I had a job in San Francisco. Having to park on the street was a real drag. You'd have to arrive early to make sure you'll even get a spot to park.

While waiting in my car one morning, listening to the radio and watching the feral humans stumble by, I noticed a lone pigeon on the sidwalk next to me. She was peering into my car from the sidewalk, hobbling with one broken leg that seems to have set itself wrong, making the leg useless.

She seemed otherwise healthy..... her mate was still courting her. Anyway, being an animal lover I could not stand to see any animal hurt and so I started to do some research about pigeons. And what I found is, that these loving little creatures did not ask to be in urban environments.

And that we humans are responsible for their many colorations. And more incredibly that pigeons have made very impressive contributions and sacrifices to mankind for literally thousands of years. And that we have and continue to do terrible things to them and other species on this planet.

I still occassionally break the law in San Francisco by feeding these poor creatures but so what. I'm participating in a global research project about these incredible creatures called Project Pigeon Watch . Basically, the scientists want to know how and why the various colorations have not yet disappeared in the feral pigeon populations across the world.

I help by counting my little friends when I feed them. I tally the different colorations and observe and record the courting or mating behavior on a clipboard and then mail the results to the University.

I was never a bird fan before now. I had a friend Steve Price who was a bird owner and I didn't like the noise, the mess, the seemingly low interaction between birds and man. But these pigeons have changed my mind. I've learned that they are sweet, intelligent and that I love them......