With Spring budding up, I am finally getting to see more creatures about besides the ever bountiful pigeons. Besides gnats and some annoying thing similar to a gnat but slightly larger that enjoys aiming for your eyes, I have also seen ladybug-like beetles. That's about it for insects so far. I'm sure if I looked close enough I could see more but I'm not about to go inspecting dog-poop ridden grass for some bugs.
The sparrows that were somewhat around in Winter are all over the place now. In fact, I looked out onto my balcony and smiled to see some perched on my railing. That is, until I saw that they were picking apart my coriander and basil plants! I had just bought these two plants yesterday from Monoprix and they aren't doing too well compared to the herbs I bought from the market last Friday.
As I was chasing them away, I noticed they were collecting them to make nests, not to eat. I've had the door open (with a baby gate propped up) all day so Lux can scare them away and I have to say she's doing a very good job. I also plucked some of Kisa's soft, fluffy undercoat and put it outside as a peace offering, hoping they'll use that for their nests instead.
Besides sparrows and pigeons, there are also blackbirds. Blackbirds here are all black with red beaks and red rings around the eyes, but I haven't seen them much as it got warmer. I've heard woodpeckers and owls but haven't seen them yet. There are also crows and mallards and I saw one male ring-necked duck, which was pretty cool. Allegedly there are hawks, storks, and swifts as well.
One creature I was expecting to see but haven't is the squirrel. Apparently squirrels just don't like Besançon. You can find them in abundance in other areas, but not here. Outside of center city in the more suburban and rural aspects of Besançon you can find wild boar, foxes, and wild goats that look a lot like deer except slightly smaller.
I can't wait for Spring to be in full effect! I love the city but I definitely miss the wildlife.
The sparrows that were somewhat around in Winter are all over the place now. In fact, I looked out onto my balcony and smiled to see some perched on my railing. That is, until I saw that they were picking apart my coriander and basil plants! I had just bought these two plants yesterday from Monoprix and they aren't doing too well compared to the herbs I bought from the market last Friday.
As I was chasing them away, I noticed they were collecting them to make nests, not to eat. I've had the door open (with a baby gate propped up) all day so Lux can scare them away and I have to say she's doing a very good job. I also plucked some of Kisa's soft, fluffy undercoat and put it outside as a peace offering, hoping they'll use that for their nests instead.
Besides sparrows and pigeons, there are also blackbirds. Blackbirds here are all black with red beaks and red rings around the eyes, but I haven't seen them much as it got warmer. I've heard woodpeckers and owls but haven't seen them yet. There are also crows and mallards and I saw one male ring-necked duck, which was pretty cool. Allegedly there are hawks, storks, and swifts as well.
One creature I was expecting to see but haven't is the squirrel. Apparently squirrels just don't like Besançon. You can find them in abundance in other areas, but not here. Outside of center city in the more suburban and rural aspects of Besançon you can find wild boar, foxes, and wild goats that look a lot like deer except slightly smaller.
I can't wait for Spring to be in full effect! I love the city but I definitely miss the wildlife.