the question

Have you ever noticed the way a bird cocks it head sideways to cast a look up at your face? There is something magical about that moment. Part of the reason is probably because it seems to be such a human behavior, like the way a questioning spouse might look up at you from a chair, not quite sure of what you mean. Or perhaps whether you have been unfaithful.

At a different level, the moment seems like a contact between equals from two different worlds, both wondering what life is like being the other. It is both inspiring and unsettling.

It always leaves me wondering what was going through the bird's mind at the moment. Was the creature merely hoping to pry some food out of you? Was it an expression of love? Or was it an act of aggression, telling you to get no closer? Or was the bird wondering if you would make a good spouse?

I don't know. Nevertheless, it is an experience I always look forward to as I sit at the bus stop, and one crow or another, or perhaps a pigeon, lights down a few feet away and looks up.