A visitor

I already wrote about Beijing birds. Now it’s about Beijing birds visiting.

We heard noise in the ventilation shafts, in my bathroom and in the kitchen, the exhaust for the gas cooker. I said to my wife, yes, that’s the noise they make sitting on the chimney on the roof, the first chimney installed in our compound (my idea) so all exhausts from the bathrooms and kitchen really go OUTSIDE (and not to the attic, no joke).

After coming back from a quick bike tour my wife had a story to tell. Well, the birds were making a LOT of noise. So she took about the exhaust pipe from above the kitchen fan. And a big magpie came out, obviously a bit lost and in panic.

She tried to grab it but the bird was full of oil (from the kitchen exhaust). She opened the window and managed to guide the magpie back outside. I wonder if the bird could have made it back outside through the chimney…

Ruckus on my balcony

Sparrows can make a real ruckus. They fight, mate, play. The doves fight little but love to mate and groom themselves. They are acrobats doing it all on the railing.

Not sure what was their game here. The fight looks ugly at the beginning but they end up flying away in good condition…