Paris: details #4
Even in Paris, birds of a feather stick together. Even the lady has had a visit from feathery friends.
October 13, 2009 in Culture, Travel by Marja-Leena
by Marja-Leena Marja-Leena Rathje
on printworks and other passions
by Marja-Leena
Funny, I didn’t notice all the birds at first. They do get some lovely perches in Paris. I remember the first time I went to Paris being a little horrified that the Rodins I’d studied in school were outside in the park being, um, painted on by birds!
“Impressive! So tell me about your diet. How do get such big, strong wings?” says the little bird to the great eagle.
“Don’t let me tell you anything. They may look good, but I haven’t been able to fly in ages.”
That’s a great photo of the “birds of a feather”!
Leslee, I had forgotten the birds until I blew up the photo in preparation for posting. That really changed my focus! And yes, their ‘paint’ seemed everywhere.
R, heehee… Thanks for my morning laugh!
Maria, thanks! Funny how lately birds have been in my blog, from the eagle on Hornby, the murder of crows and Susan’s image, and now this. Coincidence?
I have been catching up on your blog entries. The photographs are stunning.
I love these photos, Marja-Leena. Pigeons seem to be everywhere. Just this summer they have taken to visiting our birdfeeder, for the first time ever! Our house used to be outside of the city but now the area around here is being developed so I suppose that is why they are here. This morning five pigeons were perched on the telephone wire outside my house so of course I had to dash out and take a few shots!! Speaking of birds, the Nature of Things show on Crows was fascinating. They are so intelligent! Thanks for letting us know of the show.
Anne, thanks, some may have been taken by my husband. They get all mixed up when we share the camera and I don’t always remember which are which. Just to give him credit….
Hi Katja! I always think of pigeons as real city birds, perched on buildings and sculptures, and waddling about city squares especially in Europe. I don’t think I’ve seen them here outside the downtown area, although for a few years there was a flock in some trees in this neighbourhood, that I thought were mourning doves. Now I wonder if they were instead a variety of pigeon because of their gray colouring. I’m not very bird-wise… I’m so glad you saw the Crow program!
You do seem to be noticing birds a lot these days! We have a lot of birds around here who insist that they are doves, not pigeons!
Hattie, are you able to tell the difference between doves and pigeons? From my reading it seems they are often close in appearance and behaviour.
I like the puzzled look on the eagle’s face.
Oh, the indignity of pigeon paint – poor eagle!
🙂
Joe, the eagle is probably wondering why the pigeons are getting him so dirty! Poor eagle indeed, Martha. 🙂
Our pigeons are pests: fat wood pigeons who gobble up all the food put down for charming little birds as well as pecking my cauliflowers to ribbons. The pigeons on the balcony in Thessaloniki were delightfully elegant animations of Picasso paintings, splashed with different colours. I was amused to see in the Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris that many sculptures had fine ‘crowns’ on their heads to deter pigeons from sitting and crapping on them.
Olga, I’d think they’d be pests if they were in my garden doing all that! But what a lovely picture you paint of the pigeons in Greece. Somewhere I’ve seen those ‘crowns’ too. They are on many buildings too.
Marja-Leena. I guess the pigeons are the husky ones.