The Curious Case of the Bread and the Baby Pigeon (Warning: Long story)

I haven't been telling stories lately because of my busy schedule. So for today's post, I decided to share with you all a really longggggggggg story to compensate for the past few months' absence (YAY isn't it? I know you love my story-telling! LOL)

Please be warned that there are some pretty gross pictures that you will see in this post. So here we go...

If you have been visiting my sister's blog. You should have heard about the story by now. In her post, the story is all about this baby pigeon who disappeared into thin air one day and my mum was portrayed as a secret animal lover who adopted the pigeons.

Now, I am going to tell the story in a different light. To make it sound more mysterious and criminal-like (I watch too many episodes of "True Cases with Aphrodite Jones" on Crime and Investigation), let me me bring you through the case of the missing pigeon and bread.

THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE BREAD AND THE BABY PIGEON

The Victim: A Baby Pigeon (the weaker one)

The Witnesses: Mum and I

The Culprit: NOT CONFIRMED

Case Unsolved

In order for you to understand the story better, you need to know the background first.

I live in a pretty old neighbourhood/estate and every five years, there will be some forms of upgrading or renovation done to our flats. The past major upgrading work involved giving the HDB flats a new and younger-looking exterior. To inject some creativity to the design of the flats, the Town Council had come up with some rather hilarious and silly ideas which included the building of an UFO-looking thing at th roof of the flats (water tanks?) and WAIT FOR IT...

platforms outside all windows (so that people can land on the platforms if they accidentally falls out of the windows?).

Anyway, instead of earning praises from the residents, they have instead "earned" curses from active residents like my mum (if you know, she loves to make complaints to the TC). These platforms did not prove to be useful but have attracted some unwelcomed guests.

In the wee hours, you can hear pigeons making love outside my bedroom (thanks to the platforms which serve as a very good and resting area for them). I know they needed their privacy but the sound that the pigeons made just wake me up from my sleep and then you will see my mum opening the window and shoo-ing them away! It is a hilarious sight as you will soon find her cursing her way to the kitchen, "Smelly egg, make love and shit until so dirty! Walau, here we are taking in the germs of the smelly poo!" Then, she will carry a bucket of water and pour it out of the window so that hopefully, she can wash away the poo on the our platform.

Because of my mum's eccentric behaviour (can't blame her, she's a cleanliness freak), the pigeons have obediently stayed away from our house's platforms. Perhaps, they know that my mum had thrown some moth balls onto the platforms too. LOL

So, every now and then, my mum will open the window and check on the conditions outside the windows. Then one day, she made a surprising discovery!

There, on the platform of the flat directly below ours, she found a nest with a pigeon resting on two small eggs! Apparently, a pigeon had built a nest made of twigs and what-not and laid eggs there! WOW!

I thought my mum would have shoo-ed the pigeons away (the papa pigeon was around at times) but she found it interesting and did nothing instead! Everyday, she would open the window and looked down to check on the pigeons (Awwwww).

Then on one fine day, she looked down and saw no eggs! There, cuddling under the feathers of the mama pigeon were two yellow little creatures!

The nest is surrounded with their poo! LOL

That's papa pigeon feeding the babies.

   

Oh no, he spotted me taking pictures! Did you see the baby pigeons?

So, that's papa pigeon and he will be out searching for food in the morning while mama pigeon will protect the babies. Occasionally, you will find the two parents guarding near their offsprings.

Left: Mama pigeon (black) Right: Papa pigeon (grey) 

Unexpectedly, we have an unique birdhouse outside my house. Everyday, mum and I will check on the babies' progress. We witnessed the changing of their feathers, from yellow to grey and saw how they left their nest and wandered around the platform a bit.

Oh, and without fail, we will be greeted with this gross sight.

Random: bird shit and a sanitary pad! LOLOLOLOL

It has been there for ages and dunno which ding-dong threw it out and it landed on that suay neighbour's platform! I bet that neighbour also doesn't know that there's a pad right outside his/her window!

NOW, linking back to the crime...

On the day of the incident, I was in school. Mum met me after school for lunch at NEX. On our way there, she was casually telling me that she had a funny story to share. She said she checked on the pigeons that morning as usual and saw that the smaller baby was rather scrawny and weak. She thought that it may not have enough nutrient. 

Remembering that she had some leftover bread, she went to get one slice and throw it onto the platform, hoping that it will land next to the babies. The first throw was unsuccessful so she threw another. This time round, it landed on the opposite side of the small baby (victim). Being helpful, she walked back to the dining room to get another slice, wishing that she will drop the bread somewhere closer to the small baby.

BUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When she returned, the slice of bread and the smaller baby was gone! YES, DISAPPEARED!

As she was relating the story to me, I could sense something amiss. I think mum could feel it too and so in order to make herself feel better, she told me how smart the mama pigeon was and how she could have carried the smaller baby pigeon away!

LIKE WTH! 

At that moment, I thought my mum was kind of naive. She had no idea that firstly, baby pigeons do not eat bread but instead are fed worms or vomits by their parents. Secondly, pigeons are clumsy birds with small beaks! How can they carry their babies away???? You mean they use the small feet or the beak?

And most importantly...

This is the size of the other baby pigeon then. It was already quite big then! How to carry?!

So, I told mum that the baby was gone. It could have accidentally fell from the platform OR got eaten by crows which the bread attracted them. The second explanation sounded more realistic as there are indeed crows around my area and they are a nasty group of birds. They eat anything and I would not be surprised if the baby pigeon did end up in the hands of the crows.

Upon hearing my explanations, my mum was heated up and chided me for being mean and trying to make her feel bad. I said nothing and when we reached home, my mum rushed to the windows and immediately checked on the birds.

Nope, the smaller baby pigeon was still not there. Instead of having only the mama pigeon around, papa pigeon was also there protecting the only baby pigeon left. Mum was so anxious and felt bad that she checked on the birds many times that night.

It was only until the next morning that she accepted the fact that the missing baby pigeon could have been eaten by the crows.

Up till now, it is not confirmed on the whereabouts of the baby pigeon and the bread but one thing I know for sure, mum was kind of affected by the incident. Her "good deeds" turned out to be bad afterall.

Anyway, it has been one week since the incident. We continuously monitor the growth of the larger baby pigeon and today, this is my finding.

The baby has grown bigger and the nest has disappeared too! Instead, you will find a pile of whitish wiggling things next to the baby pigeon. Look closer, they are actually worms! Must be the papa pigeons brought them home for the baby's supper! LOL

So, where has the nest gone to?

Directly on the opposite side, papa and mama pigeons are setting up another nest! AND mama pigeon is resting on one or two eggs again! Papa and mama pigeons are really efficient! Oh and mama pigeon is so fertile!

In another few weeks' time, we will be greeted by the sight of another baby pigeon and I think this really makes mum feel better. However, I don't think she will feed them bread in future. LOL

No matter where the baby pigeon went, the story still has a happy ending. :)