Golfers at Rainier, Glen Acres and West Seattle are used to seeing many crows, ducks, squirrels, robins, swallows and an occasional fox or eagle.

But they don't see too many pigeons.

This week I was playing Rainier and saw a fat pigeon standing on a metal box near the 10th green. As I got nearer to him he didn't move or flee like most wild things.

Squirrels often raid your golf cart in search of a candy bar or half-eaten sandwich. I have seen many golfers chase the furry little beasts running ahead with their Snickers.

But this pigeon did not move even when I got as close as 2 feet. I figured he must be sick or injured and then I noted that he only had one leg. I pointed this out to my partner, Ken Smith, and then, my heart throbbing with sympathy, I reached into my golf bag and got a handful of trail mix and placed it in front of my pitiful little friend.

He was starving. He attacked the goodies like he had not eaten in weeks.

Then Ken noted that he was now standing on two legs.

"Now who is the pigeon?" he jibed.

I was stunned and looked carefully. His legs were white. Not Ken's, the bird's.

"Look," I said. "His legs have bandages on them." I told you he was injured. Poor little guy."

"Those are feathers, coo-coo," Ken said.

It is pretty sad when you can't trust your feathered friends.

When I got home Elsbeth asked if I had shared my snacks.

"Yep. Kinda," I muttered.

Jerry Robinson is pigeon feeder extraordinare and publishes this paper.