I work a tough, physically demanding job as a bricklayer. My day starts at 5am because my site is far from home. I get a train and then a bus, and one freezing winter morning, sitting in my usual spot on the steps waiting for the bus in my high-vis work clothes, something unexpected happened.
This one pigeon walked right up to me.
I’d heard pigeons can sense your energy. If you’re calm, they’ll trust you. He did. It was actually kind of cute. The next morning he came back. And the next. So I gave him a name: Bus Stop Barry.
At first, I fed him bits of bread until I learned bread isn’t good for them. So I bought hemp seeds instead. Barry loved them. Then he brought a mate. Then another. Before I knew it, the hemp seeds were gone in a week. So I bought a 30kg bag of sunflower seeds and honestly, they went mad for it.
Three pigeons turned into five. Five turned into ten. And even with all the new ones showing up, I can still recognise Barry. Out of all of them, he still trusts me the most.
It started small. They’d eat from my hand if I stayed perfectly still. Then one day they flew straight onto my wrist and ate mid-air. One even landed on my head once.
Sometimes I do not see them for weeks, like when I went on holiday for three weeks. But the day I came back, they were there waiting. Like they remembered me. That hit differently.
People always say pigeons are dirty, full of diseases, but I have been feeding them for months and not once have they pooped on me or made me sick. I have learned pigeons are actually really clean animals. And now I believe it.
Some people think I am weird for doing this, but honestly, these birds have done more for me than most humans ever have.
Construction work can be depressing. Cold mornings. Surrounded by people who hate everything. No real joy. On my last site, I was addicted to weed, smoking all day just to numb myself. No life, no drive, just existing.
Now, instead of waking up thinking about weed, I wake up excited to see Barry. That one tiny shift changed my entire mindset.
It feels like God sent me a little angel at that bus stop. Not just a random bird. Something deeper. Like I was seen.
Since Barry and his crew came into my life, I have quit weed. I have quit nicotine. I have let go of so many bad habits.
Apparently, when you feed animals without expecting anything back, your brain releases oxytocin, the love chemical. Maybe I just felt unloved back then. These birds gave me what I needed without asking for anything in return.
Who knew a little pigeon at a bus stop could save me more than any human ever has.