From our camp-side Crespo one-touch loungers we have been watching how birds are adapting to people.
(After 3 months we can at last erect the Crespos with two touches, no swearing and no sympathetic Germans watching us leave them flat on the grass again.) (John – I knew Ruth was quite a tough character but I never expected her to floor so many nice Germans)
We were scavenged by skolly birds (seagulls) at Rastila where we were asked not to feed the pigeons. Here in Slovenia we are scavenged by chaffinches. They fly circuits around the site and call to each other. Whenever a group of campers finish lunch and leave to wash up, they descend in flocks. This morning a blue tit made a landing on the hot gas grill plate to check out the breakfast sausages!
The oddest bird behaviour we saw was an l.b.j. or possibly a sparrow – not a fledging but maybe an immature. It behaved like a nestling to get humans to feed it. Though it could fly perfectly well, it fluffed up its body, sunk its head back so that its beak and gullet were as wide as possible, fluttered helplessly, and squawked like a baby.
Perhaps it had been hand-reared? Perhaps it is a trend?
Dreadful thought but soon all wild creatures will be hand-reared and people will say ‘aaaaahhhh sweet!’ instead of ‘yuck’ and realising what a travesty taming wildlife is.
Then roll on bird ’flu.
Revenge of the Avians.
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