My office - as has been noted before - is the local pigeon suicide spot. It's mostly glass and on a steep hill, so pigeons coming in over the river misjudge the climb and bang into my window.
On the side of the building, however, they fly straight out of the woods and slam into the windows at full tilt …
Er … POW!
Yup … that's how much dust a pigeon carries round with it; a walking squawking bag of psittacosis, stuffed to the gunwales with junk food and barreling out of the trees, straight into David D's window.
Pretty awesome, huh? You can make out the wing feathers and even the surprised look on its dumb little face.
Those of you of a more compassionate nature should know that it staggered around the balcony for a while and then flew off, presumably to gather some more dust.
This is what happens if the pigeon doesn't slam on the brakes …
Chris F's window at the rear of the building.
It must have hit beak-on with wings tucked in as it made a perfectly circular hole.
That one strutted around the office for a bit until we threw a tea towel over it and put it outside on the bridge, from whence if departed in high dudgeon.
So … with the peregrine falcons living on the Cathedral on one side of the river and our pigeon-eating building on the other, Norwich is doing its bit to eradicate the flying rats.
10 comments:
Goodness me they hit your windows harder than the ones hit mine here! They spend so much time messing all over the garden but suppose it is nature. Hope no one was sitting near that glass…
A little window tint? Something to make them realize that it's the side of a building and not just more air? Because I'm sure whoever owns the building can't be replacing windows every time a determined bird happens by. Yes?
Mum, Chris was sitting under that window and escaped with merely that big piece of glass on the left sitting in his lap.
Petrea, regrettably we work in a 'brutalist masterpiece' that is "listed" which means that we cannot change any part of it. The single glazed metal windows and uninsulated concrete walls make it a freezer in winter and an oven in summer. So we bring in heaters, gloves, hats, lap blankets and scarves to work in during the cold spell and lots of fans and hideous shorts in summer. We are not allowed air-con, insulated walls or sun-reflective glazing but the view is spectacular and we do have the diversion of the pigeon suicide squad to entertain us.
"Brutalist" also describes the people who wrote the standards for heritage/listed buildings. Here, I think owners and architects are allowed to make changes to a building for environmental concerns, such as double-glazed windows and insulation. (And what about lead paint?) To not do so seems impractical and unrealistic, defeating the purpose behind "saving" th buildings, and easily keeping folks from restoring others. Can't one make a little study showing the savings that could be made by allowing insulation and more modern windows? How much more electricity is used than would be if these changes were made? Over here, there are dozens of companies that manufacture period correct windows, so I'm sure there are te same over there - and they'll be *better at it than the colonies*.
Oh, yeah, I got soinvolved in my little rant that I forgot I was going to tell you about semi-attractive bird-deflecting window decals. Found them here:
http://www.staples.com/Artscape-Clear-and-Etched-Birds-Eye-View-Deflector-Multi-Color-Window-Film/product_1413470?cid=PS:GooglePLAs:1413470&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=1413470&KPID=1413470&gclid=CJi-zbKjr84CFdU2gQodLMcBSA
They must make a helluva bang when they hit. I can't believe that both these pigeons survived. Hardy little things.
And yes, I'm singing that theme tune!
Speedway, we can still (under licence) use lead white paint on listed buildings, and have fun mixing up steaming pits of lime putty. I enjoy doing that one. Plus I've had to supervise the mixing and splattering of horse-piss plaster for a mediæval nunnery repair job (for the walls, not the nuns).
Our new houses have to be as near zero-carbon as we can make 'em but if you've got an old place you have to put up with it. It helps give us our "stiff upper lip" and our boss says it's character forming.
I like the window film, though our pigeons are so dumb they'd likely fly into it to get a better look.
Hi, Shiela. Yup, the "pigeon bang" (not what it sounds like) certainly wakes us all up. Next time we get one inside the office I'm carrying the little bugger over to the Cathedral so I can release it amongst the peregrines.
I just sent you a similar e-mail with an image I couldn't get in the comments
I was taking another look at your picture of the pigeon dust and had a thought: What if these birds are actually thinking they've reached some sort of barrier and, like test pilot Chuck Yeager, are willing to take risks to (in this case, literally) break through to previously unattainable space beyond.
So there it is, David, your bird(s) have reached their coo-boom barrier. The first didn't quite get the angle right, the second is a pigeon Chuck Yeager.
Awesome photo, Speedway. Hee hee.
And maybe the pigeons aren't dumb, but just showing symptoms of repetitive concussion syndrome? Little pigeon helmets needed for all future Chuck Yeager-dreaming pigeons.
So, this might sound kinda obvious but maybe a statue of a cat on a desk to deter those suicidal birds?
Hi ya Dive, ten years and your still here.
Post a Comment