Tag: parakeets

Animal Kingdom, Animals, Lifestyle, Nature

Winter City Parakeets

by natjtanLeave a Comment on Winter City Parakeets

No one knows the origin of Barcelona’s parakeet population. Some say they were stowaways on boats arriving in Barcelona Port in the 1970’s, others say they’re descended from Barcelona Zoo or house pet escapees, or house pets released when the owners couldn’t deal with them anymore pre 2013 when it was legal to trade Monk and Collared parakeets, just 2 of the 4 types of ‘Spanish’ parakeets.

Some like me love watching a streak of green as they fly by, listening into their cheeky chatter, watching how they use roads as their own flight paths. Other people regard them as pests that have now travelled further outside the city ruining crops. Some say their nests are dangerous due to how much they weigh if they fell on someone. Barcelona isn’t the only city in Spain with parakeets. Madrid and Valencia are just a few Spanish cites with their own populations. 

To be honest, they’re pretty kinda cool birds, happy to share with the pigeons, sparrow, starlings and blackbirds for snacks. The other day I think Parc de la Ciutadella had been closed for most of the day. Only one entrance gate open with a temporally closed sign everybody was ignoring. I had bread for the ducks, my new thing with the covid restrictions so I get my bike ride to a green place which I’m aiming to still do now restrictions are slowing being eased. I wasn’t going to go seeing all the people, but thought the ducks and geese would be extra hungry without their usual snack feeders, which I‘m not one as you can tell the ones that are. A few parakeets lined the pond railing waiting for bread pieces so nobody got fed much that day. Even the seagulls were out hungry. Knowing they wouldn’t stand a chance with pigeons that also wanted in, I placed a few pieces on the railing. Some almost took a piece out my hand, others a little more shy waiting until I wasn’t looking. While I like feeding the ducks and geese, parakeets accepting my bread made me feel extra special! Now the zoo’s back open I’ve been seeing them more relaxed than in the park. Less people around, more trees to nest in. Seeing them too as I cycle flying along streets and ramblas with twigs twice as long as them up into the trees for their nests. That flash of green and cheeky squark lights up my day 🙂

Snacks!

Animal Kingdom, Lifestyle, Nature, Travel

City Wildlife #2

by natjtanLeave a Comment on City Wildlife #2

I started watching on Netflix this week a documentary film Chasing Coral. Chasing coral to witness its death. Out of sight out of mind is how the documentary describes how most people see under the oceans and seas and they want this to change. The oceans and seas are taking a massive hit from climate change by absorbing the heat trapped in our atmosphere from rising CO2 levels mostly due from burning fossil fuels. If they didn’t our surface temperature would be unbearable. The corals are the first to take the hit with bleaching as sea temperatures rise due to the heat absorption.

The bleaching occurs when the coral dies leaving only a white skeleton behind. Shortly after algae takes over leaving an underwater wispy moss like mound of shapes. If the water coral live in goes up by 2 degrees they die in mass coral bleaching. The fish which live in the coral die, people who depend on the corals are out of work. About 500 million people depend on coral reefs for food and work. I won’t lie, I cried at the corals dying in the time lapses. The magical, mysterious underwater cities gone in a few weeks or even a few days.

It’s not just corals under threat from climate change. All animals, insects, fish, crops are under threat from climate change. Even butterflies you see in the summer to birds you hear singing out. Some will adapt and thrive, others won’t survive. It’s not too late to save those we can. Little acts make a bigger impact. This winter you can set the heating not as high or the air con as low if winter is your summer. Imagine a world without polar bears who have less sea ice every year or a world without penguins, lions, elephants or parrots. It’s morbid, but it’s happening. I’m nerdy and geeky with animals. They make me smile minus the killing they do. Seeing butterflies and dragonflies make me smile, even the mice and rats who sprint across the path in front of me at night while I’m cycling make me smile.

Anyways August wildlife mostly spotted as the zoo, Parc de la Ciutadella or on holiday in Mallorca.

Mallorca sea ducks

Ducks I learnt this year sleep while floating, head tucked under a wing, are semi nocturnal and can swim in both fresh and salt water!

Continue reading “City Wildlife #2” →
Animal Kingdom, Lifestyle, Nature, Photography, Travel

World Wildlife Day

by natjtanLeave a Comment on World Wildlife Day

Happy World Wildlife Day!

In honour of World Wildlife Day some of my favourite wildlife photos taken this year! Can I go back to Hawaii and California please?! Seriously though, the UN’s World Wildlife Day is to raise awareness to help conserve our biodiversity. Everything is connected making Earth stable no matter how big or small. Nature likes balance and without wildlife our world would be turned upside down for the roles they play. Every little thing we can do to help conserve wild fauna and flora no matter how small. Our planet is filled with beautiful treasures if you take time to look or just be patient to see what will say hi 🙂

DSCF9394Blackbird drying off after a bath! Continue reading “World Wildlife Day” →

Animal Kingdom, Beauty and Skin Care, Fitness, Lifestyle, Nature, Photography, Recycle Less, Weekend Friday Favourites

Weekend Friday Favourites

by natjtan2 Comments on Weekend Friday Favourites

I hope you’re having a great weekend! If I’m honest my mood this weekend is matching the weather outside. Blah. Life throws curve balls sometimes too many at once. But this is Weekend Friday Favourites, things that have made me smile this week or caught my eye!

Scrunchies

Okay, I feel a bit old to be wearing scrunchies as I remember them back in the 90’s. I got some back in 2018 when they first started making their comeback and left them on my dressing table brightening it up. After watching a YouTube video where a hair dermatologist recommended they were the best hairband to avoid hair breakage I was okay, let’s start wearing them again. First at home then I braved wearing them at the gym. The hair dermatologist was right! Less breakage! Now my hair is longer I’d had enough of hair ties tangling up in the ends Continue reading “Weekend Friday Favourites” →

Animal Kingdom, Fitness, Lifestyle, Nature, Weekend Friday Favourites

Weekend Friday Favourites

by natjtan2 Comments on Weekend Friday Favourites

I hope you’re having a great weekend!

This week has been crazy. I fell off my bike and now can’t run or jump as I banged up one knee. A taxi ride took me in the completely opposite direction even though I gave the right address booking on the app showing the correct destination. I still had to pay for the ‘gps error’. I was turn around we’re going out into the country not into the city the other side of town! She was which exit?, I’m, take the first one and turn around! I wanted to contest it, but I was so car sick and wanted to get out I paid the double fair. Continue reading “Weekend Friday Favourites” →