A Visitor

So, I'm in the back yard fussing around with my potted plants on the deck when I hear a flutter of wings and feel a shadow descend upon me. I look up as a beautiful, white pigeon lands on a table top about three feet away from me. I am taken by surprise by both the boldness of the bird and his beauty (since in general I don't find pigeons very attractive).

As I spoke, it just looked at me, which both fascinated and sort of creeped me out. Mind you, this bird is as cool as a cucumber. Take a close look at the next photo and see if you can tell why he might have been so comfortable around me.

I don't know what attracted that pigeon to my yard ~ maybe my birdhouse and fake bird in the background. What I do know is after I thanked him for being so cooperative with the picture taking session, I reminded him that this was not his new home. And so, my feathered visitor left.

When white doves make the occasional visit to our yard, my husband and I pretend that it's his mom checking up on us since doves used to make nests on her back porch. I'd like to get poetic and say my pigeon friend was my dad checking up on us, but really, he would be insulted. If my dad came back as a bird, it would be more like a duck or pheasant, both of which are more in keeping with his outdoorsy nature.