away.

Even further up:

Shuttered building.

I was told the triangles cut into the wood were to allow pigeons to enter and live, making it undesirable for people to move in. It doesn't stop them, of course — it just makes it more likely that they'll contract and spread diseases!

The East Village today isn't always pretty, but it's always cool!

#eastvillage #avenuea #pigeons #deterioration

Do Not Feed the Pigeons

East Villagers love to feed the pigeons that inhabit Tompkins Square Park. Other East Villagers love to put up signs that mimic Parks Department signs, telling people to not feed the pigeons.

Here is one of those signs, that I saw today:

Not a Parks Department sign.

(Let me just say though – this is a well-made sign! Auto-leading results in the middle line being closer to the top line than the bottom line is to the middle – I would bring "pigeons" up a bit, then center it all top/bottom – but apart from that… very nice.)

Pigeons are skittish birds — the least noise sets them off, like a dog barking, or a kid screaming "Roar!" at them!

Pigeons flying.

I would like to thank the person who put the pigeon feed so close to this sign, providing me with this true-to-life East Village picture.

So, Thanks!

#eastvillage #tompkinssquarepark #pigeons #signs