Particular Pigeons

The philosophers call it “the scandal of particularity,” the discomfitingly precise then-and-thereness of any historical event. On a smaller scale, we birders experience it every spring: Why does a given species show up today, at this site, in that tree, rather than tomorrow in someone else’s yard?

My particular scandal is the arrival of the White-winged Doves at our house. It can happen any warm day in the spring; but it doesn’t ever happen any warm day, but rather on a day the birds choose, on inscrutable criteria. And this year, yesterday was that day. I awoke to the syncopated hooting, and it hasn’t stopped since: “Who’ll feed me seed? Who’ll feed me seed?”

Now there’s a question I had no trouble answering.

Thanks to Colin for the beautiful image!