To learn about pigeons, I had to go into the field. I rarely see pigeons near my house, although they're always around just a couple blocks away, in Inman and Central Squares. I wanted to know why. Do pigeons really prefer loud intersections, pavement, and tall buildings? Why don't they hang out in the park next to my apartment, which has grass and trees?

"The field" for this study was Alfred E. Vellucci Urban Plaza, which might well be the least appealing open space in Cambridge. Really nothing more than a paved wedge studded with benches, flanked on two of three sides by ceaseless traffic on Hampshire and Cambridge Streets, it has no appeal as a resting spot. I'd never thought about stopping there. No one does, except the homeless men who also hang out in front of the Quick Food Mart.

Sunday, January 5, 2003 (11:30-noon)
Two groups of maybe 25 pigeons each shuffled around near the melted patches on the ground in the park, one cluster near the Vellucci statue, the other on the Cambridge St. side, across from the church. They cooed continuously (why?). A couple of them snapped their wings at each other whenever they got close, but mostly it seemed that pigeons didn't care much about personal space.

Unlike sparrows, pigeons are not even close to identical: some of the Inman Square flock have dark wings and speckled bodies, while others have gray wings with dark tips. There are three dark ones with white primaries and two real oddities: one black-and-white mottled, and one all white, except for a black tail and a spot on its head. They waddle when they walk. The ground was covered with pigeon tracks!

The whole flock flew suddenly(why?) over Hampshire St. to the roof of the Quick Food Mart. After a while they came back, roosting first in the trees, then returning to the ground.

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