Birds of all shapes and sizes

Posted 6/7/2014

Sorry for the long gap between posts; the blog has been on hiatus while my sisters were visiting me in Paris.  We had a great time and saw many things... but I've been meaning to do a bird post for a while now, so I'm going to do that first.  I'll be showing the birds and commenting on the places where I saw them.  (The first entry was the duck I saw on the Canal St Martin (post dated May 9th), which one of my readers identified as a white muscovy duck.)

Of course, in the city, there are pigeons, pigeons, pigeons!  They seem pretty fat and happy.  Occasionally I see a group of them feasting on a whole baguette (or close to one) that has somehow ended up in the street.  Normally I probably wouldn't photograph them, but I liked these near-silhouette compositions from the rooftop of the Pompidou Centre. 

The Pompidou is a modern art museum, and the building is highly unconventional (having all of its ductwork, etc., on the outside, in various bright colors) and somewhat controversial.  But its infamy pales in comparison to that of the Tour Montparnasse, and the art collection is outstanding.

Paris is flanked by two large wooded parks, the Bois de Boulogne on the west and the Bois de Vincennes on the east.  I visited the first with my friend Marilynd and the second on my own.  We saw the following waterfowl at the Bois de Boulogne:

Coot-like bird (with white forehead) and babies:

I'm cheating and using a poster for the gallinule, or moorhen (poule d'eau) because I couldn't get a decent photo.

Our visit to the Bois de Boulogne followed a visit to the nearby Musee Marmottan Monet (lots of Monets) in the lovely 16th arrondisement.  It was a wild weather day, with nice sunny intervals alternating with sudden downpours.  We saw just a portion of the Bois de Boulogne (it's big), and the eating options that were presented were limited to two choices:  a fancy restaurant on an island--you had to pay just to get to it--and a little snack bar that did not look too promising.  But we were very hungry and opted for the latter, ordering two "Croque Monsieur"s.  This is in quotation marks because they were so bad that the man serving them should have been ashamed, as a Frenchman, for doing so.  And then, of course, it started pouring rain, so we were eating them (or picking at them) under our umbrellas... it's one of those moments that you kind of laugh at later, maybe, haha.  I told Marilynd that only her presence made it bearable.

All in all, though, it was a lovely park-- we also saw the stables for the city police horse force, and a couple of the beautiful residents.  But they need better food for the commoners.

At the Bois de Vincennes, over on the eastern side of the city, I saw another moorhen, and I was able to get a picture:

There were several magpies cavorting on the grass.  I also see magpies strutting around the Jardin du Luxembourg on a regular basis.

Nearby was a family of geese with four growing goslings.  They were close enough that I took several pictures.

Then mom and dad got up and started walking toward me.  I decided I would back off a little...

But, fortunately, they showed no interest in me and started marching, with their brood, down the footpath.  Apparently they are quite used to people, living in a park.  Goose family on parade!

(I can see where the term "goose stepping" comes from)

The Bois de Vincennes includes the above nature park (Le Parc Floral de Paris), which had other interesting features, such as a wildlife photography exhibit on large placards posted throughout the park.  It also includes, notably, a castle.  Not as impressive as Vaux le Vicomte or Versailles (yes, I went to Versailles, with my sisters.  OMG the crowds!), but very easy to get to on the Metro.

Update:  I'll be adding some photos of both the Chateau de Versailles and the Chateau de Vincennes later.  I also wanted to include this sign which was posted in the Parc Floral, to educate kids about pollution and litter.  It shows how long selected items take to decompose in the ground:

During her visit, Marilynd took me to see the Square des Batignoles, in the 17th arrondisement, a nice little park which has a pond and many splendid waterfowl.  I have not seem them elsewhere, so I can't say whether or not they are native to the area.

Finally, just yesterday I saw a pair of swans on the Seine, just off of the Ile St Louis. 

Here they are with Notre Dame (on the Ile de la Cite) in the background:

A woman came along and started feeding them; naturally the ducks and pigeons got into the picture as well.  In the first picture, you can see that she is holding her little dog under her arm -- so cute!

Just a few more days until my departure, so I expect that I will continue the blog after I return.  But I'll try to do a little more before then.  Lots of material...

Bon soir,

LeeAnn

Update:  Bird-wise, I should also mention the swifts that go zooming past my balcony window in groups in the evening, with their shrill cries.  I'm sure they keep the bugs down.