As with plants, so with animals. Science begins in the spectator standpoint and never overcomes it - it sees only the thin skin over a spiritual inner. So you realize, one day, that you are picking up the thoughts of the chickens as they discover the compost pile - no one knows the magic of a compost pile better than chickens. Or you discover, as you tuck them in for the night and sing them a song or two, that they are beaming interest and gratitude at you. And then, they are so fascinated by your life that they keep peering in the screen door to see what you are doing in the house.
Communication is a two-way street.
Or you attune to the ducks, suddenly discovering that there is water flowing out of a hose. You pick up, in your inner life, the elation. No one knows the joy of taking a bath more than a duck. Even more than the animals, I love the trees. The Native North Americans' ability to talk to trees is legendary.