Pigeon steals poppies from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, Australia in order to build a nest beside a stained glass window.
This is two pigeons, pigeons nest in bonded pairs (notice the first one is checked and its mate on the nest is barred). Usually they don’t make nests nearly so big but I guess if you have the materials, go for it.
The nest is so unusually big because the vast majority is a platform to keep the actual nest (just that tiny ring in the corner around the bird sitting in it) cushioned from the anti bird spikes.
This is a work of beautiful defiance.
Using the very thing installed to make just a moment’s rest impossible as structural supports for an immovably stable nursery.
The symbolism achieved by these pigeons is better than some writers can hope for and I love it!
From the nest on the bird repellent spikes to the fact that those spikes are along the stained glass windows of a church, a place associated with sanctuary and compassion. The fact that the nest is made of stolen poppies for remembrance day hits the hardest though. Of the 54 animals to be awarded the Dickin Medal for acts of gallantry during WW2, 32 of them were pigeons. These were messengers who flew through battlefields and across borders, many of whom were killed or severely injured by enemy forces including gunfire and trained falcons. Many of their achievements saved the lives of hundreds of soldiers, and yet now their descendants are faces with anti-bird spikes, shooting and poisoning in an attempt to rid the cities from the rats with wings. I love this picture because it feels like they’re taking back just a little bit of that credit owed to them.
Reblogging for this beautiful addition.
One of the pigeons who saved a lot of men is called Cher Ami - and Cher Ami saved a battalion lost in the Argonne suffering friendly fire and a lack of supplies.
@bobolobocus if you (or anyone else) wants to know the details and/or see a picture of Cher Ami, here’s on of the additions I made to this post. Reminder to everyone for the millionth time that this is a war memorial, not a church. Check out my blog for more Great War content.
Pigeons navigate by magnetic fields, much like you use a compass to do the same. While we’re pretty sure that they use the magnetosphere to find their way, the particulars have eluded us thus far. We used to think it was guided by its iron-rich beak!
slav:alright hunk, please introduce your character!
hunk:okay. i, uh, put a lot of work into this (lance coughs) so i hope you guys enjoy it. my character is a rogue, who had a demon sealed inside him when he was a baby. because of this demon, he was ostracized by the village he lived in, but instead of becoming bitter about it, my rouge decided to rise above it all and become someone his people would have to be proud of. he’s made it a goal to be kind to every person he encounters, and has even befriended his enemies. while it’s true he isn’t the sneakiest of rouges, his heart is in the right place and that’s what ultimately matters. his name is hunkuto.
slav:excellent! now, lance, please-
pidge:wait, what? this is literally. this is literally just naruto.
hunk:no, his name is hunkuto i just said that
pidge:are you shitting me right now? naruto? fucking naruto? pleasetake this seriously i refuse to play dnd if you’re gonna be ninja roleplaying the entire time.
hunk:okay, first of all, naruto isserious. i don’t joke about naruto. and second of all, i put a lot of work into hunkuto, and as your friend i’m hurt that you would accuse me of messing around. please respect hunkuto like you would respect me.
pidge:… fine.
slav:hunkuto sounds like a fascinating character, hunk! i’m excited to see how he fares in our campaign. now, lance, who will you be playing?
Update on a thing I had posted about before- I have been working on expanding all of the drawings in this series to a larger size and getting them ready to paint! Hopefully I can post another update soon with the painted versions.
