I moved recently into an apartment in Bur Dubai. The apartment has a tiny balcony - and like most Asians I plan to use this balcony to dry my laundry.
The balcony is home to a couple of pigeons. They seem to be a couple, and sit huddled together most of the time in a corner of the balcony.
I love observing them - they give me a sense of peace and harmony. They seem to be my only connection with nature.
The pigeons fly out just a couple of times a day - probably to grab a quick bite. And then they rush back to my balcony - almost as if they are afraid of losing their place on the balcony to some rival. This initially puzzled me as they seem to be the only pair in the apartment complex.
And then I realized that my balcony is the only one still "open" in the whole apartment complex - all other balconies have been closed off with nets - obviously to prevent birds from nesting.
The building caretaker informed me that there used to be dozens of these birds in the apartment complex - but over a period of time they have all left the building after the tenants started fencing off the balconies. The pair on my balcony seem to be the last of them.
I am now facing the same challenge that prompted other apartment owners to close their balconies - these pigeons mess up the balcony, and soil up the laundry. In fact I am currently forced to dry my laundry in my bedroom - a luxury I can ill-afford given the tiny apartment size.
So it is just a matter of time before I too close off this pigeon pair's last refuge. I will do this reluctantly and with much regret, consoling myself that the last of the pigeon pair will eventually find a more hospitable host in an apartment complex elsewhere in this city.
The balcony is home to a couple of pigeons. They seem to be a couple, and sit huddled together most of the time in a corner of the balcony.
The pigeons fly out just a couple of times a day - probably to grab a quick bite. And then they rush back to my balcony - almost as if they are afraid of losing their place on the balcony to some rival. This initially puzzled me as they seem to be the only pair in the apartment complex.
And then I realized that my balcony is the only one still "open" in the whole apartment complex - all other balconies have been closed off with nets - obviously to prevent birds from nesting.
The building caretaker informed me that there used to be dozens of these birds in the apartment complex - but over a period of time they have all left the building after the tenants started fencing off the balconies. The pair on my balcony seem to be the last of them.
I am now facing the same challenge that prompted other apartment owners to close their balconies - these pigeons mess up the balcony, and soil up the laundry. In fact I am currently forced to dry my laundry in my bedroom - a luxury I can ill-afford given the tiny apartment size.
So it is just a matter of time before I too close off this pigeon pair's last refuge. I will do this reluctantly and with much regret, consoling myself that the last of the pigeon pair will eventually find a more hospitable host in an apartment complex elsewhere in this city.
