Say Hello to Pigeons Eating Piles of Garbage on Coney Island Avenue

Recycling pick up has resumed and the city is attempting to bring garbage pick up back to normal, says Community Board 14. Have your sanitation services been restored?

It’s not going so great everywhere. Trying to walk down Coney Island Avenue early this afternoon meant avoiding a little obstacle course consisting of several piles of garbage bags. That would be fine (and maybe even somewhat normal) if it wasn’t for a flock of fearless pigeons walking around like they own the place. The group of several dozen birds (a small portion of which are pictured above) were crowding in and around the garbage piles to feast on whatever they could find.

Several pedestrians had to cover their very unhappy faces as they walked through this group of pigeons who just would not budge. One young woman carefully positioned her umbrella above her head and held a shaky hand out below, thus shielding herself from the birds at her feet and from the birds’ white wrath from above. Some passers-by laughed. She was just upset. We were a few piles of garbage away from a Hitchcock horror film.

Despite worried scientists, birds didn’t just survive recent storms, they thrived. Now, New York has some rare birds to see. But the only thing somewhat rare about these pigeons is their total disregard for human beings. It took a car almost running them over to make them fly away — for about nine seconds. Then it was back to eating. You have to respect their focus.

Maybe we should get this garbage taken away soon.