I have recently attended a short course on bird watching. I am learning how to distinguish the different sounds different species of birds make in my area. Are the birds talking when they chirp? Or are they singing? Do they talk to us, humans?
Birds, just like all other animals communicate with each other in their universal silent language. But they live in a physical world just like us, so they do need to verbalise to communicate with each other and other bird species. They have specific calls and sounds that are a matter of survival daily. Calls for hunting for food or looking out for predators are specific calls that all birds in the flock understand. They do enjoy exploring their surroundings, particularly if it involves us humans. It is common for birds to use different sounds when they are interacting with people. They may even mimic our words or noises too. So what exactly are they saying to each other? And what are they trying to say to us?
My husband Peter & I were living in a townhouse in Sydney that backed onto a bush reserve. We had many birds visit our garden, and we did not encourage feeding them, as we did not wish to encourage wild animals to rely on human sources of food. We knew that not everyone was as friendly to wild animals as we were. Sitting in the garden one day, there was a pair of magpies that flew in & perched on the fence. They looked directly at me and I heard them say Could we have some food? I explained why this would not be in their best interests, and the female magpie said Yes we understand, but we have a baby we need to feed, and there is a lot of competition in this area with other birds for food. So I made a deal with this pair of magpies. I would provide food for them whilst they were still weaning their baby, and then once their baby was big enough to find food on its own, I would stop providing food. They agreed and flew off. A few minutes later, they came back, but with their baby this time. Everyday, the pair of magpies would call out to me, and I would find them on the fence. They would fly off, and bring their baby back and I would give them some food. Once the baby was strong enough to look for food on its own, I would not see the magpie pair again until the next breeding season. This ritual went on for a few years. When I had decided I was moving back to Perth, I told the Magpie pair that I would not be here next season and I could not guarantee that the next residents would be as kind to them as I was. Interestingly enough, the magpies did not bring their baby to me that year.
Wild birds are fascinating to watch as they carry about their business. Being able to hear their silent language means we can listen to their conversations with their flock, with other species and also the thoughts of individual birds too. You can hear them teaching their young how to forage for food, how to watch out for other birds, and avoid predators. There is lesser natural habitat for birds to use these days, so it is common for birds to use your home as a haven to base on. As I work from home, I can observe the wildlife living in and around my home. There are several pairs of crows that live near my house. I love watching these crows get up to their business. One afternoon, whilst sitting out on the balcony, I saw a crow fly up onto our roof and could hear scuffling around. I asked the crow what was it up to, to which I received Its none of your business. I was surprised, but nevertheless accepted that there was secret crow business happening on my roof. A few days later, whilst sitting outside enjoying the view, I noticed some crows sitting on the roof of my neighbours home and I could see them dropping what looked like berries into a section of the gutter. The crows said to me they choose to store their berries in the guttering because it was the same colour as the berries. This stopped any birds flying overhead from seeing their stash and protected their food source. How ingenious is that! They have way more intelligence than we give them credit for.
Life can be pretty cutthroat for wild birds. Keeping your territory, and trying to find food for your young can be challenging when there is an overpopulation of birds in your area. You can get pushed around by other birds, especially those that breed into large numbers. They usually are the species that are not native. So how does a bird ensure they have what they need to survive? They work their surroundings, as my colleague Dana discovered in her own backyard.
Dana has a pair of Indian Miner birds living near her home. These birds would occasionally visit her backyard, have a drink and a bath in the dogs water bowl, and nibble at his food too. Diego the dog didnt seem to mind as he enjoyed the company of these Indian Miner birds. One morning, my colleague could hear a strange warbling sound coming from the back veranda and upon looking outside the two Indian Miner birds were perched on the balustrade staring at her. As an animal whisperer herself, she asked them is everything alright, to which they replied Where is the food?
Dana was confused, as she doesnt encourage feeding wild birds. The Indian Miner birds telepathically showed her a scenario of herself feeding her dog a bowl of biscuits, and Diego sitting away from the bowl so the birds could come and feed on the biscuits. These birds also shared themselves flying off to explore and coming back to relay the information of the outside world to Diego. Dana realised Diego had cut a deal with these two birds food in exchange for news about the world outside his backyard! What Dana didnt know was she was a part of the deal. Still to this day, those birds come to eat from Diegos food bowl, and they will alert Dana if there is no food there.
Birds truly are remarkable creatures, their intelligence and inquisitive nature makes them a formidable being to live with.
The next time you are enjoying your morning coffee or afternoon drink outside, take notice of the birds around you. You never know who is watching you, and the birds may just show you some of their secret business too![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Jo Gibbons, a landscape architect and co-author, questioned, “Who hasn’t tuned into the melodic complexities of the dawn chorus early on a spring morning?” Clearly a fan of the avian
He goes on to say that if there was any drawback, it would be a bias in favor of younger, smartphone-using subjects who were open to research in general rather than one that was especially biased against birds.
But the secretive yet noisy booming bittern has been classified as a priority species because it is in trouble, and the story of the various ostrich species in Africa is a mixed bag. Its lucky that people like their meat and eggs and feathers enough to capture and farm them (make no mistake, they have not been domesticated). If not for ostrich farming, which began in 1838, then the worlds largest bird would probably be extinct, according to the African Wildlife Foundation.
Why nature, green spaces, etc. genuinely ease our mental burdens is a topic for another day. But they do, and among them are birds, such as the enormous cassowary, the melodious nightingale, and the shimmering hummingbird. Here is a video of a hummingbird squeaking.
This author heard an invasive species called a mynah meowing on the beach in Tel Aviv the other day. It may have been thinking that if people mistake it for a cat, they will feed it. Mynahs have broad vocal abilities.
I have recently attended a short course on bird watching. I’m learning to recognize the various noises that the various bird species in my area make. Do birds communicate with us as humans through their singing or chirping?
The next time you are outside having a drink in the afternoon or coffee in the morning, pay attention to the birds nearby. The birds might also reveal to you some of their private matters; you never know who is spying on you! [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Like all other animals, birds converse with one another through a universal silent language. However, because they are part of the physical world, just like humans, they must speak in order to interact with other bird species and each other. They have distinctive sounds and calls that they need to use every day to survive. All of the birds in the flock are able to recognize certain calls, such as those used for food hunting or predator alerts. They do take pleasure in investigating their environment, especially when it involves us humans. Birds frequently make different noises when they are interacting with humans. They may even mimic our words or noises too. Thus, what precisely are they expressing to one another, and what message do they wish to convey to us?
Birds are incredibly amazing animals; their curiosity and intelligence make them a fearsome presence in the environment.
Observing wild birds as they go about their daily lives is fascinating. Because we can hear their silent language, we can hear the conversations that the birds have within their flock, with other species, and even with individual birds. You can hear them instructing their young on how to avoid predators, keep an eye out for other birds, and forage for food. Nowadays, birds have less natural habitat to choose from, so they frequently use your house as a safe haven. I can watch the wildlife that lives in and around my house while I work from home. The area around my house is home to multiple pairs of crows. I love watching these crows get up to their business. Sitting on the balcony one afternoon, I heard scuffling nearby and saw a crow fly up onto our roof. When I questioned the crow about its activities, it replied, “It’s none of your business.” Despite my surprise, I had to accept that there was a covert crow business operating on my roof. A few days later, as I was taking in the scenery outside, I saw some crows perched on my neighbor’s roof, and I could see them dumping what appeared to be berries into a gutter. The crows told me that because the guttering matched the color of the berries, they decided to store their berries there. This safeguarded their food supply and prevented any birds flying overhead from seeing their stash. They are far more intelligent than we realize. That is very clever.
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