Sunday, July 06, 2014

I was at work today, watching a little sparrow or chickadee. I'd seen other small birds around the station over the last few years, doing what I saw this sparrow doing today. But today was the first time I realized what was going on, and if I'm right, it's really exciting. It's another proof that animals are capable of thought and planning. Not tool using, like chimps using twigs to get ants out of logs, but they are doing something very cool. I did a Google search and it doesn't look like anyone's mentioned this anywhere online.

We have rows of lights under the carports, that aren't flush with the carport, but come down with a cover over them. I should take a picture and repost this some day.

I've noticed the birds doing something because it looks so funny. They fly around the lights, wings going very fast. They're almost hovering in place, like hummingbirds. It's when I saw the bird today then fly down underneath it and start pecking at the ground that I realized.

It was using its wings to brush away the dead bugs that flew around and committed suicide the night before. The ones that stuck to the covers when they fried themselves. Then it flew down and ate the ones it brushed to the ground! Is that cool or what? They HAVE to be thinking to do this.

Now that my phone has a camera, I'm going to try to get a picture next time it happens.