“Ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you”.
– from the Book of Job (12:7-8)
At the end of the day I usually have to wait about half an hour for my carpool buddy. My favorite place to spend those thirty minutes is outside in the courtyard, and as the museum is closed, I’m guaranteed peace and quiet to unwind from the day.
On Tuesday evening I watched hummingbirds feeding on the Strelitzia in the flower bed opposite me, but they are too fast for me to photograph, so I offer instead the flowers they were feeding on…
Strelitzia, or “bird of paradise” flower
On Wednesday my quiet moment was disturbed by a large gathering of crows circling above me. Boy they make a racket their noisy “Koww” “Koww” echoed across the silent evening.
When they landed in the big tree on the opposite side of the courtyard I whipped out my camera. Not very good I know but I don’t have a telephoto lens …
Some trivia on crows: According to Dr. Kevin J. McGowan, of the Cornell lab of Ornithology the “poetic” word for a group of crows is “a murder of crows”, but scientists call them a flock of crows.
He also explained that when large numbers of birds congregate into a single group to sleep, it’s known as a “roost” and that crows roost mainly in the fall and winter.
the tree was full of crows
When we walked up the stairs from the parking garage on Wednesday morning we saw a large brown bug at the top of the landing. I thought it was a cricket, carpool buddy thought it was a cockroach. Eeeooowww! whatever it was, I’ve never seen something like that on those stairs before, and didn’t wait to say “hello” or to take a photo.
As I walked across the courtyard that afternoon a security guard called me over to show me this fellow – I’ve never seen anything like it before – I think it’s an albino praying mantis?
Is this an albino praying mantis?
Yesterday on my way to work I saw several large swarms of birds (I think they were pigeons but I can’t be sure) flying overhead, or standing in long lines on the telegraph wires, or on roofs of buildings. It seemed as if they were following my car.
I wondered whether the birds were gathering because they were migrating down south, or maybe they knew something was going to happen – an earthquake perhaps – so I asked carpool buddy what he thought the birds were telling us, and he said, “What birds?”
Unfortunately I was driving so I couldn’t photograph them.
*
At lunch time I read a passage in my book “A Stone in my Pocket” – by Matthew Manera, about the wild passenger pigeons that flew over the town of Port Credit, Ontario on June 23, 1855:
“The width of the flocks stretched from horizon to horizon, and it took almost four hours to pass overhead during which time the sun was blocked from view…..
Farmers encouraged people to hunt the pigeons otherwise they’d feed on their crops…”
[page 192]
According to Wikipedia, the passenger pigeons are now extinct.
aw cute!
There are deer on the hills around the museum, but they’re very shy so in all the years I’ve only seen them a few times, and always from the car.
When carpool buddy and I walked down to our car last night we met a family of deer at the side of the road. They were nervous when they saw us, and hid behind the bushes, but I was able to take a few photos.
I pay attention to signs and coincidences:
Though a coincidence may seem to be an accident, in truth there is no such thing as an accident or random event….. Never ignore coincidences. When a coincidence happens, ask yourself, what does this mean?
– Deepak Chopra, “Power, Freedom and Grace“
What were the birds, bugs, and animals trying to tell me?
Wondering Rose 
.. a powerful love is (still) all around you.. reminding you.. supporting you.. and yes.. still taking care of you…
Ah blue roses, thank you for taking the time to remind me that I’m not alone. It feels good to know I’m supported and surrounded by a powerful love.
It’s a grocery list reminder: buy chicken, eggs and buckwheat and make a pie this weekend. 🙂
You’re so funny Cindy. It would be a tasty pie with pigeons, crows and deer, but don’t forget that you’ll have to also put bugs in the pie. And now that you’ve suggested it, I challenge you to make said pie!
As for eating bugs, I read a fascinating article in the New Yorker magazine (August 15, 2011) by Dana Goodyear “Eating bugs to save the planet”. I highly recommend that you all read it.
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/08/15/110815fa_fact_goodyear#ixzz1YBDPVxlG
I think this is the same lady who I heard on a radio interview last week. Ewwww! I don’t care about protein. I prefer to leave these creepy crawlies to the birds – crows, pigeons, hummers…who cares?! And I don’t eat any of those either! 😀
I think you should read the article. I quote:
“World War Three will be over control of water and food, and the insect may be the answer….”
“… frustration in West Africa, where for decades European and American entomologists through programs like USAID and British Locust Control have killed grasshoppers and locusts which are complete proteins, in order to grow incomplete proteins like millet, wheat, barley, maize…
“Grasshoppers are important in the diets of children in Mali because for cultural reasons they do not eat chicken or eggs. Grasshoppers contain essential amino acids and serve as a crucial buffer against kwashiorkor (a protein deficiency)….
Kwashiorkor is on the rise in recent years because fields are being planted with cotton and pesticide use has intensified… (contaminating the grasshoppers).”
“Insects go dirty places, but so do fungi and we eat those all the time. And you don’t want to know about crabs, shrimp and lobsters…”
Hi,
What a wonderful variety of wildlife there is around the museum, I love the deer, they are gorgeous.
Hi Mags,
LA is surrounded by many mountain ranges which are all teeming with wildlife, and are all great places to go hiking. I believe the museum sits on a spur of the Santa Monica Mountain range.
I always find it strange that the only birds we see during the day when the visitors are at the museum are hummingbirds. The crows only arrive after 6pm when the museum is closed. (And this was the first time I saw the crows roosting.)
I’ve usually only seen deer on one of those foggy early mornings.
I went to the link you’ve provided about the animal messages, and read about hummingbird and deer. I am assuming you’ve read them, too, but I’d like to point out my favourite bits. Hope they help you answer your question.
Hummingbird: You are a beautiful person and you bring great joy to others. Stop once in a while to bless yourself.
