Talking with Hector

09/07/2026

Here in Nice, we enjoy a variety of birds.

The seagulls perch on the neighboring rooftops — observing, calling, conversing, and laughing at each other’s jokes. (Or so it seems.)

The martins patrol in groups, circling and swooping as they keep us safe from insects. Amazingly, I can hear the high-pitched screech of their sonar as they circle. (Fortunately, Bumbie, our friendly bumblebee who likes to visit the lavender in our balcony box, stays low and out of the martins' path.)

Some small birds occasionally flock together in the bushes. They can make a real racket.

We especially enjoy “our” neighborhood blackbird. We have named him “Hector”. He arrives at various times during the day to sing, perched on a neighboring building — maybe ours. Sometimes I amuse myself by responding to him, and we have short conversations.

But sometimes, when I respond to Hector, he stops, and we may not hear from him for the rest of the day. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s my accent — my blackbird accent from the north of France, where we used to live. Maybe I said something that offended him?

I don’t know why Hector stops. I hope that he was not offended because we enjoy listening to him!

Mark Louis Uhrich

Nice France, 9 July 2026

Breakfast Tranquille

11/07/2025

We enjoy having our breakfast outdoors on our 5th-floor balcony. All is calm. In the distance, we hear the periodic soft “ding-ding” of a tram passing before the street side of our building.

The temperature is comfortable and the sky is blue. A squadron of martins is out swooping and diving in search of insects. A few large seagulls are on their rooftop vantage points, looking around. Other seagulls are doing shuttle flights to the shoreline a few miles away. A few doves fly around.

In the distance, I can see an aircraft that has taken off and is headed out over the Mediterranean.

A group of sparrows is flocked together in an olive tree in the garden below us. Later, a blackbird will arrive to serenade us.

All is tranquille.

Mark Louis Uhrich

Nice France, 11 July 2025

Watching the Birds

24/02/2024

It’s a late winter morning, and I’m watching the birds from our living room window.

Pigeons have flown in and are roosting — in a line — on the roof edge of the building across the garden from ours. In the garden of our residence, a bird feeder is hanging from a tree branch. The pigeons are watching it, waiting for the cafeteria to open.

A group of African green parakeets arrive and start feasting from the bird feeder. They take turns — two or three at a time on the hanging bird feeder while the others wait in the tree. The pigeons stay on the roof edge. Maybe pigeons and parakeets don’t like each other.

When the parakeets have eaten enough, they fly off, and the small birds arrive for their turn at the feeder. With the parakeets safely gone, the pigeons fly down to eat the seeds that have fallen on the ground. There is definitely enough for them to eat. The pigeons are busy running around cleaning up the fallen seeds. There is one who seems to be a bully.

Earlier, we were watching a magpie couple as they worked on tidying up their secondary home in a tree just outside a window on the other side of our apartment. We need to be careful about what we leave out on the balcony. Magpies are thieves!

Crows and other birds are flying around.

In the evening, the owls will have discussions among themselves.

Mark Louis Uhrich

Maisons-Laffitte, France, 24 February 2024

Meditation on a tree

22/04/2022

It is springtime. Flowers are coming up. Trees are in bloom. The birds and insects are active. The woodpecker is doing his thing. And, Maurice, the neighborhood rooster, is very happy.

I was sitting on our balcony looking out onto the flowering trees in the garden. They give me food for thought.

The flowering trees burst into bloom early in the spring — even before their leaves burst forth. They put their energy into beautiful flowering displays — even before they achieve any “return on investment” from the energy produced by the leaves with photosynthesis.

As I sat there, I wondered what we could learn from trees.

You may not agree with me but, That is how I see things.

Mark Louis Uhrich

Maisons-Laffitte, France, 22 April 2022

Are we there yet?

— Thoughts on our current situation.

22/01/2021

We know the song. We are on a family vacation going somewhere, and the question starts from the back seat of the; “Are we there yet?” Truth be told, we have been asking ourselves the same question for some time already.

When I fly from Paris to Boston, and we get overland again — over Newfoundland — I look at the flight position map on my entertainment screen to see where we are. “Voilà, there it is, Corner Brook. Good, we’re getting there. Now, can we speed this thing up at get moving faster?” (No, we can’t.) I do the same thing on my return flight and my many other flights to other places around the world. You probably do the same thing also.

Quite naturally, we all have the impatience to arrive at our destination — to be there. Continuing with my travel analogy of a previous posting (Traversing to the new world), for about ten months now, we have been on our trip with Covid-19. We have been through alternating periods of restrictions, confinement, curfews, and others — some severe. Our social activities are blocked. Theaters, museums, and restaurants are closed. Our ability to travel internationally is severely restricted. Our lives have been on hold. We all wear masks and wait.

Finally, we begin to see the possibility of exiting this Covid-19 period. Vaccines have been developed and people are starting to be vaccinated. (I am apparently on the February list.) Hopefully, when enough people have received the vaccination, we will be able to resume our lives. We will be able to travel again, go to restaurants and theaters, and socialize with our friends and family. Some things may be different, but we hope to reach our destination and progressively resume our lives.

But, wait, the seat belt sign has been turned on. There is an announcement of possible turbulence ahead.

We need to be patient. We are getting there. But, we are not there yet.

You may not agree with me but, That is how I see things.

Mark Louis Uhrich

Maisons-Laffitte, France, 22 January 2021