My LSD-Induced Love Affair With a Pigeon features one of the most eccentric people I've seen appear on Hamilton's Pharmacopeia. In this episode from the show's third season, psychedelic researcher Amanda Feilding recalls an intense love affair she had with a pigeon when she was 23 years old. The expanded consciousness she experienced from LSD allowed her to bond with the bird in a deep way.
Fielding calls the love she shared with "Birdie" one of the most meaningful relationships in her life. She says that the pigeon had two main emotions: "passionate love and hateful jealousy." The bird wanted Fielding all to herself, and was not a fan of Fielding's partner. When Birdie was loving, though, it would cuddle her and kiss her pupils delicately.
The way Fielding allowed the bird to "kiss" her open eyeballs speaks to how extraordinary this love affair was. Although I found her story to be truly heartwarming, I couldn't help but think of a particular scene in Hitchcock's Birds when she mentioned this detail.
Ms. Fielding is also an advocate of preparation (cutting a hole in the skull):