Why men are like birds (and bees, and dogs…)

Even though we still have six feet of snow on the ground outside my window, the calendar says it’s officially spring. Apparently, the birds agree that spring has arrived. With the longer days, the birds have migrated back with their thoughts on what their little bird brains think about in spring time.

Yup, early spring means mating for much of the animal kingdom. 

The songbirds, including the robins and morning doves are back, although with nothing to eat as everything is still very icy. I’m such a sap, that I’ve been crumpling up crackers and putting them out on the balcony for them to eat. I’ve got a pair of doves (a bird my sweetie says are pigeons with a good pr rep), that come and visit, and I am fascinated by the behavior. The male is driving the much smaller female absolutely nuts. He follows her constantly, not eating just following her from branch to branch wearing her down. As I was told, he doesn’t know why he does this, just that he has to. The urger to reproduce, stronger than that of the one to eat.

People seem to behave in similar ways. They try and stop the behavior, but it overwhelms them. I have been treating a patient who is feeling is in love with a co-worker, and can’t seem to get her out of his mind. He has that overwhelming urge to be near her, and is emitting the odor of desperation. And desperation can be an unpleasant odor for anybody. My understanding on this is "that you can’t think about sex clearly, if all you think about is sex."  I made the suggestion that he should try and get a therapeutic (or happy ending) massage, increase the amount of exercise he was getting, and start running dating ads to field more calls from other women. He needs some physical touch and exercise to increase the endorphins, and help calm the urge to mate. Being in demand makes you more attractive, and know that you can manage your need to follow someone around from branch to branch, but you can’t understand it, and can’t seem to turn it off. So forgive yourself. And be kind to the birds in your neighborhood.