There’s something about Mary (the baby wood pigeon)

Yesterday on my lunch break I ran down to M&S at Union Square to get a few things. As I was leaving I noticed three people crowded around something on the ground next to the carpark. It was a very tiny baby pigeon – or so I thought – still with all its fluffy yellow down. I looked up and could see no signs of a nest or any sign of parents. It’s a very industrial area down there with not a single tree in sight. The bird was on a small patch of dirt beneath the vines growing up the side of the carpark wall. I do love these vines as they provide a soft, green contrast to all the hard concrete and the birds love them. They are always full of starlings who roost there overnight and produce a cacophony of sounds whenever we walk past. I’ve never seen pigeons in it though. I didn’t hesitate to scoop up the nestling, whom I named Mary, and bring her home. She felt cold but quickly warmed up at home up and developed a huge appetite. All I have for baby birds is defrosted peas but she didn’t…