Philadelphia pigeon tours are attracting visitors beyond the city’s better-known landmarks, with Hannah Michelle Brower and her partner, Aspen Simone, leading a 90-minute exploration of neighbourhoods known for their feathered residents.
The couple founded Philly Pigeon Tours to encourage people to take a closer look at birds they might otherwise pass without noticing. The experience is now ranked by TripAdvisor as the third most popular tour in Philadelphia.
“If you live in any city, you’ve probably seen them [pigeons] many times, but we don’t learn to pay attention,” Brower said.
The tour tackles questions including why pigeons often appear to face in the same direction. Simone explained that they face into the wind because “their feathers streamline from front to back”.
Brower’s interest in pigeons began four years ago, when she found one that appeared to be sick or injured. She decided to care for it rather than leave it, an experience that changed her attitude towards the birds.
“She was so cute and scruffy and I just completely fell in love with her,” Brower said.
The pigeon, named Primrose, is now fully domesticated. She takes baths, has her feathers blow-dried and enjoys being petted.
“We constantly, every day, are like, ‘There’s a pigeon in our apartment,’” Brower said. “‘This is absurd!’”
For the tour’s founders, the attraction is intended to offer more than an unusual way to spend 90 minutes. Brower said it gives people an opportunity to become curious about something they encounter every day.
