Date: 9/10/26 12:22 pm From: bobgress <bobgress...> Subject: Re: Looking for or looking at? Can birds tell the difference?
And there is your PhD research project. Great question and perspective Dr. A! Great question!
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On Thursday, September 10, 2026, 2:14 PM, Henry Armknecht <armknecht...> wrote:
We worked in Yellowstone the summers of 97-99 before I was a birder. A
very common activity in Yellowstone is observing wildlife and at that
time seeing a bear was a big deal. They told us that about one visitor
in 100 saw a bear. I spent a lot of time looking for bears and other
wildlife. With a little experience, I learned to tell from a distance
whether a group of people were looking for a bear or looking at a bear.
A few years later, we were driving in Smoky Mountain National Park. I
told my passengers that there was a bear up ahead. They asked how I
knew and I told them because they were looking at instead of looking
for. When we arrived at the location, there was a Black Bear in a small
clearing near the road.
What does that have to do with birding? Have you ever had the
experience of having a bird show up at your location. Within a few
hours (or maybe a couple of days) they are joined be several of their
brethren. We know that honey bees can communicate the location of a good
food source to hive mates, but what about birds? Can one bird
communicate the location of your feeders or water supply to other birds?
When they observe the behavior of other birds can they discern whether
the birds are looking for or looking at? Does a bird fly differently if
it is flying toward a known source of food, water, or habitat rather
than searching for it?
