It all started one sunny day when I was sitting on my apartment terrace. I lived on the second floor so my terrace was actually part of the roof over the first floor commercial area. Above me were all the balcony terraces of the apartments on higher floors. So being on the second floor in Manhattan meant you had to catch the sun when it wasn't behind a building.
I was enjoying that time in the sun between noon and 3:30 while reading a book. It all started when several all-white birds showed up outside my apartment terrace and I started taking some pictures of them.
They first appeared on a nearby building where pigeons were already standing and strutting around.
But these birds seemed to trying to stand out not only by their feather color but the way they acted.
They practically posed for someone to photograph them. Luckily, when I went to get my camera I walked by my kitchen to grab a handfull of bread slices.
Another flew into my roof area making a total of three so I started throwing out pieces of bread to get a closer look at them.
While they looked identical from a distance I realized I could tell them apart by the placement of a few dark feathers.
In a little while it was plain to see that one was more bold than the others and he or she stayed around for more of my balls of rolled up bread.
Then while other neighborhood pigeons started to glide in for a share of my handouts I decided to purposely shake them away and only let my new friend get the goodies. It wasn't my habit to feed the local pigeons. I had actually put netting around my terrace flowers during the summer to keep them away. But now I decided to see if I could make this one bird recognize that I had chosen him to be my buddy.
Well he did get the message by visiting me the next and following days. And it seemed the other birds from the nearby roost got the message too as they didn't bother trying after only a day or two of my favoritism for the white bird.
Then winter arrived.
It seemed my white friend was even more beautiful in the snow of winter. And he sure was more hungry appearing daily and hanging around in case I looked out my window and wanted to share something. More often than not I had my camera ready as well. Here are some shots from that winter.
The photos clearly showed the dark feathers that allowed me to now identify him as Bill; and not one of the other white birds who weren't around any more.
His brilliant white plummage showed how much the tail feathers get dirty and worn. But in later photos the tail feathers seems to be cleaned up...or replaced.
Puffing up to keep warm almost makes you think he's a different bird.
I guess you can keep your feet warm too in under those feathers.
With a white pigeon I found the neck feathers most interesting. On a regular pigeon these are so fine that the light refracts into a rainbow effect. But on the white pigeon you can see the individual feathers very well.
Well, Bill and I made it through the winter with an exchange of meals for pictures and just hanging out. He obviously found a place to live nearby because his friends never showed up again. I assumed that on the day I met them all they were part of some nearby celebration like a wedding that included a release of white birds that were supposed to return to their roosts. I guess I offered Bill a better deal.
This story is about Bill and Coo but it wasn't until close to Spring that Coo arrived with Bill in a flutter of wings at my window. But it wasn't just the fuss of motion and sound that made the introductiso dramatic. It was obvious that Bill and Coo were more appropriately named Salt and Pepper.
I stuck with Bill and Coo names. It wasn't until the second visit with Coo that I realized they were a pair and that Coo was just about as totally monochrome as Bill was. Bill was introducing Coo to me and (therefore) would be joining in at mealtime.
It's harder to tell if Coo is totally black because the feathers can iridesce in the sun light while in the shadows all her feathers just blur to black.
Bill had learned that he had a good thing going with me. So when he chased off all other pigeons except for Coo I realized they were a real pair. So I started to set dinner for two.
Bill was beginning to surprise me with his familiarity and comfort at "ordering" dinner with a flutter of wings at my window. I was particularly impressed by his ability to see me in a darkened apartment during the day or when I knew there was bright reflection from outside on the window pane. That and other behavior got to me read up on pigeons and share some pictures of my winged friends on a pigeon web page to many Oooooos and Ahhhhhhhs.
I'll leave it to you to Google pigeon research on your own but be sure you discover and read the many stories of pigeons being used in World War II to sight downed pilots in the ocean from search planes. For all the disrespect we give them in New York one can't help but feel their sense of sight and maneuverability in flight are amazing.
And so with this new appreciation of my friends' status in the animal world I invited Bill and Coo to a few dinner parties on my terrace step.
And so the snow was gone and spring arrived. If eating together didn't prove that Bill and Coo had a relationship then their activities around the roof did. I'll let the photos below tell the rest of the story.
And so as with all stories of true love in the Big City there must be a happy ending - - another pigeon in New York City. But this one is special.
I guess you can keep your feet warm too in under those feathers.
