October 6: Bird Observations

I want to take and interlude from wine and take you on a ride through my observations of my surroundings. I wasn’t feeling so well this week, so I often headed home early. Some days I would find a sunny spot in the Place Carnot and watch people. I decided that now was the time to study the birds that I’ve been so curious about during my stay in Beaune.

In many a fable, through hearsay and rhyme, there is much talk about the birds. The birds in this small town are mysterious and wild. There’s one out my window now, kak kak kak, sounds like a machine gun. My mind is boggled each eve, just before the sun sets, there is a gang of black birds that rally together and make a ruckus above centre ville.





6:48 – There are only two black birds in sight. They are large and must be crows. They sit, roof top, watching.
7:00 – They gather on a windvane, accumulating. They don’t make much noise; they are black shadows against the purple grey clouds.
7:05 – There are more now and there is movement. They fly in and out of sight.
7:08 – Even more burst from behind the same roof; they seem to be organizing. Chatty now, skaww skaww. They fly in all directions, swoop and jut, this way and that, concentrated.

7:10 – They have all bunched together over head and are making lots of noise now. This causes reaction from the humans below. Most look up, some point, some look frenzied from it. It’s so noisy and they are so black and mysterious. In group, they take off North-East. Then in the same sudden instant all is quiet. The light has faded reasonably since I first arrived here. The clouds capture the sunset and wrap me in a pink blanket.

7:17 – The birds are heard again. They fly higher this time, coming now from the NW and flying SE.
7:20 – They are back, flying back towards NW. Maybe it’s a round-up. Maybe it’s a ritual, maybe it’s for show. Maybe their intention is to cause havoc below. This petit homme Français, however doesn't look to the sky. I catch him watching me watch the birds with a keen smile on his face.

7:22 – They gather again on the same roof
7:22 – They head back, a much bigger group than before directly south. I cannot figure out what their doing; I know they’re not confused because this same ritual happens every night. Maybe it’s an homage to the sun.

But what kind of bird are they? Originally I thought they were crows. But as I really look at them tonight they seem like a smaller black bird.

7:27 – Back and forth, they’ve come and gone. From all directions, noisy and en masse. Their flight reminds me of the twilight zone or from movies long ago when they made model-birds to impersonate flight. Actually, much like the movie Birds. Eerie.
7:30 – But alas! I’ve figured out that there are two types of bird partaking in this evening ceremony. They are two different sizes, both black. Kwee-k kwee-k says the smaller one.