Odysseus age just 10 months & 3 weeks, catches a pigeon, Dulwich park 16th September 2009

My beautiful baby has been getting excited about seeing pigeons for several weeks. If he sees even one pigeon in the street or in the park he starts enthusiastically Ooooooooh Ooooooooh-ing at the bird. So yesterday I brought a bag of several day old bread with me for when we went to the park as we usually do after our weekly Wednesday swim session. We had a good time together in the pool and Odysseus did plenty of underwater swimming and head first dives from the side, he then ate a huge amount of food before we set off for the park. As soon as I put him in his car seat he fell fast asleep so since the park is only about 10 minutes from the pool, I drove the car into the park and let him sleep as he obviously needed the nap after all the swimming and eating! He woke up an hour later and we set straight off for the duck pond which actually only seems to have a couple of dozen ducks, and maybe a dozen geese and HUNDREDS of pigeons. Odysseus was very excited and pleased to see the pigeons and I put him down where he could stand by holding on to the iron railings that seperated the path from the pond, and he did his now usual coooooo-ing and Oooooooh-ing at the birds and at me about the birds. I then started to crumble the bread up and scatter it near his feet and immediately the birds started coming through the railings and surrounded Odysseus pecking busily at the bread crumbs.
Odysseus seemed unfazed by this and just stared at the silly birds and then sat down amongst them Sumo style with his legs spread apart, he seemed in a sort of trance, very cool and calm and still just staring at them and then looked up at me and then again calmly at the birds, and them WOOOOOSH!!!!he swiped out with his right hand in a hooking arc like a 10 month old version of the great Bruce Lee himself and caught a pigeon in that single move! And just as coolly and calmly looked at the bird that he held by one leg and gave it a couple of shakes and then as a calmly as though he was holding any of the toys hes gotten bored with, he looked at me as though to say yes Dad of course I caught a pigeon. I quickly asked him not to hurt the bird and tried to carefully unwrap his gorilla like grip from the birds leg, which he let me do and the bird disappeared probably thanking its bird god for a second chance, and Odysseus just sat there coolly looking at me with his supernatural eyes as though nothing had happened!
I love my amazing baby so much, I feel privileged every moment I get to spend with him! Such a cool baby in so many ways!

Category:

Pets & Animals

[megalosdrakos]

thanks lacey, thanks interesting, i was actually worried he might tear the bird in half, not out of any nastiness, just because he's very strong and wouldn't have known what he was doing, but it was fine. couldn't believe how incredibly calm my son remained, let how calm the bird was! i think he's more likely to ask for a dog first, he's very interested in 'dog-gers' now ;-) but if i had my way we'd have ducks and a goat and a donkey as well as chickens and dogs and a cat!

[megalosdrakos]

thanks, yeah i think he's great too ;-)

[laceygraves123]

wow your child is so smart do you know thats how professional bird handlers hold some birds to calm them down? your son is soo cute i bet when hes older he will ask for a pet bird

[2Bibleppl]

That was soooooo cute. I loved it.