Bird Brains

I just finished another animal-centric book.  And by "just," I'm talking this morning and it's 11:20am.  It didn't take me long to get through this book at all and not because it is simplistic or mediocre, but because I absolutely love it.

The book is Birdology by Sy Montgomery.  I had to buy the book because 1. I read Montgomery's book The Good Good Pig and fell in love and 2. it's a book about a woman's relationships and encounter's with birds of all kinds.  I knew this was a very dangerous move on my part considering the effects of animal-centric memoirs on my brain and desires, but I only have so much self-control.

Sy Montgomery is a great writer when it comes to connecting humans and animals.  If I had to emulate a writer, I would emulate her (which is one thing I tried to convey in my craft paper for my master's degree, but apparently I'm not very good with craft papers.)  I left this book craving interaction with birds, as I had expected.  To my relief (and probably to the relief of my parents and peers) I do not wish for any more birds on my future farm/very-large-yarded-house as a result of this read.  It affirmed my desire for hens and strengthened my admiration for birds of all types, but I am glad to announce that I am intelligent enough to know that a cassowary is not meant for farm life, especially in North America.

What really shocked me is that as fascinated as I am by parrots, and as much as I want to spend more time with a parrot (I say as if I have spent much time with parrots already), I don't actually want a parrot of my own.  This baffles me.  I baffle myself.  I am not upset, I just don't understand considering what all previous books have done to me.  I do want to read more about the famous parrot, Alex, and his scientist-human Irene (if you have read the book Alex and Me please tell me what you thought!)

But what did I really learn from this book?  I am one of those people who tends to humanize animals.  I believe animals deserve all the rights we give our fellow humans.  I believe other animals have feelings and intelligence.  Sy Montgomery made me realize that birds may actually have some of these characteristics, but in a way so very different from ourselves because birds are biologically and fundamentally as far from humans as possible.  To quote her and people she quoted almost directly, they are "living dinosaurs."  They are built differently and function differently but are capable of so many of the same things, in fact we probably underestimate many of their abilities.  This idea sends little sparkles of giddiness all through my being.

I've grown up in a mammal-loving family and always wanted mammalish pets, but I suddenly have this immense desire to root for the feathered.  GO BIRD!