I think birds understand more about us than we do about them. This penguin seemed to have me figured out. I had no idea what was on his mind. He seemed quite curious and unafraid. But, if he didn’t like me he is perfectly capable of regurgitating his stomach contents at me to discourage my presence. All I can say is that I am glad he seemed to like me! Birds in the far southern latitudes are less afraid of humans because they see much less of them. Smart birds.
Owls have stereoscopic vision and incredible hearing. They can detect the vertical location of sound origin by differential recognition in each ear.
Did you know seagulls like this guy in a La Jolla hotel stole silver napkin rings off guest tables for years and flew away with them. Years later, during renovations, a huge pile of the napkin rings was found in an old bell tower.
When I look birds in the eye, I see an uncanny intelligence there. It is especially obvious with the raptors like this Sea Eagle,
Harris Hawk,
Hawk Eagle
and the Red Tail Hawk. There is an IQ scale that has been developed for birds. Hawks are among the most intelligent.
Corvids like ravens, crows and magpies, remember the faces of people who do bad things to them for years. Most wild birds must be quite accustomed to a human before they will let you get anywhere near them. Smart birds. Starlings like this Superb Starling are capable of understanding grammatical rules and are being studied by linguists because their vocal recognition abilities surpass those of Tamarin monkeys.
Who said bird-brained meant dumb?
Must have been some human-brain, who never took much time to get to know birds. The roadrunners have our daily routine down pat! They are surreptitious spies, and like to watch us when they know we won’t see them. They jump on a patio table and spy on Jim when he eats breakfast. They spy on both of us while we sleep. I often crack one eye open in bed in the morning to see the roadrunner staring at me through the French Doors. They let me get close…….when they feel like it.
Parrots are being studied for their logical thinking abilities that are said to be similar to that of a four year old child and the great apes. Birds cognitive abilities currently being studied include their ability to count, distinguish visual and auditory signals, use tools, learn through observation, engage in sophisticated communication and they are even being studied for possessing a “theory of mind,” being able to predict how other animals (read humans) will behave.
Smart birds. This Thrasher in Tortola is taking the measure of me. If you take some time to look a bird in the eye, you may see an intelligent creature looking right back at you.
I wonder what they think of us?
Cheers to you from all the world’s wonderful, and quite clever, birds~
For more info check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_intelligence
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I have not seen any photos of penguins this close — great capture on all of them!
If you can get to where wild penguins live, I understand you can get right up close to them because they really don’t fear people.
Penguins are just as adorable and beguiling as everyone says!
Oh wow these are amazing shots and I think I could see what the gull was thinking-“feed me”.
Have a nice week end.
Yes!!! That sounds like a gull to me! Laughing~
Amazing bird photos! Made me smile about the napkin rings lol.
Incredible isn’t it!
Very 🙂
An amazing lesson Cindy, I learner a great deal from this post….thank you.
Well thank you for reading and for this nice comment~
Great photos. Birds are such great subjects.
I agree with you on this, but I agree with you on most everything~
Such gorgeous creatures! Thank you for the bird’s eyes views! 😉
Thank you for appreciating them~
Awesome post, Cindy! Great photos of these birds and I so enjoyed learning about the evidence of their intelligence.
Well than, I am happy I did this post! Thanks much and cheers to you~
Stunning photography once again, Cindy… and as for a bird’s intelligence… I now seem to believe it!
You are a birliever!!!!! 🙂
LOL!
Wow, Cindy, what a great selection of bird shots. And they are all sharp and well-posed (did you bribe the birds 🙂 ). I knew about ravens remembering people’s faces but starlings understanding grammatical rules? How do they even experiment along those lines…fascinating.
Check out the reference at the end of the post and you can read some of the experiments they are doing. Quite amazing stuff!
Sensational photographs
Mil grazi my friend~
This was so much fun to view! There is personality, wisdom, humour, joy in each of your profiles. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I really wonder if we are the most advanced species that walk this earth.
I wonder the exact same thing and I suspect from what an excellent job we do of killing each other and destroying the planet, that we may well NOT be!
There was one particular crow who would squawk at me when I went on my daily walk. One day I stood underneath his perch in a pine tree and squawked back at him. He looked me over in puzzlement and squawked again, but this time it was shorter and somewhat softer – “squawk, squawk” instead of “squawk, squawk, squawk, squawk, squawk!” I returned a single “squawk” and he just looked at me without uttering another sound. From that day forward, he never squawked at me again. I could always recognize the ruffled feathers he had on one wing.
