Edg, when I lived in Davis there were (and still are, I suspect) lots of crows and Davis has lots of walnut trees, too -- big suckers with lots and lots of walnuts. The crows like the walnuts and they'd swoop down and pick them up and drop them over and over on the road from maybe 20-30 feet up until they broke open. Long, hard work.
However, after awhile some of the crows figured out that cars running over the dropped walnuts really speeded up the fulfillment of their walnut desires. There were spots in Davis where the crows would wait with their walnuts until they saw a car coming along and then they'd drop 'em on the road right before it passed so as to take advantage of the big nutcracker. Lovely. Marek ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Duveyoung <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Guys, > > Thanks for all the suggestions below -- I'll get those books. > > Meanwhile, here's something funny and touching: > > http://tinyurl.com/35wswq > > I just moved away from living on a lake where I watched over 60 > species doing they thang right outside my window, and I was humbled. > > I had five crows that I interacted with, and their intelligence was > never in doubt -- mine was! cuz I was having such a hard time with my > nose pressed up against the glass trying to see into their world -- > their mindset. > > But they had no trouble understanding me -- they always seemed to know > exactly what I was up to. > > Smart critters. > > Then there's the time I had, count them, 12 turtles, some the size of > manhole covers, sunning themselves in "my" cove. There were musk rats > swimming everywhere, mallard ducks upending within, say, two inches of > the turtles, crows overhead, a mink on a fallen tree, and the turtles > didn't budge. I open my window, they all dived for safety. > > Don't tell me animals are anything but mind readers. > > Those prairie dogs with words that mean "human being seen" as opposed > to "coyote," are another example. > > And, yeah, I have a dozen house plants that I always talk to with > great respect -- I jes lurves 'em, I do. > > Edg > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Marek Reavis" <reavismarek@> > wrote: > > > > Curtis, same here; one of the things that I've always enjoyed about > > solo backpacking is the occasional interaction with non- domesticated > > animals. Sometime ago I posted an encounter with three bears at the > > end of a 4-day hike in the Marble Mountains a few years ago; one of > > my favorite trips for just that reason. (Message # 128281) > > > > One of the things I'm digging about surfing is hanging with the seals > > and the dolphins. What a world. > > > > Marek > > > > ** > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "curtisdeltablues" > > <curtisdeltablues@> wrote: > > > > > > Excellent book Marek! I just put both of them on hold at the > > library. > > > I am a big fan of human animal communication. (evidenced by my > > desire > > > to post here!) > > > > > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Marek Reavis" <reavismarek@> > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > Comment and recommendation below: > > > > > > > > ** > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Duveyoung <no_reply@> wrote: > > > > > > > > **snip** > > > > > > > > > To tell you the truth, if you want real aliens to talk to, why > > > > > consider that famous parrot that died a few days ago. That > > bird did > > > > > more to me than any cropcircle -- that bird made me believe in > > > > animal > > > > > minds being, as if, whole alien worlds that need traveling to, > > need > > > > > understanding. Even with the astounding evidence of animal > > minds > > > > that > > > > > are very sophisticated -- apes, birds, dogs, elephants, > > dolphins, > > > > > etc., the tabloids are trying to invent these whacky goofyass > > foci > > > > of > > > > > attention for the purpose of selling newspapers. To hell with, > > you > > > > > know, anything real. > > > > > > > > > > Where's the billions put into animal research? What could we > > learn > > > > > about the alien worlds of dolphin cultures that would impact > > our own > > > > > cultural sensibilities? What if the dolphins are actually > > speaking > > > > a > > > > > language that is as rich as our own? What if dolphins create > > > > artistic > > > > > masterpieces of holographic sound that on the other side of the > > > > world > > > > > a group of whales pause to appreciate? These opportunities are > > left > > > > > unexplored, but, hey, we'd better try to contact aliens we've > > never > > > > > contacted yet to date. > > > > > > > > > > I say, better for us to try to understand the species we > > already > > > > have > > > > > at our doorsteps -- try to understand what's right here, right > > now. > > > > > > > > > > > > > **snip to end** > > > > > > > > Edg, there's a couple of books by a guy, Eugene Linden, that my > > son > > > > turned me on to, one of which is titled "The Octopus and the > > > > Orangutan" and the other "The Parrot's Lament". Excellent > > material > > > > culled from interviews and visits with both the scientists and > > other > > > > hands-on/eyes-on zookeepers who work closely with animals and > > have > > > > concluded that animal intelligence is actual factual and not far > > > > distant from our own in many ways. Basically, it's all anecdotal > > > > stuff that isn't publishable as science but to these individuals > > > > there is no doubt that the animals they're working with are > > highly > > > > sentient and lucid. > > > > > > > > For instance, on the simian side you've got a zoo orang who > > > > manipulates a found wire into a lockpicking device, conceals it > > under > > > > his bottom lip when not needed, and uses it to visit others at > > night > > > > and to look for food that not locked up. In the cephalopod > > corner > > > > there are stories of octopi who break out of their own tank > > during > > > > the night and make the harrowing and frequently unsuccessful > > journey > > > > across bare linoleum to another tank in which either food or a > > > > possible mating opportunity exists. Lots more and all absolutely > > > > great stuff and a fine read. Recommended. > > > > > > > > Marek > > > > > > > > > >
