Spot the Pigeon?

If you wander across The World Piazza outside Broadcasting House you will rarely spot even one pigeon strutting its stuff never mind a whole flock, despite there being a Nero café with outside seating and BBC staff hanging out nearby eating their sandwiches (weather permitting). That's because Hera the Harris Hawk patrols the area once a week to scare them off, and she does a pretty good job too. Her falconer brought her over to me on my break today to pose for some photos. She is so beautiful that I instinctively put my hand out to stroke her, but was quickly told "I wouldn't do that if I were you"... From that fierce look on Hera's face, if I were a pigeon I'd be afraid - very afraid. They will come as far as the steps of All Souls Church next door, but hardly ever venture onto the Piazza itself.

In the background of the picture, a camera crew is setting up to do some filming with Jeremy Vine. I remember him as a trainee news reporter about thirty years ago, when I started working as a Studio Manager at Broadcasting House.

And finally, in one of the corniest music links in the history of blipfoto, those who remember one of my other recent blips from The World Piazza might see the funny side of this.