86 Union Bay 



"It's so tame and acts as if it had lived here all its life." 



"Yes, and it certainly takes over the place," he said. "See 

 how it acts when I put out a little feed." 



He scattered a handful of cracked grain. The pigeon looked 

 around to see that no other birds were present and then 

 started to feed. But soon four blackbirds and a tame mallard 

 hen joined the pigeon on the low roof. 



"Now watch what comes next," the canoeman said. 



The bird immediately stopped feeding, sidled over to the 

 mallard, and without display of temper or nervousness, 

 crowded her to the edge of, and off, the roof. It used the 

 same tactics with the redwings until the roof was bare of 

 birds and it was free to feed without competition. 



"It will keep the roof clear until it has enough to eat and 

 then it will let the others feed. I guess the redwings and the 

 mallard realize that or they wouldn't get away so quickly. 

 That fellow certainly knows how to get things done without 

 stirring up trouble." 



"Does it stay here most of the day?" Tasked. 



"It doesn't go far away. Sometimes it perches on the roof 

 of the crewhouse, but it comes over here as soon as I get out 

 feed or when a bird settles on the roof." 



On my next trip I found two pigeons there— a brown 

 female had joined the white male. The white bird paraded 

 and cooed before her in a possessive sort of way. 



"You started something," I observed. 



"Don't you think it," he answered. "I'm not going to have 

 a colony of pigeons messing around here. A public place is 

 not for them. I told my wife we would have to get rid of 

 them." 



"How?" 



"The next time we visit our daughter in Auburn I'll put 

 the birds in a box and take them down there. They have 

 plenty of room and the birds will like it." 



When I saw him again, I asked: 



