A VRR Throwback--Published March 10, 2020
One week later at the exact location the same seagull came to me again. We know crows have facial recognition, but we never transfer that over to other birds. To me it proves seagulls do have facial recognition and perhaps all birds do—we know so little. I started thinking about a bird song I loved as a teenager, Seagull by Paul Rodgers. There are some lyrics that synch up with our current situation in Kirkland Washington, my home town.
When the virus reared it's ugly head in my hometown and the deaths started flowing I asked the question--Is this really the end of the world? An immediate response came back to me--NO, but perhaps the seagull seen it coming. We know so little.
Like learning to feel our greater bodies again, in the sense of how we are animals and we used to have a much closer relationship and interactions with ALL OTHER FORMS OF LIVING THINGS, to the extent that of course there is not a truly dead thing in the universe, as in static, as in not vibrating or moving albeit slowly, or being at least carried about by other forces, wind and water wearing rock. No other animals but birds and bats and maybe flying squirrels actually fly, plus so many insects, we say they always have a birds eye view. Why don't we say insects eye view? Cuz birds and us are so much more related, and visionary due to this great view they get, coupled with killer eyesight. I still cannot believe they can just 'fly'. I would so love to feel it as they do, wings beating and heart pounding, their entire bodies required to attain it. A memory perhaps.
Thanks for this Mike. Love the story about the seagull. I am a birder as well. My backyard is for the birds. And the rabbits. And the squirrels.
Just yesterday two new young squirrels, newly out of the nest, appeared on the ground where I feed everyone. They were having a good time learning how to run up and down the trees.
Then in the early evening I looked out to the street in front. Not one of the new ones, but one of my old regulars. A big beautiful male. I had to go out and bring it to the back. I dug a large hole, gently laid it in, petted it and apologized to it, and covered it.
People. smh