I have been imitating bird calls since I was a little kid. They seem to like it and respond to it. The crow had accepted you. Very cool~
fascinating post Cindy, and wonderful photos! I love birds and that intelligent look in their eyes, our local magpies and king parrots certainly have us figured out 🙂
Magpies bring people who they like gifts! Parrots and magpies are two very intelligent birds! We don’t have either. Darn it!
Cindy, amazing shots. Birds do have great intelligence. It’s fun to watch them. 🙂
They are endlessly entertaining! The hummingbirds land on me all the time now!
Cindy, that is awesome, they are so cute, love them.
Very educational!I never knew those things about birds…caats them in a whole new light!
Meow! Laughing………
Thank you for the wonderful visit with our feathered friends. The pictures are beautiful!
Incredible, stunning photos. You are right – the sharp intelligence in the eyes of some of them is stunning.
There has been a historical tradition of assuming birds and other animals are dumb, don’t have feelings, etc. Contemporary science is proving both these assumptions quite wrong! So happy you enjoyed~
De belles photos !!! Bonne journée !
Merci beau coup mon ami!
Wow Cindy this is very interesting,thank you for sharing this about the birds.
Just happy you found it interesting Ranu & cheers to you~
Wonderful Cindy. Nothing like looking nature in the eye. 🙂
Cannot be beat! I agree~
Beautiful photos, and I have no doubt that birds are very intelligent. After all, I wouldn’t like my chances of catching a worm for breakfast, or an insect on the wing, not to mention navigating my way across the world like our tiny godwits.
And the little hummingbirds migrate up to 2000 miles…….now one knows how they navigate!
It’s just awesome, isn’t it!
Truly is & cheers to you~
the title is very funny, i like it 🙂
Thank you and I am glad!! Cheers~
You’re the John James Audobon of bloggers. Love these birds captured by your excellent photography skills!!!
You are very kind and appreciated!
This is a beautiful, yet educational post! Enjoyed reading about their intelligence. I didn’t know that seagulls appreciate silver napkin rings 🙂 Thank you, Cindy! Great weekend!
Before they found the stash, I was assuming they liked to set an elegant table~
Good article about bird intelligence. I have seen video (a long time) about bird (crow?) used tool (stick) to get the food of a bottle. That is a problem solving using tool which normally related to high level of intelligence (monkeys and us are most notorious).
The penguin regurgitates his/her stomach contents might be a sign of affectionate (cat drop a dead mouse at your door step) 🙂
Those are beautiful pictures!
Yes, different species of birds do give gifts! I think I saw the video you are referring to and I thought it was fascinating too! Interesting comments my friend!
You have captured such comical looks, made me LOL. Except for the raptors, who are far too regal to laugh at. The seagull looks like a professional comedian about to deliver his best line. And, of course parrots are always a delight. Have an enjoyable weekend. 😀
Seagulls have to provoke more responses in us then any other bird. They can be comical, beautiful in the air, enjoying when they swoop down and steal your picnic sandwich! Laughing…..
What a enjoyable and educational post, Cindy. Nicely done. I must confess that the sea eagle was my favourite.
I actually walked to within a few yards (or so it seemed at the time) of a bald eagle once, while hiking in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Magnificent.
Getting a few yards from a bald eagle would be an incredible experience. I was in Cape Breton, so gorgeous!
It is. My favourite place to go camping, so far.
Wow your bird photos are awesome! I love reading your stories about them too! It’s amazing to me how smart some of them are!! Hugz Lisa and Bear
Reblogged this on blondiesBEARista and commented:
I love Cindy’s photos, she has wonderful tidbits too about the subjects!
You are so kind Lisa and I am most honored by your reblog! Thank you. Cheers to you and Bear and have a great weekend!
These portraits are fabulous. You have captured each one with their character in place. Congratulations.
This is such a thoughtful comment and it is much appreciated too! Thank you~
Great photos as usual. Love the napkin ring story. How close to the birds were you when you took these shots?
Most pretty close. Close ups of birds work best when you are pretty close and zoom up to the face. I love getting close to birds!
Amazing shots. I never manage to get close enough for amazing shots like yours. You are so right about the intelligence. The robins in my yard line up along my roof line when I start loosening the soil in my garden. When they figure I’ve exposed enough earthworms for the day they start “yelling” at me to leave. When they finally get to the space to have lunch — if I return too soon — they give me a look like — “could she possibly be any ruder? — we’re still eating!” Keep the happy photos coming — its snowing here again today — they really cheer me up. 😀
Oh I love this story and it does perfectly illustrate their ability to adapt to new circumstances, learn and plan. Amazing!
What marvelous images! Birds are just fascinating creatures-
They are so different from us and that makes them fascinating, I agree completely!
