Squeal, Squeal! in the tree

SQUEAL! That's what I heard as I headed up the path. I followed the sound and saw pigeons. "Oh, no", you're thinking. Rats with wings. But pigeons are adorable, a bit stupid but part of our world. At first I thought they were doing the "hootchy-cootchy". But then my brain kicked in. Birds don't mate side-by-side, and never a threesome. The male struts, then hops the female and then walks away. This was something else. I had to get into a different position.

Oh my goodness. A mama and her babies. Feeding time. The mama mouth-feeds the babies, regurgitates seeds and stuff, "mother's milk". These were big babies, so for a good "fit" the wings embraced the babies. Sweet. The babies were recognizably babies,- long beak tips for better access to food. Think sipping straws. After feeding they sat on the branch for a while. They probably came from a nest on a nearby balcony. They certainly didn't nest in that tree. I've seen babies on balconies being fed and babies on a fuse box being fed, but never before on a tree. If they hadn't been calling so loudly I would have missed this moment.

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