Bird fear is totally legitimate. It’s ornithophobia actually.

Where does my fear come from? Not sure. But I have ideas.

1. The Calgary Zoo – crazy little birds flying at head height through those little tunnels you have to walk through. OMG, scare the crap out of me!

2. The movie The Birds – I think pretty obvious here…

Ok, so I don’t have many ideas. But it stemmed form something that scarred me. Or maybe I just have this pretty common irrational fear.

http://www.gothamgazette.com

While walking to the subway a couple of afternoons ago, on my way back to school for round two of parent-teacher conferences, my fear was heightened 10-fold or more. A poor injured pigeon (gross) was struggling to fly. And it’s flight path just happened to be right at me!!!! So of course I ducked, bobbed, weaved, gasped and probably made some weird facial expression in horror – right in front of a hotel doorman. Hello – I’m not Fabio and I’m not about to take a bird to the face or chest even if I am on my way back to parent-teacher conferences.

Where was this bird going? I don’t know, a better place to lay to rest? So after I made my fancy moves and tried to recompose myself, I looked at where the poor gaffer found a resting place… and sure enough he/she made to the sidewalk across the street, landing by the synagogue (Jewish pigeon?). I guess it’s destiny was to die on the sidewalk by a holy house rather than drop in the street and be run over. Both deaths are unfortunate, but secretly I am glad there is now one less flying rat to poop on me.