People who are more scientifically minded thing would call this “anthropomorphic”, but I have never thought that humans are the only living beings that feel emotions.  It’s pretty clear how deeply anguished this little bird (video below) is at losing his partner.  I remember seeing these photos years ago and they still can move me to tears.  Many bird species mate for life and suffer greatly when they lose their partners.

Parent birds also worry about their chicks.  Just a few weeks ago, I found an injured baby Noisy Miner in the tree where I have a bird bath hung up (away from predators) and tried to save him.  While I was trying to nurse him back to health, I kept him in a cage on my front porch so his parents would know he was ok and hopefully know that I was doing my best to save him.  The next business day, I took him to the vet who ended up euthanizing him because he had a head trauma he couldn’t recover from.  His parents hung around looking for him and I felt so guilty I couldn’t return him to them.

This Valentines Day, let’s remember that love is for every creature great and small.