Bird Brains!
(and other assorted flights of fancy)
For the Birds - Avian observations from the beerfloat.calm world
Bird Brains! (and other assorted flights of fancy) – by Corliss Buenavida
This summer I came upon a flock of pigeons which were flying around in a wide circle above a large parking lot. As the group approached a lamp post where only one would fit, they fought for position to try to land on it. One wins the aerial scuffle and takes up its perch, while the rest start another loop around the sky with this lap culminating in the direction of the next lamp post available, where again; only one is able to land. The circuit continues similar to the game, Musical Chairs, progressively circling above the parking lot until each lamp post has a sentinel atop.
If the pigeons are all looking for a perch then why not just fly in a direct line to the nearest roof or wire? Are these pigeons playing a game or is it just a really dumb flocking mentality?
Birds flock for several reasons, including enhanced safety from predators and foraging efficiency. The ‘many eyes’ effect increases vigilance, making it harder for predators to single out individuals. Flocking also helps in learning from each other’s successes, leading to richer feeding grounds and helping young birds learn essential survival skills from more experienced flock members.
Maybe, not so dumb after all!
On the other hand, for humans, flock mentality or herd mentality is the tendency for individuals to align their thoughts or actions with those of a group. This behaviour can be observed in various social contexts such as fashion trends, the stock market, political movements and obviously – social media. The phenomenon is driven by cognitive biases, lack of confidence and the desire to belong, leading to a collective decision-making and sometimes irrational behavior.
In the example of social media where users suffer from fear of missing out (FOMO), the anxiety associated with being left behind or excluded from a popular trend or activity, people can be driven to conform. Because we seek validation, echo chambers are created, where people are exposed primarily to content that aligns with their existing beliefs and preferences, limiting their exposure to diverse perspectives and reinforcing existing biases. This is no game, it’s your life.
Don’t be a pigeon - snap out of it people and think for yourself!
On a different day, while cycling around a waterfront natural habitat conservation area, Tommy Thompson Park, I happened upon a Great Blue Heron working away on a catch too large to swallow in one gulp as is their usual habit.
Its prey was pinned under its foot in shallow water so I could not see what it was attempting to eat but I got the impression it was trying to cut it down to a size it could manage. The cutting was being done by large repeated violent stabs from its closed beak. After a sufficient quantity of jabs the hoisted trophy turned out to be a large fish or should I say two halves of a large fish.
Thank you Mr. Heron for not being shy about demonstrating your clever behaviour!
Another avian observation I made much more recently was that of a hawk and a crow participating in an aerial battle like Snoopy and the Red Baron. It was a smallish hawk equal in size to the crow so they appeared very evenly matched. At any one time either of them could be chasing the other and then with a quick evasive manoeuvre the positions were reversed. The skirmish went on for some time with continuous hunter and victim role changes until they finally disappeared behind an apartment building.
I did some research after witnessing this encounter and I cannot determine if they too were playing or this was a real encounter of fear and defence?
Crows generally only chase hawks away during nesting season when they are worried their young or eggs are in danger but this is mid-fall when offspring are fully grown. A small hawk is not likely to go after a large bird as a meal, so I have a mystery which I am not able to solve at this time.
Never-the-less, thanks for the show!
On yet another cycling day while I was traversing what is known as the Lavender Creek Trail (why it has that name I don’t know because it always smells like plastic or resin industrial waste), while passing between a tight row of shrubs and trees a hawk flew up right in front of me. It was carrying something, but it got up above my head so I lost sight of it before I could determine its prey. I think the hunter was either a Sharp-Shinned Hawk or a Cooper’s Hawk.
Then suddenly, out of the sky drops a squirrel which lands down in front of me, apparently none worse for wear as it scurries off into the woods.
We do have Flying Squirrels in this part of the world, but they are nocturnal and rarely seen. I believe the hawk had just caught the Gray Squirrel and obviously not killed it yet. So I imagine the squirrel was quite pleased with me for scaring the hawk into flight and allowing it to escape. However I don’t think it would have been a problem for the hawk to obtain another meal source because right after I passed the drop zone there were another 15 squirrels. For some reason, they’re called Gray Squirrels, even though about 95% of them are black?
Now, back to animals dropping out of the sky; you may have read a previous blog, Friggin’ Birds, in which I relay my observation of a small fish being dropped into my garden at The Villa in Nicaragua while I was having a calm float. It appears the birds’ targeting skills are improving as the squirrel drop was much closer to a direct hit.
If there is any truth to the ‘things always happen in threes’ adage, I suspect I’m going to end up like the Road Runner’s cartoon nemesis, Wile E. Coyote, and have the next thing to fall from the sky be an anvil or piano!
Bird migration typically happens during fall, and as our local forecast is already calling for the first snow storm of the season; my personal migration to The Villa has also been planned – unfortunately not soon enough!
I digress, as for bird travel patterns and schedules; they can be fairly well predicted based on years of study. However, every once in a while, due to any number of reasons such as a storm blowing birds off course or population growth leading to expanding territories, a rare bird shows up in an unusual location much to the delight of local birders.
In Toronto a great deal of excitement was generated this past week by the presence of a Razorbill.
Razorbills are North Atlantic colonial, fish eating, diving seabirds and the closest living relative to the extinct Great Auk. Looking a bit like a duck while in the water and a bit like a penguin when standing on land, they generally stick to salt water habitats, nesting on cliffs, with more than half the population breeding in Iceland. This particular explorer was in no way shy as he would drift very close to shore before flying off down the shipping channel, he had located himself in, to start another drift back for better viewing.
The primary reason for knowing where to spot the Razorbill is that I get email alerts when rare birds are spotted in the Toronto vicinity, or anywhere on the planet depending on what parameters I load into my app settings.
So, I got a different alert for a bird which I have never seen but have attempted to find on many occasions, an American Bittern. Bitterns are wading birds in the same scientific family as egrets and herons.
Not only are they normally shy solo nocturnal birds that are well-camouflaged but when one thinks it is in danger it remains motionless, with its bill pointed upward, causing it to blend into the surrounding foliage even further. Very smart!
Well, as difficult as it is to find an American Bittern, it’s not difficult to find a bitter American at the moment. This is because of the mindless actions of a bunch of flocking Americans following one particular bird brain!
Chirping,
Corliss
beer float.calm = beerfloat.net not beerfloat.com
