Jul 11, 2017

18 Pigeon Tales : Benji's Shenanigans

So cute that I look forward to it! Benji is one of the most adventurous pigeons I know. Remember my previous post on her varied choice of food? I believe she's kind of a foodie, in the bird kingdom of course.

Sometimes she pops in just to hang out, roaming my little green space for close to an hour before flying off again. I had no idea how territorial Benji was until another pigeon tried to land on the ledge. It was so surprising to see my cute buddy flapping her wings with mighty force to shoo the other bird away. The stranger, possibly a younger pigeon, was spooked and it looked like I'm destined to care for two pigeons and no more, that is Benji and Gaston. But inside me was a hope that the little guy will come back. And he did, but cautiously, avoiding the usual time my funny bird would be there.

This is a video of Benji checking out my Pak Choy greens. Yep, she took a bite and threw it away. She also stomped on the 2-week old vegetable. From the internet, I learned that pigeons do eat young leafy greens. No wonder the older plant was left untouched. Luckily, my poor plant survived the ordeal. In fact, it is ready for harvest today. Benji hopped on to the next pot and proceeded to eat my succulents. See? Foodie. She also regularly nibbles on my rosemary plant after each meal of seeds.



More recently, I saw Benji walking up and down my balcony in search of something. She finally settled on my orchid plant which had purple blooms and started tugging on a long root. She succeeded and flew away with it. It was a joy to see but I now had doubts about Benji's gender. You see, I had read somewhere that male pigeons gathered nesting material for the female. Benji was clearly looking for 'stuff' to build a nest! Well, until I know for sure, I will still refer to Benji as a 'her' .




I don't talk much about the other two pigeons who visit me because they're extremely neat and well-behaved as opposed to Benji. They clean up every seed that is put out there, leave nothing behind and fly off. This does not mean that they are not adorable. They are, and have their own quirks too. Benji, on the other hand, is always up to mischief. She eats, she daydreams ..yes, she does. She takes several short breaks to appreciate the sky whilst eating - which is why she takes a...g....e......s to finish her meal.

Benji's Planter Box and The Mess She Makes After Eating

For the past few days, Benji has been behaving jealously. It's funny, I know but I think Benji suspects that I've been feeding the little stranger behind her back. I've put out more food than usual, and in three different places. Benji goes to her usual spot in the plant container to eat the seeds I have placed there for her. After getting her fill, she pops out, heads to the other corner and starts swishing away the rest of the seeds on the floor in some sort of cute rampage. Yep, she created a big mess on purpose! For four days straight!

I never imagined a day that I would be enamoured by pigeons. Cats, maybe. Dogs, maybe. Not pigeons. It always seemed that they were a flock of characterless birds that I would never be able to tell apart. How wrong I was!

A packet of bird seeds costs between RM6 to RM9 and it lasted two months for me. Just to give you an idea how much I'm spending on my two, now three bird buddies.

Sunset
I hope you enjoyed reading about my naughty bird. 😉 To end, I leave you with a picture of a beautiful sunset taken from my balcony and wish you a lovely week ahead.


18 comments:

  1. Fascinating post and I love the photo and videos, Sharon! Pigeons are quite intelligent and were used during wartime as military messengers. I hope you are doing well, dear friend. Much love and warm hugs to you.

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    1. Warm hugs to you too, Linda xx Thank you for that bit of information ..it amazes me what they can do. ^.^

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  2. What a cute story of your pigeon which clearly tickled my ribs. I admire your patience to observe and study this bird until a beautiful story is laid out. It is true that it could be looking for some suitable dry materials to build a nest to start a family otherwise it would not bother. I really believe that they have jealousy emotions and very good memories too. When I was a student in US, it was my first encounter to see hundreds of very fat American pigeons being fed along the boulevards behind my college. It was so fun to observe them fight, wobble and gobble the seeds on the ground. Later on, I had read history books how pigeons could deliver secret messages after flying home over 1500 miles! They were being used in many countries like China, Baghdad, Rome, Greece and Indonesia. Amazing pigeons yet the mainlanders love to roast & eat them! Sigh!

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    1. My grandmother used to make pigeon herbal soup .. lol!
      I never knew how awesome pigeons can be, but I'm learning something new as time goes by. I told my husband about the fat pigeons you saw - hope our buddies put on a bit of weight. I think they're a little on the skinny side :P

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  3. Cool visitors you've got there; you've even given Benji his name. Have you tried sending secret messages like back in olden days?? xoxo

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    1. I wish I knew how, Shirley - then I wouldn't have to pay postage ^.^

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  4. My late Grandpa, when he was alive, he loves birds and used to keep it as pets...

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  5. Great story of you and Benji :)

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    1. Thanks, Ez. Never knew pigeons could be this cute!

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  6. I enjoyed your story about your cute Benji. They have character too! The pigeon with the wounded wing that took refuge in my porch area and fed by me had finally healed and flew away.

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    1. Aww...so happy to hear, Nancy. I am currently addicted to seeing my bird buddies!

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  7. Wow! Never thought you build a strong bond with the birds. I am surprised.

    I like the name. Benji. Does fit the bird nicely. Somehow Benji name means naughty and cheeky. Haha

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    1. I am as surprised ..haha! We've given Benj a last name now - Benji Bon Jovi ..lol.

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  8. What a fun story. I love birds and they are much smarter than we give them credit for!

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    1. Ohh... I am learning that now, Abbe, seeing Benj's antics ^.^

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  9. Bon jovi hahahaha!!!! that fella must be singing 'Its My Life'!!!!!

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  10. Hahahaha.... that song is so ngam for that pigeon of ours!!!

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