Views

      I've been watching Roderich and Elizaveta for about two months (roughly), and have become fascinated with them.  They aren't very interesting for someone just glancing at them, but if you look closely the way they are sitting there and their behavior are very intriguing.  They seem to have a very close relationship with each other as they can be seen snuggling together in the nest later in the night.  When people see them they don't see what I see.  They see them as filthy scavengers or disease ridden vermin and they deserve more than that. 
      Pigeons have helped us a lot in our history and Cher ami is one of those pigeons.  Cher ami is french for dear friend and this pigeon saved about 200 lives in WW1 while receiving the following wounds: bullet to the breast, a blinded eye, and leg barely attached by a tendon.  She sent a message from a division of allied soldiers that were behind enemy lines.  When the message was received, medics worked hard to save her life and was given a small carved wooden leg to replace her damaged one.  She was treated as a war hero and is now in the Smithsonium Institution.  She has recieved the award "Croix de Guerre"  Which is French for cross of war.
     Pigeons also do other important things.  They have the ability to see in colors like us and ultraviolet light, which is very helpful when rescuing people in the ocean and such.  They have a homing device which allows them to easily carry messages to people.  It is not really known how that works though.  The point of me telling all these different stories is that pigeons deserve more than disgusted looks and blatant ignorance on what they are and do.  People often dislike all the different organisms that don't looks all that pretty or don't seem to have that much intelligence.
     We humans shouldn't judge because other beings seem to be less of what we are.  They don't fit our criteria on what is good or worthy of our attention and compassion.  Most insects and rodents and some birds fall under the bar of what we expect and like.

Works Cited:

Eddie Rickenbacker.  Home of heroes. "Cher Ami". 12 dec. 2014

N.A. Pigeon control resource. "Pigeons as lifesavers" 12 Dec. 2104

Bush Life

     This week, I decided to focus upon the bush that sits right beneath the nest of Roderich and Elizaveta.  It is a large green bush and reminds me of a pine tree as it is very spiny.  It is not a pine shrub though, and I don't know what it it exactly.  I suppose it is rather spiny to keep certain organisms away from its' roots or branches.  It's also rather condensed together and has spaces just big enough to for animals as big as a cat to fit through.
     I know this as my cat, when he escapes, runs right to the bush and hides beneath it.  It gets quite annoying as I can't get my arms to fit through the branches to grab him, and it takes nearly an hour of me running around the bush to finally get him inside.  After I manage to get him, his pelt is littered with little spiky twigs and such.
     The bush is teeming with life. I've never really noticed it with all the times I've had to chase after Spike. I only noticed when we had an English assignment to observe something and make a list of what you noticed.  While doing the assignment, I accidentally fell into the bush and it hurt. I was trying to get my bearings after falling, and once I did, I saw I was covered in spider webs.  Naturally, I didn't like this so started to get them off.  This had me looking down (to see the webs), and I saw hundreds of little ants swarming around the bush carrying small white things (Most likely moving their eggs).
     That wasn't all that lived among the bush.  During my observations that took place later in the evening, I would usually hear crickets or grasshoppers (not entire;y sure which), and once I heard a frog.  The bush gave all these animals life and all the animals gave the others and the bush life.  "Food chains and food webs and/or food networks describe the feeding relationships between species and the biotic community".  This describes the organisms withing the bush and the bush itself.  There is a food chain within the bush, and without the bush, or a certain organism, the life within would collapse.  The bush is the foundation for the life within.

Works Cited

 "Food Chain." ScienceDaily. 1 Dec., 2014. Web. 1 Dec., 2014.

Reactions

     For this week I've been focusing on the pigeons reactions and behaviors.  Before I continue, some general information I've noticed in all species is the tends to be laid back and 'goes with the flow' to put it simply, while the female is the complete opposite. Surprisingly they are the most territorial and more easily riled up.  This is no different with Roderich and Elizaveta.  Elizaveta is the one that is always on the edge and alert, she is almost never asleep when I come by, while Roderich is almost always asleep somewhere in the middle or back of the nest and fluffed up contently.
     I've decided to research some of their normal behavior patterns and found some interesting little tidbits.  They are actually rather smart, as they are one of only six species of animal that can recognize itself in the mirror and the only non-mammal and they can recognize all twenty-six letters of the alphabet.  They also have this 'homing' ability where they can always find their way back to their roost and some theories is they use the Earth's magnetic fields, seismic waves, the sun, or the roads to help them navigate. 
     People have used pigeons quite a lot during their history.  They have been used as messengers and have even helped search and rescue.  With their ability to seemingly be able to fly anywhere they were used quite a bit to carry messages to people around the world.  They were used a lot during World war one and two to get messages across enemy lines.  Pigeons can see in color like us humans but can also see ultra-violet light, which helped significantly.
    Obviously, pigeons won't really be able to do any of this (except the homing ability) without proper training, so as you might expect Roderich and Elizaveta show no such great talents.Instead, they, when it is exceptionally cold that night, snuggle up with each other and get all fluffed up. They look absolutely adorable together.  That is the only time I see the female relax even remotely.

