As I sat at a traffic light today, two bright green, almost neon green, birds were in flight. Though Austin has been known for its healthy population of monk parakeets, these parrots were of a far more brilliant shade. The two flew about six feet apart, darting and weaving in a surprising synchrony, like the Blue Angels, or a pair of eyes. That would not have prompted me to write, except that later in the afternoon, at another traffic light, I saw two grackles in flight, perhaps 12 feet apart, again in this intricate and intimately perfect synchrony. So, I wondered about it a bit. It’s the season for mating and building nests. Perhaps the birds pair up and become as one in flight without thought, for the pleasure of the union. The purpose of such synchrony which is perhaps beneath their consciousness is to become a team to rear young (reproduction for the survival of the species).

I’ve written in a past blog about the scientific method. The steps we were taught in high school circa 1970 have changed. The first step we learned was and still is my favorite, and in my opinion could stand alone. It’s the one that is now completely left out: Observation.

To learn about animal behavior, or how the weather works, we can juggle numbers and measurements and laboratory conditions all we want. I deeply believe it is essential, though, to walk outside and observe.