That’s not a bird bath! Commuter helps thirsty pigeon take a sip of water at ferry terminal drinking fountain
- A pigeon perched on a water fountain near a New York City ferry appeared to be patiently waiting for help
- Steven Pesantez thought the bird looked thirsty at Staten Island Ferry terminal
- Pesantez pushed the button for the water and the bird started drinking
- It kept on taking sips of water for about 20 seconds before eventually flying off
A pigeon was able to enjoy a drink of water thanks to the help of a passer-by who realized the bird wanted something more.
Steven Pesantez, 25, noticed a pigeon lingering around a public water fountain while waiting for the Staten Island Ferry in New York.
Thinking the bird might be thirsty, Pesantez walked over to the corner and pressed the water fountain’s button to give it a refreshing drink.
A pigeon perched on a water fountain near a New York City ferry appeared to be patiently waiting for help
Steven Pesantez thought the bird looked thirst at the Staten Island Ferry terminal so he went over to push the button on the drinking fountain
To his amazement, no sooner had the water started flowing, the bird stuck its beak into the flow and began to take sips from the stream.
His friend Mariel Mitkowski, who shot the video, can be heard in the background saying: ‘He was waiting for you!’
Although Pesantez was extremely close to the bird as he pushed the button for water, the bird wasn’t scared away.
After about 20 seconds of drinking from the fountain as well as washing its head, the the pigeon flew off.
Uploading the video to Twitter, he wrote, ‘I saw that my mans was thirsty so I decided to help him out.’
Pesantez pushed the button for water and the bird started drinking much to his amusement
The bird kept on taking sips of water for about 20 seconds before eventually flying off
He now calls himself ‘Steve the pigeon whisperer’. The pigeon hung around long enough for some great photographs of the pair
‘We saw the bird hanging out on the water fountain,’ Pesantez told The Dodo. ‘He was hanging out there for a while.’
‘It was an awesome moment helping the little guy get some water,’ he said to USA Today.
‘He had his head in there, drinking the water. He was absolutely enjoying it.’
The Manhattan-based wildlife rehabilitation center the Wild Bird Fund tweeted that this was a ‘regular phenomenon at the Staten Island ferry terminal fountains.’
Meanwhile, reveling in his good deed, Pesantez has since changed his handle on Twitter to ‘Steve the pigeon whisperer’.
‘It was very zen. I picked up what the bird was putting down,’ Pesantez said. ‘It was cool to see an animal that needed help, and to be able to help him. I felt so one with nature, in the ferry terminal.’
‘He wasn’t taking a bath, so I’m pretty sure he was indulging in some of NYC’s finest tap water.’
New York’s Wild Bird Fund took to Twitter to say that it has heard ‘credible reports that this is a regular phenomenon at the Staten Island ferry terminal fountains, not a one-time occurrence.’
While others may be alarmed that the pigeon using the fountain, the New York City Health Department is urging people not to be alarmed saying pigeon droppings pose only ‘modest health risks.’