Flocking in Postcards 4

As I head to the pool every morning, there’s a large flock of pigeons being flown right overhead. As one, they circle round and round…a thousand of them. I’m mesmerized, and I’m fascinated by the thought that we have a pigeon man here in this very urban neighborhood.

It’s like the buffalo on the hill, unless you stop and think about what you are seeing, you won’t see beyond the surface. I’d never thought about the Catalina buffalos. Nor, for the last fifteen or so years, did I realize that the pigeons going around and around over my head were guided by a human hand.

Pigeon flying and racing is a New York subculture that I’d never considered. Now here it was, right over my head. Brought over from the old countries, pigeon flying has been adopted by the African American and Hispanic subcultures mainly in New York. Someone had brought their flock here. I often wonder who now.

Last updated December 07, 2016