And then there eight

I was just contemplating getting on with roasting a guinea fowl for dinner yesterday evening when my eyes were drawn out of the window. Ever since we've been here, there's been a resident couple of collared doves. When we first came a very young pair used to sit on a branch of a dead tree. They sat so still. They happily let us get really close, only flying off if we put out a hand to touch them.

Since then we regularly have had a couple sat on the trellis, never very far from each other, cooing away, apparently devoted to each other, a real pair of love doves. Then last year a third appeared, causing a certain amount of disharmony at mating time.

This summer a fourth appeared. Harmony was restored.

So, yesterday I look out of the window. There are the four. No, five. Then I notice the one having a drink at the bird bath. It flies back to the trellis. By now there are not six, but eight doves sat on the trellis. No wonder the bird food is disappearing so fast! This on top of the nil blackbirds that have become four or five, the flock of starlings & the one of sparrows. The word has clearly got around that this is the best restaurant in town.