Pigeons

One way I can really tell that Poland has changed over the past 10 – 15 years, and changed in some cases for the better, is because of the pigeons. When I was about 10, I remember sitting outside the one and only McDonalds that then existed in Warsaw and probably the whole of Poland. There were always huge queues, but what I remember most is the young Roma boys who would beg with outstretched hands at your table, whilst customers hastily clutched their handbags to their chests, and, particularly, the hobbling, mangled, scraggy grey mess of mangy pigeons wobbling their way grotesquely between the plastic chairs and tables. One of these pigeons had a missing leg, most had missing feathers, and another had a terrifying mouldy growth encasing its scrawny red-raw claw, forcing it to limp around pathetically. I remember this, I suppose, because of a simultaneous feeling of fascination, horror and sympathy that grasped at my chest. I stared at It for a while, feeling as It looked; slightly sick and miserable. My appetite wasn’t completely ruined, however, as it didn’t stop me from finishing my cheeseburger and shake...

Today, pigeons of all shapes and sizes and gloss strut around the parks and pavements, gorging off leftovers sprinkled along the roadside, if not feasting from the crumbs that many an older Polish lady lovingly dotes upon these pestilent scavengers. Fat, lustrous, sleek and bright-eyed, these pigeons, with shimmering streaks of turquoise and purple adorning their plumage, are of an entirely different class to their drab, scrawny ancestors I encountered back in the mid-90s. Of course, moving away from the city centre, and the quality of pigeon shifts, beginning to deteriorate depending on what area or suburb you’ve wandered into. Overall, however, they’re doing well for themselves across the country. Maybe this is a result of the 'trickle-down' effect that economists are always banging on about... Either way, as Poland's economy has grown, the pigeons have clearly been reaping the benefits.

In Krakow, on a Sunday, armies of people, locals and tourists alike, congregate on the main square to Feed the Pigeons. In early February, Wroclaw hosted the ‘International Pigeon Breeders Show’ in celebration, and, we can only deduce, intended multiplication, of the bird. In a recent poll, 95% of pigeons said that they were 10 times happier now than they were 10 years ago, and twice as happy since Poland joined the EU in 2004, on account of the increase in diversity of pigeon feed on the market. Interestingly, none stated an intention to emigrate, being so well looked after as they are here...