ZAMBOANGA 2012: BIRDHOUSE AT THE FORT PILAR

One of the icons we see around the Fort Pilar area is the Bird House just as we enter the Shrine of the Lady of the Pillar side gate.

taken in 2011

It has a rustic look... wooden... old... with character. 

I know, everyone has taken for granted that it is there and it is the home of the 300 or so doves and pigeons flying around.

Except maybe for "photowalkers"... and tourists who visit the place!

A few days ago, I took a second ... and third look at the Bird House when I saw some carpenters preparing a new Bird House.

Yes, the Bird House is really now old and beaten!

can you imagine if this falls on someone's head

now showing the signs of the times...

And anytime soon, it might become a safety issue --- it might fall on someone's head!!!

The carpenters were building a new Bird House. I forgot whose initiative this is!

I thought it was for the other birds at the Plaza Del Pilar side across this gate because there were so many doves too.

 

from Wikipedia: Pigeons and doves constitute the bird family, Columbidae, that includes some 310 species of near passerines. They are stout-bodied birds with short necks, and have short, slender bills with fleshy ceres. 

In general, the terms "dove" and "pigeon" are used somewhat interchangeably. In ornithological practice, "dove" tends to be used for smaller species and "pigeon" for larger ones, but this is in no way consistently applied, and historically, thecommon names for these birds involve a great deal of variation between the terms. 

Unlike most birds, both sexes of doves and pigeons produce "crop milk" to feed to their young, secreted by a sloughing of fluid-filled cells from the lining of the crop. Young doves and pigeons are called "squabs".

The carpenters said it was made to replace the old one. I am glad someone thought of building a new home for the birds. Although, being a new house, it would lose the character the Bird House is known for!

The elderly (pardon me!) candle store owners (especially, Mely's Love and Meng's Candle Store) across said they remember it was placed there at the time of Mayor Cesar Climaco, which I initially thought was in 1980-1984, but later found out it was during his earlier term from 1953-1954 and 1955-1961. 

from Wikipedia: Cesar Cortez Climaco (February 28, 1916 — November 14, 1984) was a Filipino politician who served as mayor ofZamboanga City for 11 years. A prominent critic of the martial law regime of Ferdinand Marcos, he was famed for his toughness in governance and colorful personality. He was also famous for his refusal to cut his hair^[1][2] until democratic rule was restored in the Philippines. He was assassinated by an unknown gunman in 1984.

This Bird House should also be celebrating its Golden (50 years) Anniversary... or even Emerald (55 years) Jubilee !!! Can anyone really find out when this Bird House was made?

They narrated that there was a resthouse near the Bird House, then, where the Mayor would bring artists from Manila. (She promised me she would bring a picture taken during that time!...I hope she wouldn't forget) She felt it was like glory days, then.

It was even mentioned that there were less birds when Mayor Climaco left for Manila.

Somehow, Mely's mom, Manang Pinang even dreamt of the Lady of the Pillar feeding the birds, as if to remind them to continue to take care of them and keep them in the area of the Shrine of the Fort Pilar!

The scene of the birds in the place, approaching feeders with the BirdHouse in the backdrop is so refreshing... something like Milan...

there are now about 300 birds in the area and would love to eat the bird seeds, which they sell for about P5.00 per pack...

And maybe the doves and pigeons on the other side have some thoughts, too...

"Are they also thinking of building a Bird House for us here at the Plaza Del Pilar?"

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