The bird bunch and the cat

It's definitely the middle of winter here and a very strange winter it's been but there's something stranger....there have been six or seven black birds that have been flying onto my porch for the last couple of days. I have no idea why....did they imagine that Spring had arrived?

It's the same bunch of birds (I hope it's the same bunch) that's been visiting my porch for the last couple of days. There is a stray cat who lives on the porch (a cat - whom Guha christened 'Minimus' - who still assumes that I'm going to catch him and turn him into a winter muffler; he sometimes forgets and approaches my extended fingers but then runs away; I don't know whether both of us are a little scared of each other because sometimes I am a little worried that he's going to bite my fingers off....and sometimes he'll be engaging in some form of communication - with longing looks and all exchanged across the window - with my two cats who live inside; sometimes he miaows for them when they are elsewhere; and then sometimes he'll be miaowwing furiously even when he has his food and water and both Barty and Max are sitting near the window - I know he's being a "cat" then; I rush outside still - like the human fool I am - and then he'll go scampering under the couch and sit there very comfortably and look at me; so I'll be sitting on my haunches and he'll be sitting there looking immensely pleased with himself and honouring me with a kind look every now and again but he'll not come anywhere near me; so I'll be yakking for a bit while sitting on my haunches; he has no intentions of coming any closer but he sometimes has an almost smug look alongwith a sort of forlorn look - the little dear - which seems to say, "aha. I got you to come out and sit with me." He looks perfectly content and after a while I go back in). The first day I saw the bunch of birds swooping down I thought I was seeing things until Barty (my cat) started chittering and chattering the way cats do when they see birds. I looked and they went for the little stray cat's bowl of food...at least I think that's what they did after chattering amongst themselves. So out I went and put some more cat food into a plate. The plate of food was gone in the eve' - so I'm assuming the birds had their fill. They came down again just some moments ago. They look a little confused...as much as I can make out and somewhat ruffled too - going by their feathers. I don't know whether they are rattled but I believe they might be for one of the birds with its feathers sticking out suddenly pecked the other one whose feathers are also sticking out and the second one pecked the other one back for no reason that I could see; it all seemed quite unnecessary - and rather rude - although I don't know whether they were exchanging fond gestures....

But what are the birds doing here in the middle of winter? Guha, the vet, has let me know that I should give them some moong dal and rice - and so I've put both on a plate out on the porch.