Animal attraction
March 14th, 2023
No, not this kind of animal attraction you silly gooses. But an attraction and calmness I bring out in animals — domestic and others. It’s been with me for as long as I remember — and that is not just a mutual love and affection and respect between me and all the cats and dogs and even a rabbit that were members of my family. That goes without saying. But there is more — dogs love me, and they immediately search for scratches and playful jostling soon after we meet. Cats ignore me less than they do other people and after the show of disinterest, they soon find their way onto my lap, even strays walking away walk slowly and look back with interest. Every cow or sheep or horse I meet on my hikes is properly greeted by me and comes near without much fear or trepidation. They just know I am harmless and I am always up for scratches and petting and good words.
Every winter, for many years already, I put out a feeder for birds and keep it well stocked through the lean months and I am richly rewarded by it — a lot of sparrows and jackdaws and tits and turtledoves and magpies and jays and others come over to feast on seeds and crumbs. I also put out walnuts on the old pear tree in winter for squirrels and woodpeckers so they will be taken care of as well. And yesterday as I was walking back home through the garden after putting out the feed in the afternoon — a great spotted woodpecker came over to the pear tree and started working on a walnut. It moved it with its beak several times in a crack in the bark to get a proper fit and started working on it. It took only five or six knocks to break the shell and get the nutritious nut inside. And all that happened with me standing about two meters from this action. The woodpecker even stopped several times to look me over, but without fear kept doing what it was doing as I stood and watched. It was a short but beautiful and brilliant and very fulfilling experience being so close to a wild bird going about its business, looking at me and instinctively knowing that I mean no harm. I still got it!
