Case Study: The Pigeon Who Stared Back
Background
On a grey Wednesday in April, Juniper Fitch noticed a pigeon on the opposite ledge. It was large, glossy and seated with the calm of a bird that owned the building. She decided to observe it for twenty minutes. She observed it for six hours.
The first hour
At the start, the pigeon looked away. Juniper maintained her gaze, her tail curled round her paws. The pigeon fluffed its feathers. A cat on the street below meowed. Neither moved.
The second hour
The pigeon turned its head and looked at Juniper directly. This was unusual, as birds typically avoid sustained eye contact with cats. Juniper blinked once, slowly. The pigeon did not.
The third hour
A crow landed nearby, took one look at the situation and left. A passing cyclist slowed down to watch, though from the street all he could see was a cat in a window and a pigeon on a ledge, both rigid.
The fourth hour
At this point, Commodore Whiskerley intervened and asked if everything was all right. Juniper replied, without turning, “He is testing me.” The Commodore said he understood and brought her a cushion.
The fifth hour
The pigeon cooed once, softly. Juniper cooed back, in a way that she would later deny. The cooing continued for a few minutes, forming what some described as a conversation.
The sixth hour
At 6.15 PM, the pigeon stood, stretched one wing and flew away. Juniper remained at the window for a further ten minutes, then fell asleep on the spot. She awoke the next morning, still on the cushion, with the sense that something had been settled.
Lessons
- A pigeon will wait you out
- A cat cannot win a staring contest with a bird that does not blink
- The Commodore has since banned all unsupervised staring
Outcome
Juniper filed a field note which read simply: “Pigeon. Possibly a hawk.” The Commodore added a handwritten comment: “It was not a hawk.” The matter is closed.
