What “What The Robin Knows” Taught Us

We walked outside and greeted a crisp, sunny morning – a fine day to spy on our neighbors. Well, to spy on our neighbor birds – you know, those birds whose address is our address! We sat quietly in front of the house and watched them go about their birdly business.
 
This American Robin above sat motionless in the California Bay emitting a barely audible whisper song.
 
One of our California Towhees kicked and sifted through redwood duff, puddles, dirt, and gravel…

While its mate picked seeds in the branches above:

This California Scrub-Jay poked its head up from out of the berries:

All was peaceful on our street…
 
Until suddenly, a Scrub-Jay tore into our field of view from the left, landed on the power line, hunched down, and let out a series of squawks!

Not five seconds later, a Dark-eyed Junco dove into the bushes in front of us from the left. Three more Juncos followed, lightly tinkling as they darted for cover. Meanwhile, the Towhee on the ground flew up six feet into blackberry bramble and tucked in. This Hermit Thrush perched silently atop the tree where it had just been flitting around eating berries.

We looked over to where the birds all flew from, and what do you think we saw?
 
None other than the neighbor’s cat D2!

This time it was just the neighbor’s cat, but tuning in to the behavior of the birds has clued us in to exciting wildlife like bobcats, coyotes, foxes, and hunting raptors.
 
We highly recommend the book What The Robin Knows by Jon Young. What The Robin Knows is a great exploration of the concept of “bird language.” “Bird language” isn’t limited to just vocalizations, but also includes birds’ behavior and actions in response to their surroundings. Noticing when birds suddenly stop making sounds can be just as informative as noticing intense alarm calls. Even detecting subtle changes in birds’ normal activity – known as “baseline” behavior – can provide valuable insight.
 
This was a small example of those principles in action. To us, D2 is just our neighbor’s cat, but to the birds, knowing where D2 is at all times is literally a matter of life and death. There’s drama unfolding out there constantly, and learning to read bird language can greatly enrich your birding session, a neighborhood walk, or time spent relaxing in the yard.