These are magnificent captures… so impressive… love it…
Well then this post was worth it! Mil grazi~
What an incredible close up look at each other – human to bird/bird to human. There is no doubt in my mind that if we listen to our senses, we will see ourselves and more in all the creatures among us.
Very true and important to point out. We are connected to all the living things on this planet. Great point Dor. If people were more aware of this, we might take better care of our fellow living creatures!
Yes, these close up shots are great.
Well thanks so much for the nice compliment and for stopping by!
These are amazing! The napkin ring story is hilarious! Pilfering birds!
Plifering and stashing birds! Amazing indeed~
I don’t have to study them to know they are smart. They are. Your photographs are amazing, as always. Just beautiful. I wish we would let them alone to live and stop keeping them in cages to learn about them. We should put scientists in cages and try to figure out why they think it’s okay to do what they do. THAT is something i would like to know.
Touche’ It is hard to envision birds in cages when one realizes how intelligent they are, and how social they are, and how much they like to fly everyday. It would be beneficial if we did accord animals a better set of basic rights.
Loved the bird’s eyes. The amber of the owl eyes is so beautiful. What is it about a colored circle with a black dot in it that is so ( can’t even think of a word) ?
I am fascinated with my own gravatar. lol
Owls are fascinating and mysteriously elusive creatures, and their pupils are amazing, especially when you see them large at night!
The Thrasher looks as if it’s saying, “Hey, I said no photograph!”
LOL!
Laughing……I have a penguin baby that I snapped who squeezed her eyes shut as if saying the exact thing!!! I should post. It is adorable & hilarious!
I can’t wait to see it, Cindy!
😀
Love your pictures!
Well that makes me feel great! Thanks~
When my son was 6, I took him on a special outing for his birthday, which included him feeding the penguins! That’s a fascinating post, Cindy.
I can tell that outing stuck in your mind and was very special! Thank you Sarah & cheers to you~
These are such delightful photographs of these birds, especially the ones looking straight at the camera. Their eyes seem to warn, “Don’t mess with me.” and with those beaks and claws, I wouldn’t!
I get close to the red tails and their talons are so lethal. In some sunlight they shine silver like knives! They are capable of doing some serious damage to those who do not respect their ways~
Cindy, Would you mind if I re-blog this on DominoParkComics.com. I never re-blog because I have a set theme, but this is so wonderful, I think my readers will love it.
Awwwww. I am completely honored and so very appreciative! Thank you & I love your blog!
Incredible close-ups, Cindy. Yes, that Sea Eagle does look as though he’s thinking deep thoughts. 🙂
Amazingly powerful bird! I was so impressed by him!
I cAn hardly wait for a whole new season of your posts and pics.
Yay!! Than I am most happy to provide!
Hawks, hummingbirds, flowers….I’m pumped!
🙂
I do wonder whether the religious tradition of denying souls to non humans blinded us – many generations on – to their actual capacities and when research started it started with the closest link, the monkeys.
This was a fascinating post, both for the superb photographs and for the content.
Many thanks
What a fascinating premise. I know my mother and grandparents bought in to the idea that animals were less than humans in every way. Both generations highly educated, both denying the existence of higher cognitive functioning in animals. My mother probably still believes this and doesn’t much relate to posts like this one! Laughing. I think you are right on accurate. Couple the religious argument with the past generation’s focus on development, human superiority, rational man arguments and scientific progress through animal experimentation, and the stage was set for an animal, and natural world apocolpyse, which is pretty much what has happened.. Sad. I wonder if we can turn it around?
Maybe he knew he was posing for an Artist and would be admired by hundreds! 🙂
Well I could believe it for one maybe! But all of them? Not so much……Laughing~
I’m pinning a couple these gorgeous shots! You really know how to get in there and intimate! 😉
I am honored Resa! Have I told you, you rock…….Yes, I suspect so!! It’s true~
“lol” We have a great time out here in WP world!
xo
Just sent you an email my friend. Hugs & more hugs~
an interesting post as it is arresting. No bird brains there–but featuring the head (almost exclusively) is such a unique perspective. The eyes have it for me; those raptors are seXe birds…:)
No sexe is one thing I never considered!!! Maybe to a raptor of the opposite gender…..but I do admit they are good looking! Laughing……you are hilarious!! I lost my emoticon cheat list so I can’t send you a wink……
yeah–I am nutty, but they are a seXe bird. Dangerous and predatory looking–and so capable of backing up that bat-i-tude…:)
I am en-raptor-ed…:)
Well if you are en-raptor-ed, you should come out to The Holler and see if one will sweep you off your feet……but I afraid you’d be in for a big let down….literally! 🙂