Deer: Time for compassion and forgiveness. Learn to trust. Cultivate new friends and ideas. Try something new . Don’t be afraid to cry. Nurture yourself and take time to heal. Walk more or increase activity . Spend more time outdoors. Dance and be joyful. Cultivate your inner knowing. Get a massage or try an alternative healing session. Try meditation. Look deep within your nature and root out major fears.
Love.
It’s magical that a hummingbird or a deer could be giving me a message. I’m grateful I finally understand. A hundred kisses and thank yous Priya for not only going to the link but for pointing out exactly what I needed to hear. I saw it, but…
I can’t ignore it now. I’m going to do what my friend Julia suggests and “put it on my forehead”.
Another quote from the link:
“If your connection is weak or has been ignored in the past, it is time to renew your ancient connection with your oldest teacher, the animals.”
when i find myself in times of trouble, beloved animals come to me, mostly in my dreams… once i dreamed about my cat, egypt, lying at the bottom of my basement stairs, curled up next to vardogr, a german shepherd i once knew and loved (rescued, he’d been named by a scandinavian friend). i, too, pay attention to the living things that surround us and run outside when geese fly over, honking, honking, honking. thanks, dear rosie.
Hi Julia,
I think it’s beautiful that animals like your beloved cat Egypt, visit you in your dreams. Did it make sense to you why Egypt was lying at the bottom of the basement stairs next to vardogr?
Once years ago in the fall I was driving about 100 km east of Toronto when I saw the sky fill with migrating geese. I pulled over, watched, and listened and gave thanks, but I didn’t look up what it meant. Now I will.
I don’t know what link Priya is referring to (could you let me know?) – but following up on what she wrote, I found this….
Praying Mantis: “The mantis comes to us when we need peace, quiet and calm in our lives. Usually the mantis makes an appearance when we’ve flooded our lives with so much activity or chaos, that we can no longer hear the still small voice within us because of the external din”.
And this – which could explain the albino (travertine?) appearance!!
“Many praying mantis can change their color to better blend in with their environments”.
So amazing!
Thanks for invigorating my soul!
Hi Josee,
I wrote a reply to you and as I was going to press the comment button, it disappeared… What is that message?
Look at the last line of my post – If you click on “trying to tell me” you’ll find the link Priya went to.
Wow, thank you for find the praying mantis message. I’d like to hear the small voice within me…
Oops! Change to “invigorating”.
Did it!
I love the deer pictures especially…
According to Ted Andrews in “Animal Speak”:
“When deer show up in your life it is time to be gentle with yourself and others. A new innocence and freshness is about to be awakened or born. There is going to be a gentle, enticing lure of new adventures. Ask yourself important questions. Are you trying to force things? Are others? Are you being too critical and uncaring of yourself? When deer show up there is an opportunity to express gentle love that will open new doors to adventure for you.”
Hi Barbara,
Thank you very much for sharing the Ted Andrews “Animal Speak” book. I like what he says.
One of my co-workers had lunch at a table in a quiet secluded spot today and at one point she looked up and saw a deer standing opposite her.
I need more Owl in my life – thanks for reminding me! Birds constantly awe me and I’ve always marked raptors as totems. I had a dream: one summer afternoon I visited the secluded canyon home of a person I deeply admired. She opened a french door that led from a tiled passage to her shaded garden. There, at the edge of a fern-shaded gravel pathway, I saw a huge and beautiful tortoise, prehistorically old and inscrutable. I stood still, fascinated as it moved slowly, fearlessly into alignment with me. As I stared, barely breathing, the patterns of its shell, lustrous and ridged with age became a layered armature of feathers, mottled, banded, glossy. They began to move and unfold, spread into wings like a Condor’s and its head became that of an Eagle, with miraculous golden eyes the acuity and precision of a bird of prey. With a hop and a couple of immensely powerful wing-beats the ferns flattened and the creature took to the air, banked once to make sure we had met (my eyes and her’s) and ascended into the white sky. Whew!!!… I can take some big ideas on a few levels from that; what a message!
Your dream is so magical and liberating: a prehistoric tortoise opens out into an eagle that makes sure it gets eye contact with you before flying off… Whew! Did you look up tortoise and eagle in the link above?
I love that you feel you need more Owl in your life. I’ve never heard anyone say that before. I hope you do…
Hi Rosie. The ‘murder of crows’ in the trees has a counterpart here. Crows by the hundreds gather in the trees near the Student Buidling on the University of New Brunswick campus in Fredericton. I have counted 550 crows moving in to join their companions already in the trees. Great post! Jane
Hi Jane,
I cannot imagine +500 crows in one tree, or the noise they must make. They must be enormous trees!
Maybe the animals were telling you about survival. I once edited a book called “Urban Wilderness” about all the critters that manage to survive in the city. It’s pretty encouraging, really! They are so adaptable.
That book sounds like a fun project Dinah. It sure ain’t easy to survive in these concrete jungles yet we never stop to think how in a matter of a few decades, city animals have adapted.
It’s so magical and thrilling to see wild deer walking down the hill next to our busy Museum. Every now and then there are coyote sightings, but I’ve never seen one. Have you?
Last time I was in Toronto we went to a downtown restaurant for a coffee after the show, and a raccoon came down the tree next to us and calmly walked around us. Now I wonder what Ted Andrews says about raccoons in “Animal Speak” ?
I wonder if zookeepers or game rangers get ‘messages’ from their encounters…hmmm
I’m damn sure they do. Every now and again I know our old dog Temba is with me…
I’ll never forget how Monte Carlo greeted me when I came back from my Mom’s funeral. He didn’t dart about as usual but calmly came up to me, and very gently placed his paws and head on my legs and stared at me with pure love and concern.