Little sketch of Roderich and Elizaveta. Angle isn't quite right, so imagine them a little more side by side.

Works Cited:

PCRC."Pigeon - Everything there is to know about the Pigeon." Pigeon control resource center n.p.     2009. web. 17 November 2014. http://www.easybib.com/reference/guide/mla/website

Surrounding of the nest

This week, while observing Roderich and Elizaveta, I have been keeping a closer eye on the surroundings.  During my observation,I have noted the two evergreens that are to the right of the nest.  Both have an abundance of branches, which have themselves an abundance of little needles, making them look like a big cotton ball. The one closest to it has the normal green you expect of trees, while the other one has a blue-gray tone imbued in the green which makes it look sharper. 

The two evergreens, top left of building is the nest.

                                                                           

 

Right in front of first evergreen

                                                                                

From my position in front of the trees, the branches hung to about my waist. I ducked under and immediately noticed the warmer feel to the air.  These branches, they made a sort of overhang, seem to be blocking out the elements somewhat.   

View from inside branches, branches blocks out view of outside as well as in it seems

 I saw the advantage of using this as my new observation point and looked up to try and spot the nest.  I was disappointed as I only saw the umbrella-like limbs, but i had grown curious because I started to hear a pair of birds.  I never thought, until that moment, that two or more different species of bird could be so close to each other so carelessly. I saw the advantage those birds had due to the shelter the branches provided, and that caused me to wonder why the pigeons' didn't do the same. The trees limbs were great as they protected against the elements, while the nest they have now, If the weather was in the right direction would harm them.  Maybe the birds don't like sharing the exact nesting areas', so two nests can't be in the same tree? Or, the pigeons just aren't suited to nesting in a tree like an evergreen, or they just don't like something about the tree? As my observations of these birds increase, I seem to be gathering more questions rather then answers, and seem to be getting more confused rather than gaining an understanding of them. Though I am getting rather fond of them, especially when I see them on chilly nights, fluffed up against the cold, and content with each other.

Routines

      For this weeks set of observations, I was solely focusing on the structure of the pigeons routines or schedules. For all the times I've been able to assign what the pigeons are doing, I've not been able to see where they go or what they do for the times they are away. All I have been able to nail down is when they arrive at the nest. They arrive at six pm give or take a few minutes to settle down for the night. For the times I've went out to check on them in the morning they are never there, and and have seen that they are gone before seven, but are there before five, so they leave around five/six in the morning. They stay out until they come back for the night. I have not seen where they go or what they do, but presume they are scouring for food.
     I have decided to name them as calling them the female, first male, and new male, is getting to be quite the mouthful and tiring. I have named the original male Roderich, the female is Elizaveta, and the new male is Gilbert.

Wonder in the Roost

     For the nature project I am partaking in for English, I have decided to observe the pigeons roosting in a little alcove slightly below the roof on the west side of my apartment building.  I have decided upon the pigeons as they have a negative connotation associated with them.  Most people think of them as annoying pests, or 'rats with wings' if you will.  some people think they are just plain stupid, while others ignore their existence altogether.  Not many people look at them and think about how pretty they are, or wonder about their many strange behaviors.
     One of these strange behaviors that I have recorded is that although the male is content to use the same nest each day, the female only comes every other day or so.  I had wondered why that was, and a few days later had stumbled upon the answer.  There is another nest on the east side of the building where a different male resides.  I spotted the same female with this new male.  I went to check the other nest, and there the male was sleeping alone.  I went and researched a pigeons mating habits and found that they mate for life. I find that to be a very interesting contradiction and wonder what this means with the pigeons.  I am finding these pigeons more and more fascinating with each passing day, as although I have researched pigeons quite extensively, some of the information isn't quite matching up with what I am seeing in my observations.  This makes me want to observe them even closer and gain a deeper understanding of these under appreciated birds.