I am surrounded by constant conversation...and I can't understand a word. The woodpecker beats the drum, but he's pretty much a One-Note Charlie. I'm not sure he's not cussing when he yells because he missed and banged a toe. The trees are full of dinky birds constantly babbling and talking over each other. Quail run around yelling for that loser Lothario, Rod-RI-go, and when they're not screaming for their lost love, they whisper. Drat. Vultures are silent onlookers, perched on posts here and there. The ones I'm really interested in, the ones for whom I'd like an interpreter, are the turkeys and the crows. These birds have extensive vocabularies. The turkeys, in particular, are always going on about something or another. That's probably where the saying "Let's talk turkey" comes from. They're pretty calm, chatting in low voices as they go around the yard, but they can get pretty darned vocal if birds from an enemy flock come into view, and the warning is clear. I always feel sorry for that one who gets left behind, crying, "Wait for me! Don't leave me!" Those words are unmistakable in any tongue.
And then there are the crows. There has been extensive research into their language, and they do have a true vocabulary. What they seem to lack is a volume control. Michael and I were sitting outside yesterday afternoon and could hardly hear ourselves think (I speak here for Michael, too) because of the crows cawing loudly in the trees overhead. It wasn't hard to distinguish some of the same sounds repeated, but I didn't know what they meant. I know it's impolite to eavesdrop, but it's hardly eavesdropping when the subjects aren't trying in the slightest to keep their conversation private.
Anyone speak bird?
Stay safe. Be well.
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