Eurolife Day 30

***WARNING: This post appear to, though does not actually contain, adult content****

For three days, now, I have been involved in something of a battle with the local birds. Not the local ladies, but the local birds of the winged variety. It's not yet clear who's going to win this battle, but I thought it was time to tell the tale.

I spend a fair amount of time on our couch. We don't yet have a table (without a car, getting one's a bit tricky), so that's where I do my little Rosetta Stone German lessons. While practicing my pronunciation of German phrases the other day, I looked out the window and saw the cutest little birds playing on a tree nearby. They seemed to be playing, at least. They were flinging their heads back and forth, throwing leaves, bark and debris everywhere. I got up to get a better look, and then went off to the internet to find out what they were. (I was, and am, pretty sure that I had seen them before on our hikes.)

Here's what I found out: what I was looking at was either the Blue Tit or the Great Tit. So, off to Google I went to find out which was which. I typed in: "blue tits and great tits" Fortunately I caught myself just in time. This is not a Google search the results of which I'd like to see. After some more carefully constructed searches, I could see the difference between the two birds. Now it was time to figure out which ones I was looking at.

That's when the trouble began. These birds can smell my camera. They can smell me through the walls of our apartment. They are beginning to drive me crazy. I'll look outside and see them perched on a nearby branch, but as soon as I get anywhere near the window, off they go. I can't tell you how long I've spent sitting on our window sill, camera in hand, just waiting...if I'm there, they don't come by. Once I'm not there, back they come.

This morning, I snuck into the living room early, camera in hand, to catch them. Off they flew.

(I do actually work on my dissertation, for the record...but there are many free hours in my days over here!)

So, the photos in todays post are really not very good at all. But I did learn something. It seems that I have both the Great and the Blue Tit out in my backyard! (Note how carefully constructed that last sentence had to be.) The Great Tit has a black crown and throat and white cheeks. The Blue Tit is blue, obviously (though the difference is not super clear on cloudy days) and has white cheeks with a black stripe across its eyes. Both have yellow bellies. I tried to use pictures that show the differences, but you are welcome to look at Wikipedia for better pictures :)

It turns out they flock together in the colder months. They are supposed to be super playful birds, known for their acrobatic feedings. They like to hang from feeders, upside down, eating and singing.

That's where I got the idea for Phase II. I bought a bird feeder today, filled it with sunflower seeds, and hung it up on a branch near the window. (All if this sounds a lot easier than it is with a vocabulary of my size; it was quite a project :) If all goes well, better pictures will follow.

On a totally unrelated note, I made a wonderful discovery today! I was at the bakery buying some bread and looking for a treat. (I have developed a bit of a pastry habit.) There in the case was a single, perfect, Black & White Cookie. The kind you really only find in a NY bakery. I ordered my bread and a "Schwarz und Weis", but the woman reached for a Black & White muffin. I showed her what I wanted and she said "Ahh, Der Americaner"

The plan was to share it with Michael. Things did not go as planned. But I was right; it was perfect. It tasted exactly like one from home. (Right down to the hint of lemon in the white icing.) The only difference I could see was that they seem to ice the whole cookie in white icing, then half in chocolate. The thing is, I believe I in the value of cultural diversity. As such, I will continue to support this bakery, despite this minor change.