Jul. 14, 2006 - 4:43 p.m.
Last night when I got home their was a little lost bird sitting on the bottom of our gate. It caught me a little of guard, all I could think of was the Leaping Amazonian Death Spider. I couldn�t open my door with out first opening my gate and I didn�t want the bird to go inside. I thought it was hurt because it just sat their staring at me over its wing when I approached. I tried rattling the gate a little, wondering if birds could get rabies. It stared at me. He looked sad and lost. Maybe a little desperate. Possibly menacing. With visions of flapping wings and painful beaks I stepped out of the door alcove and looked for a stick to shoo it with. Lots of ivy but nothing to use in my yard, though I though about using the Linda Coop for Mayor sign someone had placed there. It was pretty big though and probably unwieldy. I decided to try to call it instead. I whistled, padded my leg, and called �here little birdie�. It worked for dogs and squirrels anyways. It tried to fly away but ran into the door and sat back down on the gate again. Then it pooed a little. It must�ve been really scared. Flying around happy as a lark (it was a sparrow though), then blam! it got blindsided but a gust of wind and ended up in our door alcove and probably hit its head on the door, and has been trying to fly out. Looking at the bird poo on our doorstep he�d been trying for awhile. I called it again and he made it off the gate! He flew into the wall though. Poor guy! I kept calling, whistling. With renewed spirit he finally made it around the corner! He saw the sunlight and relief came into his eyes. He tweeted at me then hopped a little farther away and then flew into the nearest tree.
Is it weird to think that the bird understood me?
I had this problem when I was trying to discuss the use of language during my thesis discussion, when I was asked if I believed if animals had language. I answered yes. Everyone laughed at me, probably thinking that I thought animals actually talked. Like when stuffed animals come alive and talk at 12 o�clock when no one�s in the room with them. But they had forgotten the Jayhawks in King Solomon�s Ring. They had forgotten all the different dances that bees do to communicate with other bees. I hadn�t.
But I also believe that animals do understand people. Maybe not exact words. But they understand. If you don�t believe me, yell at a puppy. See the look it gives you.
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