11/4 - Pigeons

Yesterday on Reddit, I learned about Cher Ami, a homing pigeon that served under the 77th Infantry Division of the US Army during World War I.  She played a vital role in saving the lives of over 190 men during the Battle of Argonne in 1918 who had been surrounded by the Germans and had also begun to receive fire from friendly artillery.  They needed help immediately, and they needed to stop the friendly fire.

The men had three homing pigeons with which to deliver messages to their allies.  The first two were shot down.  Cher Ami, their third and last pigeon, made her way through the enemy fire and despite losing an eye and a leg and being shot through the chest, delivered her message 25 miles away at divison HQ.  Her message:

We are along the road parallel to 276.4. Our own artillery is dropping a barrage directly on us. For heaven's sake, stop it.

She was treated for her injuries and given a wooden prosthetic leg, and sent home to the US, where she died at Fort Monmouth, NJ.  She was awarded the Croix de guerre by the French for her actions during the war, and she is now on display at the Smithsonian in DC.

Leica M3, Zeiss Planar 50mm f/2, Kodak Tri-X

This was on the ferry a while ago.  These two pigeons were sitting on the door next to a mirrored column, preening each other.   When I walked over towards them, one of them tried to hobble away on gnarled, toeless stumps and gave up, sitting back down. The other one was in better shape and started scurrying off but quickly turned back, deciding not to leave its companion's side. That's when I took these photos.

Pigeons were some of the first things I photographed.  They're readily available in NYC, easily identifiable, and (to me, at least) extremely interesting.  If you spend enough time looking at a flock of pigeons, the dynamics of pigeon politics will begin to emerge.  They are simple creatures, but complex things arise when you put a bunch of them together.  You'll see greed and contentment.  War and peace.  Love unrequited.

And they do this all without facial expression or any gestural cues other than their actions alone.  Not interested in this male's pirouette?  Fly away.  Want the spot this other pigeon is currently occupying?  Peck him and take it.  There are no pretenses or social obligations. Things are just done in the name of nothing other than eat, mate, and stay alive.

Here are some videos I took a few years ago in San Francisco, when I had a camera that could do so:

So, next time you see a bunch of pigeons, or one pigeon or two pigeons, have a look at what they're up to.  You might end up learning something.  At the least it might end up being kind of interesting.  

Look at it this way: the next time you come across a pigeon with an entire fallen slice of pizza all to itself, try to think of the last time you were that content with your life.

Some more pigeon related reading/watching:

New York Magazine - Pigeon Pinups
New Yorker - Feathers
National Geographic News -  Seattle Pigeons Attacked with Darts
Youtube - Tom Knapp shoots 10 clay pigeons in a single throw
Oeuf NYC - Pablo Pigeon
The Pigeoning (My favorite play of all time; no longer showing, though)