what separates us from the animals:

Did you ever think you could communicate with animals when you were a kid? I remember I used to hear a bird tweet, then I would whistle back, then the bird, then me. It went on for a while like that, until I grew weary of 'entertaining' the chickadee or what have you. To my chagrin, the little birdie always continued his song long after I tired, reminding me that he was talking to himself, not me. Anyway, this was brought back to mind today when I began to have a little chat with a spring chick, hoping Oliver would be so impressed with my mythical skills. Turns out he didn't care and neither did the bird, they both just kept on rocking their own worlds. Humph.