It took a couple days to wrap my head around just how amazing this was
April 30, 2019 8:35 PM Subscribe
Stuart Dahlquist never thought he would become friends with the new family who moved in next door to his Seattle home. Crow Family Thanks Man Who Helped Them With Tiny Gifts
No human being could thread pulltabs on twigs like that
posted by Pastor of Muppets at 8:46 PM on April 30, 2019 [11 favorites]
posted by Pastor of Muppets at 8:46 PM on April 30, 2019 [11 favorites]
Crows are the best.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 8:47 PM on April 30, 2019 [17 favorites]
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 8:47 PM on April 30, 2019 [17 favorites]
I've been feeding the crows that come to my yard for a few months. It's incredibly satisfying, they are a lot of fun to watch. No has left me any presents yet but they don't roost here, so I'm not even sure if they're the same birds visiting on a daily basis.
posted by doctor_negative at 8:49 PM on April 30, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by doctor_negative at 8:49 PM on April 30, 2019 [1 favorite]
Not just crows. Seattle crows. It's always Seattle crows. Fuck yeah Seattle crows.
posted by duffell at 8:54 PM on April 30, 2019 [13 favorites]
posted by duffell at 8:54 PM on April 30, 2019 [13 favorites]
Birds in general are amazingly intelligent, but Crows and Ravens... They take it to a whole new level.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 8:56 PM on April 30, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by WalkerWestridge at 8:56 PM on April 30, 2019 [4 favorites]
Corvids are the fucking best.
When I think of Heaven, deliver me in a black-winged bird,
posted by es_de_bah at 9:04 PM on April 30, 2019 [5 favorites]
When I think of Heaven, deliver me in a black-winged bird,
posted by es_de_bah at 9:04 PM on April 30, 2019 [5 favorites]
The gift...that sprig with a ring on it...it’s almost unbelievable that a bird would intentionally craft a work of art as a gift. And yet, if we accept this at face value, doesn’t it hint at a profoundly deep connection? If this is not just mimicry, then what else could this be but consciousness?
If a creature’s desire to create beauty, or to show gratitude, can be read into this gesture...just, wow.
posted by darkstar at 9:08 PM on April 30, 2019 [36 favorites]
If a creature’s desire to create beauty, or to show gratitude, can be read into this gesture...just, wow.
posted by darkstar at 9:08 PM on April 30, 2019 [36 favorites]
No human being could thread pulltabs on twigs like that
My kid could paint that!
posted by ActingTheGoat at 9:17 PM on April 30, 2019 [14 favorites]
My kid could paint that!
posted by ActingTheGoat at 9:17 PM on April 30, 2019 [14 favorites]
I have two crows I've taught to sit in a particular spot on my woodshed and ask politely for a treat. From that perch they can see where I normally sit and drink my coffee in the morning. When I come sit down I can see them hop carefully into exact place if they're a little to one side. I was originally throwing a handful of peanuts, but now I throw small kitty kibble which they seem to like even more. They know I'll throw a handful, then they can ask again and I'll throw another, but there's only two. After that they play around in the yard a bit, have a drink of water in the birdbath, then leave. Sometimes they recognize my car when I come home and I find them patiently waiting in their spot.
I've only gotten two gifts, once a broken necklace and once a crumpled piece of aluminum foil. Neither could have gotten where I found it, right on my doormat, by accident or wind. Still, I'm envious of the handmade craft gifts.
posted by ctmf at 9:23 PM on April 30, 2019 [55 favorites]
I've only gotten two gifts, once a broken necklace and once a crumpled piece of aluminum foil. Neither could have gotten where I found it, right on my doormat, by accident or wind. Still, I'm envious of the handmade craft gifts.
posted by ctmf at 9:23 PM on April 30, 2019 [55 favorites]
I raised a trio of baby crows when I was a kid in Britain. As adults they went off to their own lives but still came back to land on my shoulders and ask for treats. They're such cool birds and I'd love to have them around again.
posted by anadem at 9:27 PM on April 30, 2019 [39 favorites]
posted by anadem at 9:27 PM on April 30, 2019 [39 favorites]
Not just crows. Seattle crows.
Vancouver crows, on the other hand...
posted by halation at 9:38 PM on April 30, 2019 [11 favorites]
Vancouver crows, on the other hand...
posted by halation at 9:38 PM on April 30, 2019 [11 favorites]
Well, the thing about being a Canadian crow is never having to say you're sorry.
posted by hippybear at 9:40 PM on April 30, 2019 [10 favorites]
posted by hippybear at 9:40 PM on April 30, 2019 [10 favorites]
I found an early fledge once that had fallen out of a huge tree. Parents were pissed and would follow me around cawing for nearly a year after that whenever I walked to the store.
But a friend of mine was an animal rehabber and got a giant cage/home and brought it up in her kitchen! It was out all day going wherever it pleased. She found his/her cache a few times and it was usually small shiny things on top of the cabinets: a bead, a few threads, shiny things....
posted by CrowGoat at 9:44 PM on April 30, 2019 [9 favorites]
But a friend of mine was an animal rehabber and got a giant cage/home and brought it up in her kitchen! It was out all day going wherever it pleased. She found his/her cache a few times and it was usually small shiny things on top of the cabinets: a bead, a few threads, shiny things....
posted by CrowGoat at 9:44 PM on April 30, 2019 [9 favorites]
User CrowGoat.
We’ve just had two posts on awesome crows and goats.
What is happening
posted by darkstar at 9:53 PM on April 30, 2019 [10 favorites]
We’ve just had two posts on awesome crows and goats.
