Jacqueline Burrell
July 4th, 2008, 10:47 AM
Recently, a new ritual has started in our household.
We have four rescued cats and would estimate at least four pairs of breeding Common Bulbuls resident in the garden. The day begins with the ‘swarralleluiah’ dawn chorus from the hundreds of House Sparrows that roost in the surrounding trees and palms. The soloists vary according to the time of year but the Hooded Crows and Bulbuls are always amongst the loudest. This prompts the cats, which normally sleep on our bed to meander off to the kitchen for some biscuits followed by ablutions on the balcony and a cat nap until we come out for breakfast.
One pair of Bulbuls has been frantically collecting nesting material for what I assume to be their second brood of the year and a strange relationship has developed between again what I assume to be the male and our huge, alpha male cat. When the Bulbul sees Efendi from the safety of a tree, he flies towards the cat landing on a plant on the wall only about three feet away and proceeds with his warning call at the top on his voice for at least five minutes. The cat is not in the least impressed and just stares at him until he flies away and yet if a Palm Dove on Sparrow lands on the balcony he goes berserk.
We have four rescued cats and would estimate at least four pairs of breeding Common Bulbuls resident in the garden. The day begins with the ‘swarralleluiah’ dawn chorus from the hundreds of House Sparrows that roost in the surrounding trees and palms. The soloists vary according to the time of year but the Hooded Crows and Bulbuls are always amongst the loudest. This prompts the cats, which normally sleep on our bed to meander off to the kitchen for some biscuits followed by ablutions on the balcony and a cat nap until we come out for breakfast.
One pair of Bulbuls has been frantically collecting nesting material for what I assume to be their second brood of the year and a strange relationship has developed between again what I assume to be the male and our huge, alpha male cat. When the Bulbul sees Efendi from the safety of a tree, he flies towards the cat landing on a plant on the wall only about three feet away and proceeds with his warning call at the top on his voice for at least five minutes. The cat is not in the least impressed and just stares at him until he flies away and yet if a Palm Dove on Sparrow lands on the balcony he goes berserk.