<p>It was a persistent pair of blue rock pigeons. Spring had just arrived and birds were booking places for nesting. For some days, the pair had been making the rounds of the front balcony which faces the sun directly, but I paid no heed. I was alarmed when they started placing twigs in the recess of the last of the three rolled up ‘chiks’ (bamboo screen).<br />The sun wasn’t yet sharp and there was no immediate need to roll down the chiks but in Ahmedabad summer comes without warning. If I let the pigeons to nest in the chik the eggs would be at risk — what if someone rolled down the screen unmindfully? Twice I had the twigs removed and twice they returned. The pair had become so possessive of the place that they drove away a pair of mynah, which had apparently similar designs for the place. What disarmed me was that they had chosen the last of the three chiks, the one that would need to be rolled down the last — other two could keep the sun away for some more days.<br />They were quick to sense my acquiescence and got busy. The male would fetch the twigs — one at a time and pass it to the female — beak to beak. When the female brooded the eggs, the male brought grain and was around for protection. Thus they became a part of the balcony setting, my life. A month breezed by.<br /><br />Come March I hoped that now the guests would move on with their chicks so I could screen the potted plants from the blazing shaft of the afternoon sun. That’s when I noticed that the male had stopped visiting the nest. The female also looked troubled. Then she too vanished. To be doubly sure, I waited for a couple of days. When she did not return, I had the chik recess checked out.<br /><br />I wasn’t prepared for what the domestic help showed me. Among the remains of the nest lay the shrivelled up body of a dead chick. I was perturbed. Relief came when I recalled having read somewhere that rock pigeons bond for long, sometimes for life. The Sun is getting sharper but I am keeping the third chik rolled up for a few more days. Who knows they might return for a fresh beginning.</p>
<p>It was a persistent pair of blue rock pigeons. Spring had just arrived and birds were booking places for nesting. For some days, the pair had been making the rounds of the front balcony which faces the sun directly, but I paid no heed. I was alarmed when they started placing twigs in the recess of the last of the three rolled up ‘chiks’ (bamboo screen).<br />The sun wasn’t yet sharp and there was no immediate need to roll down the chiks but in Ahmedabad summer comes without warning. If I let the pigeons to nest in the chik the eggs would be at risk — what if someone rolled down the screen unmindfully? Twice I had the twigs removed and twice they returned. The pair had become so possessive of the place that they drove away a pair of mynah, which had apparently similar designs for the place. What disarmed me was that they had chosen the last of the three chiks, the one that would need to be rolled down the last — other two could keep the sun away for some more days.<br />They were quick to sense my acquiescence and got busy. The male would fetch the twigs — one at a time and pass it to the female — beak to beak. When the female brooded the eggs, the male brought grain and was around for protection. Thus they became a part of the balcony setting, my life. A month breezed by.<br /><br />Come March I hoped that now the guests would move on with their chicks so I could screen the potted plants from the blazing shaft of the afternoon sun. That’s when I noticed that the male had stopped visiting the nest. The female also looked troubled. Then she too vanished. To be doubly sure, I waited for a couple of days. When she did not return, I had the chik recess checked out.<br /><br />I wasn’t prepared for what the domestic help showed me. Among the remains of the nest lay the shrivelled up body of a dead chick. I was perturbed. Relief came when I recalled having read somewhere that rock pigeons bond for long, sometimes for life. The Sun is getting sharper but I am keeping the third chik rolled up for a few more days. Who knows they might return for a fresh beginning.</p>
