City Animals Are Cool Too

Chester

So this is Chester on my back porch. Because we are too lazy to take our garbage down to the dumpster, Chester has discovered free meals. I’ve tried to stop Chester from scrapping in my garbage bag, but he just laughs at me. It’s a laugh almost human. I think Chester thinks he’s human.

Don't Feed The Pigeons!

Pigeons are the rats of the air. Except, they’re not in the air much at all. Steer clear of these guys, because they are relentless when it comes to food. They will eat anything! They probably have some sort of bird disease that we should try to prevent from catching!

IF we didn’t have the pigeons, then what would our cities be like? We’d have no Mary Poppins song, “Tuppins a bag”. That’s for sure. Let’s be thankful for these ugly birds and feed ‘em anyway. They’ve got to have a purpose, right?

The Peregrine Falcon

These vultures are ridding our streets of pigeons! Oh no! Well, that’s not so bad! The Peregrine Falcon is the Chicago bird. This predator perches it’s nest on the skyscrapers and buildings, preying on smaller, dumber birds.

You were too slow there Mr. Pigeon… he means business.

Apes

Yeah, they’re in the city too! Our closest relatives are locked up in zoos! So we can stop by, and say hello while holding a soy latte if we want to. Isn’t it fun to be a human in the city?

The Ducks

I love ducks in the city, because they poop all over the ground so that, we the people, can step in it! If I could count how many times I’ve had this pleasure… well, it would be a lot of times!

You Can Always Find Them Under The 'L'

Feed the wild city birds under the ‘L’, in Grant Park, by Lake Michigan, or out your apartment window.

The Hefty Ones

We city dwellers can’t help that we feed the squirrels too much. They’re just so darn cute! “Here, have a french fry. How bout a latte?”
Animals are often rare and when one is spotted, it’s like being at the petting zoo. Except you can’t pet them.

Our Friend The Rat

Now here is a standard city dweller. For centuries these ugly beings have lived deep in the walls and cracks of buildings and subway stations. No matter how hard we fight them, they breed faster than you can even say RAT. They MUST serve a purpose, right? I’ll keep my distance though, thank you.

Cockroaches

Sorry, they are not cute at all.
GROSS. JUST GROSS.

Sea Gulls

They are around any large body of water, in any city. In Chicago, they fly around Lake Michigan relentlessly looking for food. If they could talk, I’d want them to say, “Dinglehopper.”

Andrew Bird

Just thought I’d point out that he is a brilliant musician and from Chicago as well! He’s not an animal though, just very talented.