I like to think of them as taking a surreal journey to another land, where they become unlikely heroes in an epic clash between good and evil involving lady pigeons wearing chain mail cloaca-kinis.
Or even better, at one point the pigeons seek help from a crow, who teaches them how to fashion chainmail from barbed-wire fences. The process is laborious, and the birds spend months fashioning a single suit of armor. Finally, their greatest hero braves the grain trap in an attempt to claim as much grain as possible. The weight of the suit means he is caught up in the middle. He sinks down, there is a *Crunch* followed by a loud *Clank*, and then deafening silence. Thanks to his sacrifice, now all the birds may have as much grain as they want, at least for now.
You'd think that pigeons would have a greater sense of self preservation that this. Also, I have a friend who lived in Russia for a while. She said the food was terrible. I believe it.