Just a few pictures of the lovely birds that took over our courtyard during our last weeks living there. There were two babies, one of which learnt to fly about 3 days earlier than the second, pictured on my finger. Initially we tried to help it get up in the air -- we placed it on the table, we unknotted a string that got tangled around its talons, we gave it lots of moral support and encouragement (go baby oiseau, go!) but, in the end, I think we ended up traumatizing more than helping the poor thing. I felt horrible when one day I poured cleaning solution on the terrace in order to clean up their bird poop (it was everywhere, like it had rained blueberries!) and the baby, in an attempt to dodge me, decided to go for a little swim. I was afraid it would get sick so I washed it clean with the watering can. Needless to say, it did not enjoy its first shower. The parents were pretty protective, anytime we got close to the birds they began to chirp, their song sounding metallic -- like someone rubbing a rock on a cheese grater. Or something like that. Anyway, it may sound silly but we were so excited, and a little sad, when baby oiseau flew the coop...
