April fools day

Did you make an April fool of someone yesterday?  I did.

I programmed my cellphone’s alarm for 3:00, 3:15 and 3:30 a.m. and hid it in my son’s room.  Now don’t imagine this to be easy.

For starters, I didn’t know how to program the alarm on my phone, he had to show me.  At the time, he had no idea of course that I was planning to use this device to wake him up three times in a row.

Once the alarm was set I had to get the phone into his room, which was no picnic either.  Dieter was on his computer and stayed there.  He made a short trip to the kitchen to get something to eat and drink, but that didn’t take long enough for me to sneak into his room.  Didn’t he ever have to go to the bathroom?

Eventually I heard the bathroom door close and I sprang into action.  I grabbed the phone, sprinted to his room and briefly considered where to plant the phone.  I didn’t have much time, so I had to act quickly.

Hearing the toilet flush I shoved the phone under the cat blanked on the floor and then quick as lightning disappeared back into the living room.  Pfffh, that was close.

The trick worked like a charm (sort of) (or so I heard this morning).  The alarm went off at 3:00 and at 3:15 a.m. but didn’t get the chance to go off again at 3:30.  After being woken up a second time Dieter switched the alarm off.  Party pooper.

So I cooked up another trick.  I opened a gmail account under the name of Barbara and sent Dieter an email.  Just to clarify, Barbara is the president of the condo building where we live.  The email read:

Hi Dieter,

Your neighbors have seen a lot of pigeon activity on your balcony.

Did you know that YCC is offering FREE balcony fencing?

Contact Vajita at management office to choose your type of fencing any time before 3:00 p.m.

Barbara

Free?  Did someone say free?  Dieter put on his shoes and off he went to “choose” the free netting.

I guess everyone loves a bargain.

Halloween - Part 1

Do you remember my post of this morning telling you about the pigeon landing on the crow?  Well, see for yourself.  If you ask me, they both look fake.

And here is Mickey, curious as ever ...

Hm, a scarecrow ... must take a closer look

In my opinion he needs a manicure

Euh, stinky feet

I didn't do anyting (much)

Is that fake falcon meant to scare me?

 
Pigeons are smart birds. If anyone doubts this, just watch them downtown Toronto.

Ryerson University has placed two fake falcons on the ledge of their building to keep the pigeons away. So far this has worked, but something tells me this is about to change.
Today I watched a small flock of pigeons looking for a place to land at Ryerson University. Most of them flew away when spotting the falcon and settled at a neighboring building, but one of them felt brave (or lucky). He spotted the two falcons, circled around one of them a few times, then gathered up all his courage and plonked himself next to one.

Then he sat there, looking at the fake falcon, not quite sure what this make of this motionless bird. He crept a little closer, gaining confidence but still not trusting the predator.
After traipsing back and forth a bit, with no reaction from the falcon, the pigeon lowered his head and cast a sideways glance.
He clearly didn’t understand the bird. As a predator he was supposed to show an interest, but not only did he tolerate a pigeon next to him but he ignored the easy pry’s entertainment.

My guess is, if this pigeon figured out that the falcon is fake then so will others and in that case Ryerson University’s security system against pigeons is blown. If word gets out about the fake falcons they’ll be the laughing stock of the bird world.

In Scarborough one of the pigeons went a step further.
In one of the yards of the houses next to the RT railway the residents have placed a pole with a fake falcon at the top. Instead of scaring the pigeons away, the falcon has become a resting place for the birds as I noticed a pigeon sitting on top of the fake falcon.

Fake falcons ... humans are so stupid thinking the pigeons are gonna fall for that one. Don't they know how smart pigeons are? They have eyes, they have a brain, they'll figure it out and then watch out humans ... their revenge will be sweet.

Are you an eagle or pigeon?

We came across an injured pigeon yesterday. He was dragging himself along the sidewalk with a broken wing. A sad sight it was. Until recently this bird had soared the skies, but was now reduced to something that resembled limping. If there had been a park or a wooded area around, I would have picked him up and carried him to safety, but being downtown there was nowhere I could take him. I wondered how he would survive, if he would survive.

Many people look down on pigeons, think of them as carriers of diseases. Yet, what makes them so different from other birds? All birds have a head, a body, paws and wings, yet while the eagle is admired and the hummingbird brings about a tender smile, the pigeon is despised by some.

I wonder if the same could apply to people. Imagine aliens visiting our planet. They might see royalty the way we see eagles ... beautiful in their fine ‘plumage’, flying high, looking down their noses, but in general of not much use.
Executives and other big money makers could be compared to hummingbirds. Beautifully attired, constantly on the go, always busy sucking up.
And then there would be the working class, the pigeons. Gathering in flocks, hanging around where there is food and water to be had and pushing each other out of the way when someone throws them a few crumbs.


In which of the categories do you belong?
As for diseases and germs ... are there bigger carriers of diseases and germs than humans?