I work a very physically demanding job. Bricklaying. I wake up at 5am every day because my site is far from home. I get a train then a bus, and one cold winter morning, sitting on my usual spot on some steps waiting for the bus in my high vis work clothes, this one pigeon walked right up to me.
I’d heard pigeons can read energy, and if you’re calm, they’ll trust you. He did. It was proper cute. He started showing up every morning. So I gave him a name: Bus Stop Barry.
At first I started feeding him bread, then learned bread’s bad for them. So I bought some hemp seeds. Then Barry brought a mate. Then another. The hemp only lasted a week because they loved it. So I bought a 30kg bag of sunflower seeds. They went mad for it. Three turned into five. Five turned into ten. Even with all the new ones turning up, I can still recognise Barry. And out of all of them, Barry still trusts me the most.
I wanted their full trust and now I’ve got it. It started with them just eating from my hand while I sat still. Now they actually fly onto my wrist and eat out of my hand mid-air. One even landed on my head once.
Sometimes I don’t see them for ages. Like when I was on holiday for three weeks. And they still came back the day I returned. Like they remembered me. That hit different.
People say pigeons are dirty, diseased, whatever. But I’ve been feeding them for months and not once have they pooped on me or made me ill. I’ve actually learned pigeons are really clean animals. I fully believe it now.
People think I’m weird for doing this but honestly these birds have done more for me than anyone else.
Construction work is depressing. Cold mornings. Surrounded by lads who hate everything. No real joy. On my last site I was fully addicted to weed. Smoking 24/7 just to numb myself. No life, no drive, just coasting.
Now instead of waking up thinking about weed, I wake up thinking about seeing Barry. That one little shift rewired my whole mindset.
It felt like God sent a little angel to remind me I wasn’t alone. Not just a random bird. Something deeper. Like I was seen.
Since meeting Barry and the rest of them, I’ve quit weed, quit nicotine, dropped most of my bad habits. I’ve changed. And yeah, I really do think they’ve helped me more than most humans ever have.
Apparently when you feed animals without expecting anything back, your brain releases oxytocin. The love chemical. Maybe I felt unloved back then. These birds gave me what I needed without asking for anything.
Who knew a little bird at a bus stop would save me more than any human ever has.
Credit ~ Respected Author