News / birds

The pigeon whisperer of Park Street

By Martin Booth  Tuesday Dec 16, 2025

Before heading to work each morning, Jack Osborne-Richardson enjoys sitting in nearby Berkeley Square where he is often surrounded by birds and squirrels.

Pigeons continue to join Jack at his pitch on Park Street, with one of Bristol’s best known Big Issue sellers often balancing multiple winged critter on each arm.

Jack says that the bravest birds even peck him on the ear if they are not getting fed fast enough for their satisfaction.

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“They have become a permanent fixture,” Jack explained on a recent morning on Park Street at his pitch next to Boston Tea Party.

“I originally started feeding a crow who had a poorly beak and he’d only come down and eat if the pigeons were eating.

“Now I’ve usually got between two and a dozen pigeons climbing all over me.

“I’ve ended up with such a reputation as the ‘pigeon guy’ that I’ve even been called to remove pigeons from the downstairs storeroom of a shop when it had a broken air vent!”

Main photo: Martin Booth

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