Fall Murmurations
Dear Diary,
Looking at a book about a conference on animal
intelligence that I attended. Arguments about which animals are smart:
Chimps? Whales? Dolphins? Elephants? Most folks started talks by noting
“their” animal had human-like habits like tool use or sharing or
counting; most ended talks with plea to save “their” animal from human
habit of planet abuse… Missing link there somewhere
Was
experimenting with tool use myself before conference: learning to type
by computer voice recognition. We use it to collect all our bird data (White, King & Duncan. 2002).
It’s strange, seeing one’s words appear without typing. Even stranger is
seeing words materialize on screen without using speech but sneezes,
coughs, and sputters …a couple of robust sniffs the other day started
off pretty good story…"Her skirts flying, Sheila rushed towards…." Have
no idea who Sheila is or her mission… What was my nose thinking? Must
await new nasal inspiration.
Lots of change in bird habits as nesting ends and they ready themselves
to go south. Still marvel at how they live here half the year without
acquiring STUFF. No minivan loaded with belongings; No geese with
backpacks. No pigeons with iPODs. Saw a crow on 8th street
try to fly away after scooping up abandoned beanie baby (no longer in
original wrapping)…adopting that human hobby could lead to rapid
downfall.
Memories of animal intelligence adventures in past summers come to mind.
One year I made two of our indoor birds “migrate”. Decided to let
Roy (a starling) and Artie (a cowbird) live in a big outdoor aviary. Roy
pretty vocal about the move, he is current mimic-in-residence, uttering
things like “Good morning” and “ I have a question;” also copies
whistles, microwave beeps, and the “pings” of his fluorescent light. Roy
likes TV sports,
favorite month is March, goes nuts with the roar of the crowd (starling
we had years ago chanted “defense, defense” when Carolina basketball
games were on).
”Think of it as a vacation,” I told Roy, during the June move. Tried to
finesse fact he would miss NBA finals. Roy not buying any of it, his
face is in “psychoceramic” mode (pose learned from cats). His demeanor
got me to do all sorts of things…brought his old cage, dishes, stuffed
animals, napkins, and perches. He wavered a bit then, flying to me and
clinging to my shirt…but his very hot feet gave away he was still pretty
ticked off…finally I had to get home…. what to do? Glad no one saw me on
trip back: only truce I could broker was to give him shirt off my back.
Other
summer adventures come to mind involve our old dog: three years ago was
the last summer of Sirius, a 16-yr. old black lab. He was deaf and did
not move around much or at least not until son started taking him for
car rides on the farm, just short jaunts to pond or orchard or to visit
Roy and Artie. Sirius sat in back not even looking out window but his
body heaved with happiness. Began hanging out in driveway with tail
wagging and eyes bright as namesake star. People asked about miracle
cure for his old age…soon other two dogs in family joined him at dog bus
stop. Trio did not want to carpool, insisted on separate rides. And so
we had old dog with new trick but one too politic to point out who
tricked whom.
Roy and Artie back in house and I am back at computer. I figure out Roy
is his own voice recognition system … takes our words, works them over,
puts out his own version…personal but perverse speechwriter…my mantra
for ”basic research” morphed into “sick (sic?) sea church.” Roy hears
nothing special in humans’ words; all sounds are fodder for his mimicry.
He is quite at home simulating the sloshing sound waves as our lips
smack and as saliva sluices. Roy can turn human’s
pinnacle achievement
into vaudeville (for more on starlings’ clownish vocal ways (Mozart’s
Starling).
Their talents hard to dismiss as silly… it is hard to feel superior to
an animal species whose members can tell humans “Don’t forget your
glasses” and “The kids called.”
After conference was over, had to write paper on intelligence in birds (West,
King, & White 2003)…but
voice recognition system still not happy...am told to “go see the
Intel-ants” when I utter “intelligence.” Too soon to tell if advice good
or bad. New idea...let Roy’s voice write for me. If he sees his sounds
make lights flash and the cursor move, who knows what lies ahead? And
maybe, just maybe he can find Sheila of the flying skirts and tell me
where she is going.
