If you’re sticking to the sidewalk, you may not have noticed them quite as much, but they’re tough to miss when you’re bicycling through the grimy streets of the Mission, as it behooves you to watch where you’re going lest you end up with a rat caught in your spokes and decapitated all over your unwashable jeans. I mean, pigeons are notorious for not giving a fuck, but you can usually count on them to get out the way before getting squished, as seen in the highly-scientific video below:
My take on the situation? Prius prevalence. Without a loud, inefficient, gas-guzzling engine to warn of their approach, electric vehicles are difficult to detect before they get too close, unless you happen to see them directly. Almost every pedestrian or cyclist has experienced that one time when you just assumed it was safe to cross the street or merge into a lane because you didn’t hear the whiny rumbling of an oncoming electric car, but luckily looked right before stepping into certain doom.
So think about that the next time you’re thinking of purchasing an electric car. You may think you’re saving the environment, but you’re really pulverizing the poor pigeon population!
Usually this indicates that someone has set out some poison. Before the pigeons drop dead, their reflexes become compromised, thus they are not able to get out of the way of traffic.
the department of sanitation needs to form a task force to enact faster clean up. in the meantime, do NOT walk on the west side of valencia street between 20th and 21st, circa liberty street.
why?
I have noticed a bunch of street meat also. On closer inspection a lot of them were missing parts in the middle leading me to believe that hawks are on the prowl.
while driving, miraculously, they tend to get out of the way just in time, so I’ve become accustomed to just driving through. Recently, one of these guys did not. I don’t know if he was looking the other direction, had a death wish, was otherwise ill, or was just that 1 in a thousand bird with bad luck, but he got the steam roll from my front tire. This was right at the muni stop on church and market. Two tweakers waiting for the bus got a kick out of it. I really didn’t. Sounded like running over a plastic water bottle. Crunch, crunch.
Finally some progress in a much-needed area
I think it’s a new crop of young birds that’re learning the ways of the world, albeit sometimes the hard way.
I live in LA and ride my bike all over the place. I have also noticed a significant amount of dead pigeons down here too. I was just wondering what was up with it and then I read this and :0
Chemtrails did it
My aim is improving.