How many of us have a dislike for these feathered creatures? I often see children chasing pigeons round in circles until they fly away. Once, when I was walking down a street in Oxford, I saw a very smartly dressed man, step down off the curb to chase a pigeon a few feet down the road! Why is it we have such an attitude towards these birds of nature? You don’t often see people chasing black birds or robins away.

I have come to understand pigeons as being a very precious part of urban life. In places where office blocks and apartments are replacing trees and grass, pigeons still roam. They don’t hang around the rubbish dumps or scavenge through our bins. They clean our streets of the food we clumsily drop. They tidy up the mess we leave.

No matter how many people chase them, scare them, are rude to them or even try to run them over, pigeons are still there reminding us that nature is all around. I feel our attitude as a nation is being reflected onto the pigeons of England, yet these creatures still give us respect, trust and friendship. Apparently, it is lucky to have a bird excrete on your shoulder, or so the tale goes! Why would it not be lucky unless these birds are giving us a message?

But what is this message? Well, why not ask the pigeons?! Next time you’re walking down the road and you see a pigeon, greet them and ask what it is they are trying to tell you. You may have a pleasant reply!