August 15. “Button, there’s a love story brewing outside our window.”

“What do you mean?”

“I think a pigeon and a parrot have fallen in love.”

“That’s lovely but how can you tell?”

“Do you remember the speckled pigeon I told you about? He’s a regular visitor now. Of late, at least 6-7 parrots have also been coming to partake of the food that’s put out for them every morning. And it was only yesterday when I noticed the pigeon and the parrot sitting close to each other with the pigeon gently scratching the parrot’s head with his beak.”

“Isn’t that unusual?”

“Very but I saw them with my own eyes. I now understand why bird-watchers enjoy bird-watching. It’s quite a pastime. I have begun to study their behaviour every morning after I put the food out and, I must say, I quite enjoy myself for about 10-15 minutes when they go for the food and water.”

“Have you noticed any other habit you would like to mention?”

“Pigeons are, by far, the most aggressive. They denote peace but the way they fight with each other came as a revelation. They can be very self-centred  too. Crows, on the other hand, come singly or two at a time, feed on the rice, drink the water and fly away. I’ve even seen pigeons attack crows and not the other way round.”

“Unbelievable.”

“Parrots are the nosiest. They chatter non-stop and love eating the apple slices I put out sometimes. I’ve also seen pigeons attack parrots.”