Ronald Zee
Well-known member
Some time ago I posted some of my experiences while birdwatching, but these were lost during the big crash. Now last week I had 2 more funny/outrageous experiences and this prompted me to repost some of my experiences.
Once when I was watching a young Coot an elderly couple came up to me and asked me what I was looking at, they said they often saw me. I told them I was watching the progress of the young Coots. The woman then said: “Oh now I understand, you are a biologist”
Another time, when I was filming some Moorhens, a guy who was painting saw me and asked if I was (like himself) an artist because he also took pictures sometimes and used these at home to help with his paintings etc.
When I was filming some Moorhens at a lake, a guy, on a boat that was moored there, suddenly started swearing at me, I didn't know why, until he told me, he suspected me of filming his 3 year old son, he accused me of being a pedophile. When I showed him what I had filmed he apologised.
Three times I have been stopped by the police while I was birdwatching and had to explain what I was doing. The third time I was stopped by 2 police cars, this was in one of the posh neighbourhoods of Rotterdam, one of the policemen said to me that in future I should wear a suit if I came birdwatching again there.
Another time when I didn’t see the Moorhens I had come to see I whistled, they knew they would get some bread when I whistled. A woman then came up to me and asked me if I was looking for my dog.
On a Sunday afternoon near a little canal a Moroccan guy came up to me and asked if I wanted to make love, I said no, but he persisted and then I told him to piss off, he then left.
I also did pass the body of a dead woman in the reeds without noticing her because I was to busy looking at the birds.
When I was giving a bit of bread to birds in a river a young guy (a student) came up to me and said that he (also) saw me regularly, he then said that he could not understand that I fed the birds because I wore a Ralph Lauren coat, according to him “People who wear these kind of coats shouldn’t feed birds”
I was watching the birds in a river when a man started talking to me in an unknown language. I first tried Dutch, then English, French and German but he could not speak any of these, so the only thing left to do was smile at him and nod my head.
As you can only do so for a minute or so I left or wanted to leave because he suddenly grabbed my arm and stopped me. He then took something from his pocket and thrusted it in my hand. I saw that he had given me his passport and he urged me to open it.
It turned out that he came from Iran, so I said " Ah Iran" (what else is there to say) and he nodded his head, so I also nodded my head again (several times) and smiled to him again. I then returned his passport and said goodbye to him.
Last Sunday I gave some bread to young Coots and young Mallards in a pond next to a church. When a bit later I turned around I saw a bald stately looking man, he was dressed in black and carried a bible, he smiled, then raised his hand and said “God loves you”. Now I know that HE loves me but it is nice to have it confirmed by an insider.
Yesterday I was (again) in one of the “better” neighbourhoods, I stopped to have a look at the Moorhens in a ditch, suddenly a movement caught my eye, when I looked up I saw a sexual act (shamelessly) being performed in front of a large window on the first floor of the appartments about 20 metres away from me. I watched it only for about 15 seconds or so because, strange as it may seem, I felt like an intruder.
Once when I was watching a young Coot an elderly couple came up to me and asked me what I was looking at, they said they often saw me. I told them I was watching the progress of the young Coots. The woman then said: “Oh now I understand, you are a biologist”
Another time, when I was filming some Moorhens, a guy who was painting saw me and asked if I was (like himself) an artist because he also took pictures sometimes and used these at home to help with his paintings etc.
When I was filming some Moorhens at a lake, a guy, on a boat that was moored there, suddenly started swearing at me, I didn't know why, until he told me, he suspected me of filming his 3 year old son, he accused me of being a pedophile. When I showed him what I had filmed he apologised.
Three times I have been stopped by the police while I was birdwatching and had to explain what I was doing. The third time I was stopped by 2 police cars, this was in one of the posh neighbourhoods of Rotterdam, one of the policemen said to me that in future I should wear a suit if I came birdwatching again there.
Another time when I didn’t see the Moorhens I had come to see I whistled, they knew they would get some bread when I whistled. A woman then came up to me and asked me if I was looking for my dog.
On a Sunday afternoon near a little canal a Moroccan guy came up to me and asked if I wanted to make love, I said no, but he persisted and then I told him to piss off, he then left.
I also did pass the body of a dead woman in the reeds without noticing her because I was to busy looking at the birds.
When I was giving a bit of bread to birds in a river a young guy (a student) came up to me and said that he (also) saw me regularly, he then said that he could not understand that I fed the birds because I wore a Ralph Lauren coat, according to him “People who wear these kind of coats shouldn’t feed birds”
I was watching the birds in a river when a man started talking to me in an unknown language. I first tried Dutch, then English, French and German but he could not speak any of these, so the only thing left to do was smile at him and nod my head.
As you can only do so for a minute or so I left or wanted to leave because he suddenly grabbed my arm and stopped me. He then took something from his pocket and thrusted it in my hand. I saw that he had given me his passport and he urged me to open it.
It turned out that he came from Iran, so I said " Ah Iran" (what else is there to say) and he nodded his head, so I also nodded my head again (several times) and smiled to him again. I then returned his passport and said goodbye to him.
Last Sunday I gave some bread to young Coots and young Mallards in a pond next to a church. When a bit later I turned around I saw a bald stately looking man, he was dressed in black and carried a bible, he smiled, then raised his hand and said “God loves you”. Now I know that HE loves me but it is nice to have it confirmed by an insider.
Yesterday I was (again) in one of the “better” neighbourhoods, I stopped to have a look at the Moorhens in a ditch, suddenly a movement caught my eye, when I looked up I saw a sexual act (shamelessly) being performed in front of a large window on the first floor of the appartments about 20 metres away from me. I watched it only for about 15 seconds or so because, strange as it may seem, I felt like an intruder.
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