We have two uninvited guests in Le Presbytère at the moment , they are moving slowly through their chosen melieu, in this case our Lilas d’Inde Tree in the Garden, fornicating as they go – this in full view of the table on the terrace.

They are Collared Doves, very close to pigeons in appearance but pale fawn and with a collar.

Columbine usually starts the ball rolling by settling on the top of our neighbours terrace canopy and cooing with great seductive power.
It is usually not long before Pierrot arrives , they then retire into the tree to conduct their business.

I think I am beginning to understand why Doves are thought to be the great symbols of romantic love.

Anyway there then starts tremendous games of cache cache among the branches. This game, it should be noted, is not always gracefully performed , there is frequent falling off branches with a mad scrabble of claws and flapping of wings until a balanced perch is achieved, there is much approaching and seductive foreplay only to be followed by very indecisive flapping about by either party as they decide to cool off on the wing and to decide, after they have taken off , where (the hell) they will land.

At this stage I should point out that , whereas they are careful to conceal themselves from other sides they have decided that we are obviously experienced and medically qualified members of the pigeon family so there is no need whatsoever to be discreet before us. I should also point out that the Lilas d’Inde grows up from our garden underneath the terrace and the tree’s Premier Étage , the one with the bedrooms, is directly on our eye level as we sit at the table on the terrace.

Eventually either he wears her down or she wears him down and then very quickly and with “A sudden blow the great wings beating still “ the full blooded act is performed.

The Sudden Blow

This is the only moment we know for sure which is Pierrot and which is Columbine.

There follows some time in post coital bliss.

First , sitting very amicably together , they start to search their chests for lice or grubs with their beaks , then gradually she (we think) starts to have a rummage in his , then he in hers and then (as Angela Mc Namara said long ago ) it is a question of “knocking on the door above to get in below” and the whole cycle is repeated.

Now the interesting and new further stage which happened last night was that after three bouts (but who is counting ) they then started a whole new game called branch bouncing.
This consisted of bouncing up and down on the weaker branches of the tree until they- with a frantic flapping and clawing- nearly , but never quite, fell off.
Sile thinks they are testing the branches looking for a good site for a nest .

If so they will certainly become members of our family.