Ornithological considerations
By topffer
@topffer (42156)
France
July 23, 2021 2:01pm CST
On early Thursday morning when I was going to buy my croissants, I found near my front door about half a cube meter of cartons blocking the entrance. Buying online is not good for the environment. Cartons are picked up every Wednesday circa 8 pm. I guess a neighbor was late and found smart to put them in front of my door. It was not the first time that it was happening and I was suspecting the students around, but this time some cartons were abandoned with the name and street address of their owner. It was coming from the nice 17th C private hotel in front of my house, on the other side of the street. The last one that I would have suspected. The woman is so snobbish ! But it was not her name. A servant ? Or there is a tenant renting a part of this 800m2 house ? Never mind. I took the cartons and put them near the massive wood door of the porch closing the access to the courtyard.
Two hours later I noticed that the cartons were no more there but... piled in front of another door on the right owned by an architect woman with an aristocratic name and a Persian cat. Very interesting behavior. On midday all the cartons were back near the door of the porch, with a couple of them showing the name and adress left in evidence near the street. Vicious. Putting garbage waste at the wrong time is a 135 euros fee in my city. Finally on the evening the cartons were gone.
This made me think at the cuckoo bird. If the cuckoo bird is successful at laying eggs in other birds nests, it is because it is smart :
- it lays no more than 1 egg in each nest and it removes 1 egg from the nest to fool the owners of the nest ;
- and, indeed, it never writes its name and address on its eggs !
15 people like this
10 responses
@LadyDuck (471547)
• Switzerland
24 Jul 21
The cuckoo is smart, but the most annoying bird in the world. There is one here around that sings all the day long from early May to end of June... how does the cuckoo meat taste?
Not polite to place the cartoons in front of other doors... as the address was on it, I can figure out the average Swiss, taking some photos, grabbing the phone, calling the police and sending the photos to the Mayor office so that they could fine the correct not civilized citizen.
3 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
24 Jul 21
Cuckoos are very pervert birds, and serial killers at birth : the first thing that does a 1 day old baby cuckoo is to push the other eggs and baby birds from the nest to have all the food for it. And the poor birds are feeding this criminal ! At least if they are insectivores, because cuckoos are eating only insects. Sometimes a dumb cuckoo lays an egg in the nest of grain eaters, and they will not be able to feed the baby who will die.
My first idea was to call the city police, but it would have been a lot of troubles for something that could be solved easily
And by the way the name was sounding Italian but with a French first name. Somebody from Corsica or Nice maybe.
And by the way the name was sounding Italian but with a French first name. Somebody from Corsica or Nice maybe.2 people like this
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@BarBaraPrz (47314)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
24 Jul 21
I'm guessing these are empty boxes? If they still had their contents, I would suggest appropriating said contents next time they're in front of your door. 
3 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
24 Jul 21
I have not checked, but I believe all the boxes were empty, yes. If Santa Claus had forgotten his full sack in front of my home, the title of this post would be "moral considerations". I have been tempted a moment to call the police and lodge a complaint, but it would have been too much trouble for something that could be solved by bringing back his mess on the other side of the street to the sender.
. I have been tempted a moment to call the police and lodge a complaint, but it would have been too much trouble for something that could be solved by bringing back his mess on the other side of the street to the sender.3 people like this
@BarBaraPrz (47314)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
24 Jul 21
@topffer I don't suppose "the wind blew them over"?
3 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
24 Jul 21
@BarBaraPrz Who knows ? It is the top of a hill I can't tell where they went, it was not near another neighboring house.
I can't tell where they went, it was not near another neighboring house.2 people like this
@lovinangelsinstead21 (36850)
• Pamplona, Spain
27 Jul 21
First thing that I can see is a beautiful photo that is all I can see.
I already know what a cuckoo does still I can only see how beautiful the photo is.
Cardboard was like gold here at one time if you left it downstairs they would swallow it up right away it seems they got paid for collecting it.
A robin is very beautiful too and so is a blackbird but they are and have their own ways of being.
I can hear a dove right now through the filters of the kitchen and its making a nice soft sound.
I can think of lots of annoying things that they do here but then it all passes thank God for htat like noisy abusive neighbours that talk to the other neighbour but right outside your own door and these rellanos are only two and a half meters long and just about a metre wide.
2 people like this
@lovinangelsinstead21 (36850)
• Pamplona, Spain
27 Jul 21
@topffer
Very touching story of the dove poor thing our dog used to try and kill them as well and he knew that I did not like it.
Blackbirds are super intelligent and if they don´t want you in their territory they will fly low over your head letting you feel their claws in your hair.
Both touching stories I love the blackbird when its cheeky as it normally is.
In Mendillorri they used to hop around outside the kitchen door.
In Turkey they seem to have a great love of doves for some reason they are almost always in their drama stuff.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
27 Jul 21
@lovinangelsinstead21 I would not have imagined that the doves coming every year in my garden were doing so many kms !
