The diary is committed to keeping an eye out for scurrilous gossip flying around our fair city - but today, we turn our attention to another form of flying creature.

Yup, it's pigeons. Not nearly enough gets written about these delightful cooing birds, we feel. But here at the Evening Press we're trying to redress that balance.

A few weeks ago our You Tell Me column - a must-read section featured every Monday where readers get to ask odd questions and get them answered - included a question about pigeons.

Specifically, why do you never see a baby one?

Apparently the answer has to do with pigeons' fledgling habits. Rather like students, they don't leave the nest until they're almost adult sized. Sensible birds.

Nigel Proctor was the clever chap who wrote in first to answer our question - but we had a couple of other letters which the diary would love to share with you.

Hilary Hamilton writes: "...for the past three weeks the ladies in my office in Swinegate East have been watching a baby pigeon getting 'his wings'. We watched the mother pigeon roosting and were astonished to see a little, fluffy, yellow, baby pigeon appear from beneath its mother's wing. What a lovely sight. I know a lot of people regard pigeons as vermin, but the ladies in the office have been keeping an eye on this one.

"We have watched it turn from the little, yellow, fluffy thing to a small bird with tatty feathers and bits of white fluff falling from its head. It has been quite an exciting time for us all, as none of us have ever witnessed this before.

"The baby pigeon is now almost fully grown and will no doubt disappear in a few days but, unknown to the pigeon and its baby, it has brought us all a lot of pleasure."

Jean Fawcett also wrote in to tell us about two pigeons who built a nest in a tree outside her bedroom window last year. She even supplied us with photographic evidence.

"The twigs kept falling to the ground and they eventually 'got the message' and gave up," she said.

"However, this year they have managed to finish the nest and, although it was very late in the season, they did manage to have two babies some time near the beginning of August."

THE star of Tory challenger David Cameron seems to have risen so quickly it has astonished many, even fellow Conservatives.

But could it be that our local Labour group spotted his potential well before even this year's General Election?

In the weeks running up to the poll one of our reporters (Oh, okay then, it was me) interviewed the fresh-faced Tory at a press conference in Selby (audience: one - me. Topics discussed: law and order, police, nothing at all on drugs).

The leadership contender was in the town supporting Mark Menzies, the then Tory candidate for the Selby seat.

When rival candidate John Grogan, who went on to hold Selby for Labour, learned Cameron had been in the town, he said: "Oh, well he is a rising star."

It seems history has proved you right, Mr Grogan.

Updated: 10:28 Thursday, October 27, 2005