The way birds look at you…

Posted byPatricia Stoughton

A lot of effort has gone into the interpretation of cat and dog expressions but I sometimes wonder about birds. Are they telling us anything by the way they look at us? Experts will surely know but for others, one can hazard a guess. Here, for you to enjoy, are photographs of some of the birds I’ve come across in Victoria Tower Gardens and St. James’s Park, giving me a *look*…

Friendly black-headed gull
Crow seems to be almost smiling
Fluffy crow, a little unsure
Egyptian goose standing proud
Greylag goose preferring a side shot
Shouty gull
Almost inscrutable, yet watchful heron
Attentive, immature gull
So what if I’ve got a piece of grass sticking out of my beak
Watcha looking at?
Juvenile magpie, a little lost
A pair of beady-eyed, vigilant Mallard ducks
Unwelcoming parakeet
Preening pelican – m’as-tu-vu
Timorous pigeon
Robin challenging all comers
Wood pigeon gazing at its reflection

Further Information
Conservationist Kabir Kaul. Follow him on Twitter -X @Kaulofthewilduk
Sutton, George M: Some Remarks on the Facial Expression of Birds, 1922.
The travelling birder
Ian Young: Anxious Birding and follow him on Twitter -X @ianyoung33