Robyn Fishman is a pre-med student at the University of Kansas who is double-majoring in Microbiology and Religious Studies with a minor in American Studies. She shared a story about an instance in which she was also briefly trained as an amateur bird whisperer and Queen of Pigeons.
The sun was high in the French sky and the day was full of tension. The tolling of the bells of Notre Dame seemed particularly cheerful, and the people strolling down the stone walkways glanced around in anticipation of the big event. A queen was about to be crowned.
A group of unsuspecting American teenagers gazed up at the famous church, shielding their eyes from the sun with their wealthy hands. A cacophony of pigeon coos surrounded them and they flinched away from the birds each time they took flight, fearing getting bird droppings on their stylish striped shirts. As they stood around, breathing in the Paris air, they noticed a proud man in a fanny pack standing amongst the birds. Having been spotted, the man froze and looked at the teens in all their tourist glory. Now was his time to shine.
He approached the tourists, Robyn among them, with the birds adorning his arms and shoulders. Apprehensive at first of pickpockets, the Americans attempted to escape their destiny, but the pigeon master’s powers were too great. He offered Robyn and her friends handfuls of rice, which they accepted uncertainly.
The French man’s birds were drawn to the offer of tasty food, and at once leapt to the arms of the tourists. A chorus of gasps rang out in the courtyard of Notre Dame as the birds ate out of Robyn’s palm. Fate had spoken and the glorious French bird master had passed on his crown. He gave Robyn a knowing nod and disappeared in the crowd. He had done his duty and handed off his divine right to the new Pigeon Queen.
Long may she reign.
“When I was in like mid-high-school, I was in France with my friends and we went to Notre Dame. While standing around with my bud, this old French man who had like four to five pigeons just on him came up to us. He opened our hands and put rice in and all of his pigeons and ones from the ground flew up onto us. I felt like a pigeon queen in that moment. We also didn’t even get pickpocketed.”