The Bird Man
Thu Aug 13, 2009 3:35:18 am

---

I walked through Washington Square Park today. I didn't need to. It would have been more efficient to take the train, but I had some time and I was nearby. As I walked through the park, I saw The Bird Man.

I am not really sure if he is the same bird man who frequented the park from 1992 to 1996, when I was a student at NYU. I visited the park every day at lunchtime and often saw a man there feeding birds. On rainy days, it was most spectacular. Nobody else was in the park when it rained except for the two of us. He fed the birds in a special way when it rained. His movements were like some style of Tai Chi unfamiliar to me. He moved slowly in his own unique dance in the rain as he periodically scattered pieces of bread on the lawn.

I never talked to him. I don' recall ever having made eye contact. It was the same today. He did not acknowledge my existence. He did not acknowledge anyone at all. People stared as they walked past him, because birds were standing on his head and shoulders and walking on his lap. I am not entirely certain it's the same man, but he certainly has the same energy and attraction to the birds. I realized today that I had never really looked at his face before.