MEETING DOVEY

MEETING DOVEY

LT COL NOEL ELLIS

18/IX/2024

Over the last couple of years, the colony where we stay, birds have really made our ‘Dil Khush’. They are here in all shapes, sizes, and colours. They sing and chirp in their own tunes, generating classical ‘raag darbari’ of a distinct kind from the ‘Jodhpur Gharana’.

Some calls are shrill, and others quite gruff. Their octaves range from tenors to bass, to alto to baritones to sopranos and you name it. The ‘Birdy Choir’ blends together a beautiful melody for us everyday. May God Bless them always.

There are a couple of doves who we have grown very fond of. They are called the common Eurasian Doves. They throng our colony as they find grain and water in plenty. By the way, they have now got used to particular homes as they go around ‘cooing’ the whole day. A couple of them visit us daily without fail.

Initially, they used to be scared like hell. Sometimes, inadvertently one would open the main door and these birds would scamper out of the grain bowl, only to return when the coast was clear. Now, we are more careful. We peep through the drawing room window before we startle them. The doors are now opened softly because of them, lest we disturb them.

Be that as it may. We have seen them fighting too. Their fights are deadly. From the trees they come down holding each other's paws down to the lawn. That is where they wrestle with each other till they lose some feathers and peck each other incessantly. The victor stays firm at his place and the vanquished flutters off somewhere. This is to woo their partners.

Their mating time is over, now there is peace and harmony prevailing amongst them. The rivals are now ally’s. They sit in the same bowl to eat and perch on the same branch to coo.

There have been instances in the evening while I go to tend to our water lily garden on the roof that some doves sit on nearby roofs to sing, woo, and coo. In the mornings their behaviour is different. Doves fly straight into the sky cooing away to glory and then come down with wings spread to perch as they give a call to their partners.

There is one dove which comes to have a drink in her favourite lily bowl. I was suspicious that how was the water in the bowls reducing, even after topping it up daily. The mystery was solved the other day. Our ‘Dovey’ not only came for a drink but also dipped herself in the shallow bowl. A quick wash and a few sips in the evening must be getting her ready for a good night's rest at dusk.

This morning, Dovey as usual came and sat on our neighbours roof. Without looking at her, they get conscious, so I kept working with my water lily plants. Cleaning the moss, removing dead leaves and algae takes time. She kept waiting patiently till I finished and moved to one side. I knew she was patiently observing and waiting for me to move for her to dive in, but when was the big question.

Having retreated to one corner of the roof, it was time for Dovey to come into action. She glided like a kite and landed on a short runway which is the parapet wall where the bowl is kept. Two quick sips and an assertive look around for any threats, she took off high into the sky as if to thank me for the water provided for her.

That Dovey flight was similar to the “salami” an ace ‘Pilot Gunner’ of our battalion would give after having pierced his target with a Malutka Missile and would pull his joystick to let the missile take off skywards.

I bid good bye to Dovey and thanked her for the pose she gave me. To have the camera ready at the exact time of her arrival and to click at the right time is very tough with such ‘fleety’ kind of birds. It was another lucky day for me.

Will Dovey pose for me again soon? I wonder!!!!!!

JAI HIND