I can’t believe it’s May already. This spring has been extension of winter I and feel I lost a few weeks of in-between weather skipping 14-18C of April’s usual weather straight into 19-20C early May’s temps. I’ve hardly looked at the new seasons clothes as I haven’t been feeling them. Too many grey skies. Now the sun’s here, I’m still not feeling ready to look at summer clothes.
Anyways, Weekend Friday Favourites, things that made me smile or caught my eye this week.
Still finding free places to visit in the city, before it got dark I found myself exploring parts of the city I hadn’t visited for ages, yet are a slight detour down a road I normally walk while in the centre. Along the way I found new art supply shops, graffiti mural walls and free exhibitions making up for the cold and grey days that made this February drag on longer than 28 days. All the photos are from the first week of February.
Pigeon and tree branches matching each other shape
Re exploring the city centre. I think I stop venturing down these streets years ago as they get busy with tourists.
Most of these were taken on the same day in mid January 2022. I think I missed the zoo and didn’t want to go back until it got dark. The light was good, the ducks and parakeets were on the snack hunt and it was warm in the sunshine huddled in layers. Christmas lights while not on were still up looking like spider webs. The light was great for for seeing architecture detail too!
Don’t let the sunny light deceive you, it was cold!
While the geese rule the park, everybody as in the water fowl gets out the way for the white ducks. They’re not afraid to go after any duck, seagull or goose that annoys them.
Everybody gets out the way for the white ducks!PAAAN!
Black headed gulls winter in Barcelona and can be found in Parc de la Ciutadella. As they can take off almost like helicopters they compete for the pan or bread quicker than the ducks. You can see the ducks and geese flinch when they dive around them to get the pan/bread, but will happily if lunge and nip at them if they can. Otherwise they just swim off leaving the humans to feed the seagulls. Black headed gulls are also amazing at catching bread in mid air! I think it’s mostly teenage guys that winter here.
Welcome to another Weekend Friday Favourites of things that have caught my eye or made me smile this week!
How’s your weekend going? I hope it’s a good one!
Ducks and Geese
The signs say no feeding the birds. Loads of people ignore them 🙋♀️. I go a few times a week and I’m sure they’re getting to know me. They know I have the good bread! At the moment the boating lake’s drained for maintenance, the ducks and geese are in the smaller fountain pond which isn’t big enough for them. I don’t like so much feeding them there as it attracts too much attention, there’s not enough space for everyone (people) and it be honest I don’t like the vibe there. However I feel bad if I don’t feed them like they know she hasn’t been! I always try to throw more at the underdogs. Recently there’s been one goose that will come up beside me for pan. I haven’t got the courage to hand feed them like some as their beaks look like serrated razors. I’m not sure if it’s the same one, but other geese will chase it away so you know I’m feeding that one more. A few ducks too, if all the ducks are at the boating lake want snacks will get out the water if not too many people are around for pan.
Beach Clean Up Payment: Shells
Since September last year I’ve been participating in beach clean ups. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, but never knew how to get involved*. A local group, Project Save World put up a poster for World Clean Up Day and I’ve been going ever since once a week for an hour. It’s amazing what you find: wet wipes, zip ties, drink cans, clothes, fishing equipment, cigarette butts, sweet/candy wrappers, toys, an X-ray, my least favourite polystyrene that breaks into cry-able impossible to pick up little balls that fly away into the wind, the list goes one. If there’s been storm in a week it can take forever to collect as much as possible. I fill at least one 30L rubbish/trash bag in an hour.
Due to recent covid-19 restrictions in Cataluna, aka gyms closed, to get my bike ride that would have been to the gym I cycled to Parc Ciutadella to see the ducks.
Cataluna for most of January closed gyms, shopping malls, restricted bar and restaurant hours amongst other covid-19 measures. As infection levels are dropping in Cataluna they’re easing restrictions this week (although I’m sure this has something to do with Catalan elections next week). I’m just happy gyms have reopened. I don’t always have the same motivation to workout at home as I do going to a gym. I’m happy too I can indoor climb again! Sometimes it was dark, other times I made it out in daylight hours to the park. Most of the time the ducks and geese were around for snacks. I was happy the park was open and I’ll for sure continue to drop by to say hi to the ducks and feed them now gyms are open!
I started around the end of December taking bread to feed them and the geese. A few geese were so polite, making sure they got front row seats with gentle sweet tiny honks asking for more. Any ducks that got close they just did a neck sweep. The ducks make a ton noise swimming across the pond as if to tell everyone there’s bread. When they get close a few chase away others but I’ve noticed the younger females are a little timid (can tell by size) and swim away if it’s too busy. I make sure to throw bread in their direction. When the seagulls are around it get crazy. Seagulls have amazing vertical aerial take off skills, are up in the air as soon as you raise your hand. They seem to know exactly where the bread is going to land, loads diving down at the same time. Both the geese and ducks close their eyes and duck out of the way as if to avoid getting stabbed in the eye. As the seagulls are so quick you can kinda fool them for a moment to give the ducks and geese an opportunity for bread by raising your hand as if to throw in one direction which the seagulls follow and then throwing it in the other direction. This only works a few times as the seagulls learn quick.
I swear the few times I visited the ducks without food, they bitched at each other she has nothing. Both the ducks and geese turned towards each other, swam away quacking as if to say, nothing this time, puh!
natjtan 