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Citizen Pigeon Says Feeding "God's Birds" Is A Crime

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[Hollywood pigeons on Yucca via flickr user grifray]

Where to begin? An article from Associated Press writer Noaki Schwartz reports on the underground battle taking place in Hollywood between a rag-tag group of pigeon haters known as Citizen Pigeon and their arch-nemesis, local resident and bird feeder Susie Kourinian, aka the Pigeon Lady. No, really. Via the article:

Kourinian declined to comment for this story. For years residents would periodically see her feeding birds but never knew how much. To get an idea, [Citizen Pigeon leader Laura Dodson] and a half-dozen Citizen Pigeon members staked out various corners of Tinseltown. About 3 a.m. one night they finally caught Kourinian midfeed, but became so flustered they lost the trail. "We actually videotaped her putting down three 25-pound bags," Dodson said. "We were so excited we about peed our pants and couldn't follow her."

Dodson, a slight, frenetic woman, has had some brief conversations with the elusive bird feeder but has not been able to persuade her to stop. She recalled one particularly memorable exchange:

Kourinian: "You're ruining my life."

Dodson: "I didn't mean to. I'm just trying to clean up the city and the mess you've made with your birds."

Kourinian: "They're not my birds. They're God's birds."

Despite pleas from a councilman, neighbors and the police, the Pigeon Lady, who admits to having a problem, continues to feed the birds.
· A cat-and-bird game plays out in the dirty streets of Tinseltown [Ventura CountyStar]