I look at doves and blackbirds differently now. They are likeable birds and smart. Pigeons are stupid compared to doves.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
27 Jul 21
I fed a couple of doves until my cat managed to kill the male and brought it back to me. It had a ring put in Turkey. They were crossing Europe every spring to build a nest in my garden. I guessed they escaped to many hunters. I was angry against the cat, who was a bird killer, but it was too late
. There was a couple of blackbirds who were eating with the doves. And when they left, something incredible happened : I heard something knocking to my door, it was the mother blackbird with her children. They looked at me and did not moved during quite a long time, then they flied. I realized 1 or 2 days later that they were gone, and that the mother wanted to introduce me to her big babies before leaving. Very touching !
I don't like cuckoos, they are antisocial serial killers and very noisy. I did not knew that they could eat cardboard. Probably not good for any bird.
Only the students in 2 houses not far are noisy. And the people leaving bars at 1am and screaming or singing.
. There was a couple of blackbirds who were eating with the doves. And when they left, something incredible happened : I heard something knocking to my door, it was the mother blackbird with her children. They looked at me and did not moved during quite a long time, then they flied. I realized 1 or 2 days later that they were gone, and that the mother wanted to introduce me to her big babies before leaving. Very touching !
I don't like cuckoos, they are antisocial serial killers and very noisy. I did not knew that they could eat cardboard. Probably not good for any bird.
Only the students in 2 houses not far are noisy. And the people leaving bars at 1am and screaming or singing.2 people like this
@Torunn (8607)
• Norway
30 Jul 21
@topffer Even those with big houses have to make money in some way :-)
So it's not like that all over France? It did sound very Swiss.
The mess here will start in some weeks when the new students arrive and the old one come back from holiday. It's always too much garbage for the containers in mid-June and mid-August. The gulls love it, it's usually also quite a lot of food outside the garbage containers.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
30 Jul 21
@Torunn I would not like to have a tenant in my own house, although it is also quite large. There are two houses rented to students not far from mine, 6 or 7 flats in each of them, and their owners would not like to live in them. In France people are buying houses to rent them, they rarely rent a part of their home.
Here also students are dropping a lot of things when they leave, some are even dropping quite all their furniture...
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
30 Jul 21
I learned that he was a tenant. I would never have thought that they would accept a tenant inside this house, but it helps to pay the taxes
It was the third time it was happening in a couple of months. No, it is not normal. I live in a historical protected area where I cannot change a tile without an authorization and the garbage cannot be put outdoors more than 1 hour before it is picked. It is possible that the city picked it and put a fine to the tenant. I can't tell. He will buy a bit less online and will have less cartons
It was the third time it was happening in a couple of months. No, it is not normal. I live in a historical protected area where I cannot change a tile without an authorization and the garbage cannot be put outdoors more than 1 hour before it is picked. It is possible that the city picked it and put a fine to the tenant. I can't tell. He will buy a bit less online and will have less cartons1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (178806)
• United States
24 Jul 21
That was very rude to put the cartons in front of your door! I'm glad they are now gone.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (178806)
• United States
25 Jul 21
@topffer Good for you! Always nice to see you here!
1 person likes this
@much2say (55616)
• Los Angeles, California
27 Jul 21
I would be so mad finding that near my front door. Not so smart of whomever to leave their name and address . . . I would have taped a tall carton tower together (maybe even decorate it) and left it at their front door . Boy, those cartons sure shifted around from place to place . . . maybe they possessed legs and were just walking around on their own ? I have not seen cuckoos around here . . . but if we had a carton dropping neighbor here, we would have captured it on security video as well.
. Boy, those cartons sure shifted around from place to place . . . maybe they possessed legs and were just walking around on their own ? I have not seen cuckoos around here . . . but if we had a carton dropping neighbor here, we would have captured it on security video as well.1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
28 Jul 21
I did not found it fun, it had already happened twice and I had to put the mess in my corridor during a week to not be fined. But this time he made a serious mistake. Yes, maybe these cartons had legs, I don't know where they went at the end. Maybe he brought back them to home, or he removed his name and address and put them near a third door.
The possibility to put a camera looking on a public space like a street is very limited in France for privacy reasons. Only the city can do it.
. Yes, maybe these cartons had legs, I don't know where they went at the end. Maybe he brought back them to home, or he removed his name and address and put them near a third door.
The possibility to put a camera looking on a public space like a street is very limited in France for privacy reasons. Only the city can do it.1 person likes this
@allknowing (136481)
• India
24 Jul 21
I thought this post was all about birds. I am a nature lover
1 person likes this
@kaylachan (69776)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
23 Jul 21
Some people can be real dumb, but I guess they hoped someone else would take care of the mess.
1 person likes this
@JESSY3236 (19949)
• United States
27 Jul 21
Yeah that is not smart. They need some identity privacy rollers that block out the name and addresses. I have been wanting some rollers for a long time now.
1 person likes this
