wise birds

Some of you may have seen these photos before on the story of the,  egrets and the snake
http://birdinginegypt.blogspot.com/2009/12/egrets-3-species.html
 Today I have not been out on my usual walkabout  because my back was playing up again,   so I was looking through my photos. and it came to mind that most  think of our birds and wildlife as brainless creatures. these birds know when there is danger  they know that when the fields are ploughed there is food they also know that when the field is inundated the grubs in the ground will surface. they have special calls.
like the one they made this day of the photo. the Hooded crow knows this call and comes to take whatever is there that has alarmed the  Egret, this time it was a snake in the water,   last time I heard this alarm call was in the field next to my flat. when the crow took the rat from the field. the Kite was  also over head but would not take the snake because I was too near. but what fascinated me was the expressions on the birds they were not sure if it was dead  because it was moving in the water. I went to see what was alarming them and as soon as I took the snake from the water  they all went on with the business of catching grubs in the field.  even though the snake was on the bank besides the culvert. they took no further interest in a dead snake..



 

The Hooded crow with its catch first it wedged the rat in the branch to kill it  then puts the dead rat under its claw to eat.  the kites and falcons kill  as soon as they catch it then fly to a tree or wire to eat using the same technique  with the claw to eat,