Birds of Peace?

Most of my life I have believed that doves have been the symbol of peace because they are peaceful, non-aggressive birds.  However, once my son erected our bird feeder and I have seen how these peaceful birds attack each other I have changed my mind.

            At times we have as many as fifty birds happily pecking at bird seeds in our feeder.  Finches come in large groups as do sparrows.  There are too, occasional blue jays and chickadees and other kinds also.  All of these birds get along just fine.  Doves, however, are a different story altogether.  Whenever two or more of them arrive there is at once a huge fight as they flail at each other, pecking at each others heads.

            How these birds became the symbol of peace is a great puzzle to me. Tasmanian Devils that attack each other even while mating are by far more peaceful creatures.

              And so I have added Doves to the long list of things I don’t know about or understand. 

It is truly remarkable to realize each day just how stupid I was yesterday and as Mark Twain had said, “How much my father had learned before I was twenty-one”

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