Bird-brained??

The other day we were sitting at the beach when we observed an incident very singular in nature.It was a perfect day, and everyone was happy;the playful waves hitting the sun-baked sand and quenching its thirst, the clouds in the sky readying themselves for the impending rains,crabs all over the shore,but it was the crows that caught our attention.

first of all, i have never seen so many crabs on a beach otherwise inhabited by scores of humans. these crabs seem to have adapted themelves to human ways, considering they were completely at home with all the coconuts, already-eaten corn cobs and even plastic packets of various sizes.now because these crabs came out time and again from their burrows, naturally there were crows waiting to swoop onto them.

they did try swooping and getting the crabs, but in vain.and soon enough they diverted their attention to this new game which is actually what my aforementioned singular incident is.these crows went and perched on the sand, right where the waves were cuming in, and everytime the waves came in, in trying to avoid the water, they performed this funny dance routine. with their wings flapping and beaks open..they danced backwards on their tiny two feet before flying away.and after a while, they were back at it again, looking the waves bravely in the eye, facing the strong wind,ready for the next one..

now i have never seen this, and i think neither had the crabs, which caused them to remain outside their burrows despite the crows' presence. this act of apparent pleasure made me wonder if the crows also experienced the same sort of thrill in fear, the adrenaline-rushing complex emotion that we humans feel whenever we except a challenge,and the immense joy when we have accomplished it..and the excitement of wanting to do it all over again...

may be they arent that "bird-brained" after all...