What are they thinking?

My mother asked that question rhetorically many times of our family dogs as we were growing up.

But what do animals ponder? Or can they?

That question stuck with me and seems more intriguing as the years pass now surrounded by differing animals in a farm setting.

The bird you can barely see at the top of the tree is a Red-shouldered Hawk. “It is a year-round resident in the eastern half of Texas from the Red River to the Rio Grande.” [*]

Yesterday morning I watched him as a newcomer swoop in and land. Not the largest of hawks, his over three foot wingspan is still impressive.

He sat in that tree for a good fifteen minutes. I guessed what I thought he thought. He kept turning his head in every direction as if evaluating the spot for a nest. At one point it seemed he might have been watching me watching him through the binoculars.

Later that afternoon just as the sun set to complete night I thought I saw wings at that tree top. I wondered if it was the hawk returning to see how the ‘hood was in darkness.

The question of animal thought isn’t restricted to any one species. I see cows lulling in the now cooler rain fed green grass seemingly communing with each other; goats circling together, plunking down close-in as if they don’t want anyone to hear their gossip.

The same observation can be made of horses, pigs, toads, fish, guinea hens.

The list goes on and on.

Maybe they communicate through a form of mental telepathy?

Hmmmm. In our new world of 24/7 commercial and government propaganda, replacing that blather might have its advantages to humans too.

Then again……………………

 

[*The Birds of Texas by John L. Tveten, Shearer Publishing, Fredericksburg, Texas, 1993]