Interesting picture with the nuthatch perched above the carabiner clip. That gives me an idea for an experiment to see if birds have a sense of fun and relish a new experience. I presume that the deviation of the support wire is due to the weight of a feeder that is suspended from it. Let's imagine that the deviation is NOT the result of a feeder full of seeds, but is caused by a spring, somewhat stretched and secured to the ground. Twixt the ground anchorage and the stretched spring is a quick-release trigger. When you trip the trigger the anchorage is lost and the spring sends the support wire upwards like a bowstring, thus causing the nuthatch to be flung into the air like a carnival experience. The question is ... would the bird return to the carabiner clip again in order to repeat the thrill because it was perceived as FUN. I doubt that it would. Should I be wrong about that and the bird would deliberately repeat the experience, as a complex brain like that of a mammal might choose to do, then it suggest something truly profound about a bird's brain, and that something beyond the demands of sheer survival could be at play. How big a brain is needed to engage in "play"?
