The Birdman and Anti-Bird man of Park Ćirila i Metodija
I always call the park, one block from our apartment Vuk’s Park. It is a lovely small park with a fountain at one end and a statue of Vuk at the other. I usually sit and watch the dogs play on the grass as they come out in the morning for their constitutional.
Vuk, named after the Serbian word for wolf to help ward off evil spirits, was instrumental in the modern Serbian language and the father of Serbian folklore.
Two men visit the park almost daily, the Birdman of Vuk’s Park and the Anti-Bird Man, which can be entertaining and annoying depending on the day.
The Birdman got his name from me as the one that is constantly feeding the pigeons. He can sit on a bench in the park and feeds them, and they land on his shoulders as he tosses the bread he found in a dumpster as he is homeless. For months depending on the season, he always wears the same clothes. I wonder where he sleeps at night?
First, I consider pigeons to be flying rats. Having lived in Boston and NYC, I am very familiar with the hoards of these birds. I could care less when The Birdman feeds them far away while every pigeon, for miles around, descends on the park to feed. But one day, I made the mistake of saying hello, and now when he sees me sitting, he feeds them right in front of me, so they are all running around my feet.
The Anti-Birdman is not homeless but walks his dog in the park and is no doubt certifiably crazy (from all my years of psycho-analysis). He walks around the loop of the sidewalks in the park, whistling to shoo the pigeons away, and lets the dog run after them.
All this seems to add to the entertainment value of the park.