The trials and tribulations of living with a randy songbird

For those of you who do not know, Jose and I have an ORANGE canary named Skittles. Before receiving him as a gift two years ago, the only thing related to canaries I knew about was Tweety Bird.



Here is the most important thing to know about canaries (at least the males), they sing. A LOT. Skittles is almost constantly looking for a ladybird friend. He sings his little heart out as soon as the sun comes out and keeps going pretty much all day. A canary's song is actually quite pretty. I am providing a link to a youtube video of a typical canary. Apparently  there are singing contests for these birds and Jose claims Skittles would give them a run for their money. I am inclined to agree.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es5p9yrMHTM&feature=fvwrel

So we have established that Skittles is a skilled singer. He has different registers, different sounds, he whistles, warbles and tweets. He preens and fluffs. He is one randy bird who works it to the best of his ability. Alas, he is stuck in a cage on our terrace, forced to sing for the sparrows who come to eat the seeds he tosses to the ground. Not that Skittles doesn't live a sweet life. The bird has it good, minus a mate.

My one complaint about having a canary is that they have no respect for hangovers, sleeping in on weekends, or siestas (in this way they are like babies). They sing all day, every day with no regard for anyone else. Skittles is selfish. He is hellbent on getting laid and will not let anything stop him, especially not the fact that his cage sits directly outside our bedroom window. Jerk.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

La mesa camilla

Image
The mesa camilla is a very Spanish invention (in fact I believe it to be a very southernly Spanish invention). It consists of a table, a heater and a heavy, long tablecloth-like fabric that drapes over the sides. The idea is that you put the heater under the table and when you sit down you put the fabric over you like a blanket. The truth is that it does keep you quite warm. The downside is that once you get up and move, you lose the heat. Since the houses and apartments here in the south of Spain are not created for the cold (no central heating) a mesa camilla can be found almost every where.  We didn't have one last year and survived with blankets, space heaters and flannel pajamas throughout the winter. This year Jose decided we needed to get a mesa camilla. I fought the good fight (since often times they look very similar to the option in the picture above) but we ended up ordering one not too long ago.  Typically the mesa camilla is made of wood and can be stored throu
Read more

Simple Spanish recipe: Chipirones a la plancha

Image
Ok so I know this picture is a bit blurry and I apologize but it is the final result of my having cooked chipirones a la plancha for the first time. Let me explain, chipirones are small squid and a la plancha means grilled. They are served in an olive oil, parsley and garlic sauce. At first I wasn't sold on the idea of this recipe but believe me, it is pretty awesome and super healthy. It is a really typical tapa that you can order at almost any bar here in the south of Spain. Chipirones a la plancha is usually served on a bed of lettuce or with a small side salad. Yum! Here's the how: First you need the chipirones (small squid that come with the heads and tentacles attached). I can buy them at my local grocery store in the fresh seafood section. I bought a package of 400 grams though the good thing about this recipe is that you can make as much or as little as you like. Allow me to also explain that here in Spain people tend to eat a lot more fish and seafood than
Read more

Spanish names

Image
Maaaaaaaria, I just met a girl named Maria Hopefully you just read that and sang the song from West Side Story in your head. Let's just say that from what I have experienced here in Spain, people really, really like this name. In fact, there are times when it seems like EVERY woman or girl is named Maria (or Maria de/l something) and though they might go by the second part of their name, their given one is still Maria. People definitely opt for traditional names here, unlike the US where names go through trends.  Recently a friend on Facebook posted a link which contained a GIF  (originally from The Atlantic)  showing the different female names that had been popular in the US since 1960. It is interesting to see how a name like Jennifer would be popular in one region and then would sweep the nation. Such a map would not be as cool here in Spain since not a whole lot would change. Maria. Maria del Carmen. Miriam. Marian. Mirian. Variations on a theme. Religious names I
Read more