Crow Magnon

[Yaris Hilton]

Crows are very smart! I've been observing the ones in my neighborhood for nearly 23 years, and have a small family of them that I feed every day (they LOVE dry cat food!), and they are a source of great entertainment. Naturally paranoid and extremely observant, they're tough to get close to. But these crows know well where their food comes from, and Tuesday they came and ate while I sat in a chair 15 yards away talking to them. I consider it an honor to be trusted by crows. I once saw a crow "trial." A very large group, probably 30, were standing in a circle on a lawn. In the center of the circle stood a big old crow and a young crow. The old crow was getting in the young one's face, really giving it hell, and the young one was cowering. He'd done something very wrong by the crow rules, I think.

[tomato]

Originally Posted by Yaris Hilton

Crows are very smart! I've been observing the ones in my neighborhood for nearly 23 years, and have a small family of them that I feed every day (they LOVE dry cat food!), and they are a source of great entertainment. Naturally paranoid and extremely observant, they're tough to get close to. But these crows know well where their food comes from, and Tuesday they came and ate while I sat in a chair 15 yards away talking to them. I consider it an honor to be trusted by crows. I once saw a crow "trial." A very large group, probably 30, were standing in a circle on a lawn. In the center of the circle stood a big old crow and a young crow. The old crow was getting in the young one's face, really giving it hell, and the young one was cowering. He'd done something very wrong by the crow rules, I think.

Wow. Great story! I don't know much about birds but I'm always impressed when I see them fly in formation. Of course, we may be talking about different birds.

[Yaris Hilton]

Googling up "crows" will turn up lots of interesting stuff. Look for the video of the Japanese crows that drop nuts in the street at crosswalks for cars to run over and crack them, then come down and eat them when the traffic lights stop the cars. And for the crow in New York that mothered a stray kitten.

[GeneW]

Originally Posted by Yaris Hilton

Crows are very smart! I've been observing the ones in my neighborhood for nearly 23 years, and have a small family of them that I feed every day (they LOVE dry cat food!), and they are a source of great entertainment.

You must live in suburbia. In the wilds people have either a laissez faire or utilitarian attitude towards animals. Probably because animals exist in a food chain and die violently - mostly from one another.

Crows to me are just "there", and provided that they leave my garden alone I don't bother them. I have hunted them in the past but killing is a disappointing end to things, so I usually stalk them and surprise them.

Except Deer, which are four legged rats that need destruction.

Gene

[Yaris Hilton]

You're quite right about their ability to recognize and stay just out of range of firearms. Yeah, I know they can be farm pests, but I don't have anything for 'em to hurt here.

[Yar Is Word]

"Here's a surprise: Wild crows can recognize individual people. They can pick a person out of a crowd, follow them, and remember them — apparently for years."

Complete story at NPR:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...71&sc=fb&cc=fp