The pigeon nesting in the branch overhanging my large verandah is cute - as is the “whirr” of her wings on the way to the puddle under the the outdoor tap.
The tiny red finch and his mate flittering among the broken reeds of my carport cover are also fine.
It’s the leaves descending like rain and branches moving from the huge flapping wings of the vultures nesting in the largest tree in the middle of the yard that I’m not so keen on. The first week there were more of them, swooping back and forth overhead from the tree to the storeroom roof on the opposite side, but I suppose the presence of more people around the house have disturbed some.
Vultures are a common sight in Ouagadougou. When I lived at Jane’s house I’d often walk past the market on the way to the mission office, and try to avoid the street where they were strutting around the meat sellers.
You see them even when driving down some of the better roads - wandering around the outdoor restaurants that often also sell takeaway beef brochettes, or perching on the overhead street lamps. I had one almost run into me the other day as it swooped across the road at a low height. I need to check the local road rules to see who has precedence in case it happens again, but have already been told they’re protected so I can’t get rid of them in the normal way for pests here.
So I’ve given $1 to the older man who helped me find the house to buy a “vulture repellent” product that will apparently make them go away if placed on branches they use - and haven’t seen him, the money or the product since. He said he’d climb the tree and place it - I offered to find someone younger but I think he wanted the work and laughed when I told him I was worried he’d fall. That was three weeks ago and I haven’t seen him since, but I’ve seen the size of the nest the vultures are building!
