Miserable, cold, grey and wet, conditions make for angry birds? In the half hour we watched this African Spoonbill pair, the bird on the left never peaked out from its tucked away position. The bird on the right, however, made constant eye contact, shook itself clear of water drops, and in various, persistent ways made it known that it was displeased. The weather? The partner’s withdrawal? Who knows the real reason for the agitation, but when I get told I project emotion onto birds I smile quietly. All birds of a feather are as similar to one another as all humans born with two legs.
Hannelie de Klerk 