Sitting outside eating my sandwich on a park bench enjoying the sunshine and the (relatively) warmer weather I was joined by a flock of house sparrows. These little guys were NOT shy but hopped all over my feet screeching at each other over each dropped crumb. I went through an exercise of tapping my foot progressively harder just to see how loud a noise or fast a motion would scare them off. Nothing phased them... They didn't so much as blink.
Eventually, about 10 of them all lined up along the back of the bench next to me and each cocked their head to the side to stare me down, as if to say "that's really the best you've got?"
I dug into my pocket to get out my camera and document the long line of identically canted birds on a bench and I was just about to push the button when my flock of of feathered friends flew away in fright. Momentarily confused because my motion to grab the camera was well below their previously demonstrated threshold of annoyance I eventually looked around and noticed the red tailed hawk that lives in the neighborhood.
These little birds with tiny brains had learned that I posed no immediate threat, even in close quarters, because I had about a zero percent chance of being able to catch one of them. Yet they were able to recognize a much more serious threat at a great distance. Who among us could so deftly determine the level of danger in a situation and quickly extricate ourselves without a fuss?
Nature... never ceases to amaze me, even in the middle of the city.
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