After moving into a new flat, I found myself with some unexpected new pals. By Lauren Franks, 35
Standing at my window, I watched my little visitors nibbling at the food I’d left out for them.
My husband Thomas and I had just moved into a new flat on the 13th floor and the windows were at just the right height to watch the birds.
Ten years earlier I’d moved to Australia and I was fascinated by the exotic birds there, including lorikeets and finches.
But they weren’t our only feathered friends.
One day, I was looking out over our balcony when I gasped.
‘Thomas!’ I shouted. ‘Look at that!’
A huge cockatoo had landed. It was massive and its sharp beak made me nervous.
But as more and more of them visited the balcony, I began to change my mind about them.
They’d prance around, honking and playing with pebbles and I could tell how intelligent they were.
After looking online, I discovered almonds were one of their favourite treats. So, next time one landed on the balcony, I ventured out with the nuts clutched in my hand.
I held my breath as I reached out with an almond in my fingertips.
The bird looked at me, then snapped it up greedily and chirped for more.
Over the next few days, a couple of cockatoos started showing up regularly for snacks.
The numbers kept increasing and within a month we had a whole flock.
‘Wow, I can see you’ve made some new friends!’ Thomas said.
‘I’ve started a bird café!’ I replied, delighted.
And my customers were not shy about asking for what they wanted. They even started tapping on the windows to attract our attention when they wanted feeding.
But it wasn’t long before our landlord warned us that a neighbour had complained about the squawking that went on late into the evening.
From then on, we’d tell the birds that came at night: ‘Sorry, the café’s closed!’
I didn’t want the birds to become dependent on me either so I settled into a routine of feeding them at 3pm every few days.
They were fast learners and soon got the message.
But at 3pm, we’d be sure to hear a tap on the window from our impatient customers.
One cockatoo was particularly friendly, and we named him Prince Charming.
He was always chatting away to us and demanding more almonds.
One day, catching sight of the box of almonds on the table, he invited himself in.
I let him hop around the living room as he carefully inspected our things.
If he found anything edible, he’d gobble it up so we had to make sure everything had a secure lid.
Soon, a few of the other cockatoos wanted to hop inside.
One of them, who we named Staunchy, was the smartest of the bunch and he worked out how to get the lid off the almond box, as well as pretty much everything else in the kitchen.
We had to keep a close eye on him during his visits.
When friends and family heard about my new pals their reaction was mixed.
‘I could never come over to your flat!’ one friend said, shuddering. ‘I’m terrified of birds!’
And some of my Australian friends didn’t understand why I was so excited by the cockatoos.
They were so common in Sydney where we lived, they were seen almost the same way as pigeons.
But my friends and family back at home were fascinated.
I started an Instagram account called The Altitude Birdie Café, to keep them updated and, to my surprise, it was a huge hit. Soon the account had 35,000 followers.
There are downsides to running a bird café. The balcony is also the loo and we have to do a thorough clean every week! But it’s worth it.
I feel so privileged to be able to spend time with these beautiful animals.