Heckle and Jeckle

     City dwellers in most urban areas are accustomed to sharing their space with unlovely pigeons floating about the streets in search of scraps. In Tokyo pigeons are the rare sighting. Instead, the sky is populated by packs of super-crows that would make Hitchcock proud. From the tops of buildings they boldly caw and swoop, and seem to have memorized the garbage pick up schedule. To outwit the karasu (crows) attractive blue netting is thrown over the plastic bags to keep the powerful beaks from breaking into the delicious refuse. Crows are resourceful, however, and what better way to spend their time than breaking into the net?

    A daunting pair of crows by our window evoked the Terrytoon characters Heckle and Jeckle.  One Brit and the other a Brooklyn crow, Heckle and Jeckle were always faced with unlikely scrapes. Tokyo crows seem equally well equipped to survive as the TV pair. Suki-chan admires the karasu from the comfort of the indoor window sill, as do the other pets in the Manor. Certainly, the native crows stand taller than the average cat-chan. The ravens prowl freely, only challenged by a flock of buzzards that nest by Shinagawa Station.

    Last week a pair of spot-billed ducks took up residence below Nino Hashi (Second Bridge) in the Furukawa. Shujin (husband) said: "They seem to like this neighborhood as much as we do." The occasional heron or egret show up at high tide beneath a road as busy as Broadway, and seem pleased with the quality of fish. Soon the gray bulbuls will leave town and we will be relieved of their infernal squeaking, which reminds me of the sound of a dog toy.

     San kan, shi on, the saying goes (three cold days, four warm ones). The weekend falls into the cold cycle, which is mixed news for the marathoners. By the time we meet John Wood and hear about Room to Read, it should have warmed up a bit.