What is happening
posted by darkstar at 9:53 PM on April 30, 2019 [10 favorites]
The rescued chicken story right below it is also heartwarming. Well, mostly.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:55 PM on April 30, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:55 PM on April 30, 2019 [2 favorites]
Nice, but amateurish compared to Vogelkop bowerbirds
posted by senor biggles at 10:14 PM on April 30, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by senor biggles at 10:14 PM on April 30, 2019 [2 favorites]
To be fair, everybody is amateurish compared to them.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 10:34 PM on April 30, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 10:34 PM on April 30, 2019 [3 favorites]
I wonder how they knew when the contractually appropriate moment had arrived to give the gifts to Stuart?
Escrow, I guess.
posted by rongorongo at 10:36 PM on April 30, 2019 [24 favorites]
Escrow, I guess.
posted by rongorongo at 10:36 PM on April 30, 2019 [24 favorites]
ಠ_ಠ
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 10:38 PM on April 30, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 10:38 PM on April 30, 2019 [2 favorites]
I too have befriended my local Seattle crows. I call them Lenny and Squiggy. I know which one is Lenny because he has a specific noise he makes when I'm around and I've been talking at him since he was an awkward teen bird, but I just call every other crow Squiggy. They have an ongoing feud with the family of steller's jays that live in my ancient apple tree - it's just about time for the territory disputes to begin again in earnest. Both species take my peanuts but only Lenny talks back to me.
posted by Mizu at 10:47 PM on April 30, 2019 [23 favorites]
posted by Mizu at 10:47 PM on April 30, 2019 [23 favorites]
There does seem to be something special about Seattle crows. I know that the NorthwesternCrow is a distinct ....type from the rest of the country (more of a large tribe, in that they can interbreed with American Crows but don’t, and are smaller with higher pitched voices), and the gathering place in the u district seems more active than other large crow masses I’ve seen in cities with a strong crow presence.
Over here in the CD, there’s a crow who waits for the crosswalk on Yesler in front of the elementary school and marches across on the light change, presumably for fun or imitation of the kiddos who use that light twice a day. Crows are the best.
posted by zinful at 11:03 PM on April 30, 2019 [12 favorites]
Over here in the CD, there’s a crow who waits for the crosswalk on Yesler in front of the elementary school and marches across on the light change, presumably for fun or imitation of the kiddos who use that light twice a day. Crows are the best.
posted by zinful at 11:03 PM on April 30, 2019 [12 favorites]
I grew up in corvid territory; mostly ravens (which are smarter). While i believe they are recognized by the crows (because of the food, not putting the fledglings in a tree), and that the crows brought shiny things — i am a bit skeptical that the crows crafted the shiny things rather than finding them that way in another yard put together by children.
posted by D.C. at 11:28 PM on April 30, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by D.C. at 11:28 PM on April 30, 2019 [2 favorites]
I saw this wildly cool pack (I guess it's technically a murder?) of crows at volunteer park, all chirping like that and it looked like maybe they were chasing another bird off? I couldn't tell. Maybe they were jamming in the park horsing around at sunset.
posted by nikaspark at 11:30 PM on April 30, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by nikaspark at 11:30 PM on April 30, 2019 [1 favorite]
What a great story! I love crows and ravens. We have lots in our neighbourhood and they are very clever (sometimes annoying, but always amusing). One of the ravens has learned to imitate the sound of the crosswalk signal from a few blocks over.
Someone in the comments referred to a little girl in Seattle who receives gifts from the crows she feeds. Here is a story about her from the BBC. It's really sweet: she and her mom put peanuts in the shell on their birdfeeder for the crows; the crows eat the nuts and then leave beads and other shiny things for her on the birdfeeder in return.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 1:00 AM on May 1, 2019 [6 favorites]
Someone in the comments referred to a little girl in Seattle who receives gifts from the crows she feeds. Here is a story about her from the BBC. It's really sweet: she and her mom put peanuts in the shell on their birdfeeder for the crows; the crows eat the nuts and then leave beads and other shiny things for her on the birdfeeder in return.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 1:00 AM on May 1, 2019 [6 favorites]
i am a bit skeptical that the crows crafted the shiny things rather than finding them that way in another yard put together by children.
I thought this too. Good to know I'm not the only one here without a heart.
posted by Thella at 1:04 AM on May 1, 2019 [7 favorites]
I thought this too. Good to know I'm not the only one here without a heart.
posted by Thella at 1:04 AM on May 1, 2019 [7 favorites]
New Caledonian crows can create compound tools
Except for a few observations in captive great apes, compound tool construction is unknown outside humans
posted by jamespake at 1:11 AM on May 1, 2019 [9 favorites]
Except for a few observations in captive great apes, compound tool construction is unknown outside humans
posted by jamespake at 1:11 AM on May 1, 2019 [9 favorites]
I've been trying to attract the neighborhood crows into my yard so we could be BFFs for years. All I get though is more squirrels. Squirrels can eat an obnoxious amount of peanuts in very few hours.
posted by chaoticgood at 4:42 AM on May 1, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by chaoticgood at 4:42 AM on May 1, 2019 [3 favorites]
i am a bit skeptical that the crows crafted the shiny things rather than finding them that way in another yard put together by children.
If they can understand the basic principles of a sled I think they can stick a pull tab on a branch.
It's pretty well documented that they create and use tools.
posted by edbles at 4:48 AM on May 1, 2019 [9 favorites]
If they can understand the basic principles of a sled I think they can stick a pull tab on a branch.
It's pretty well documented that they create and use tools.
posted by edbles at 4:48 AM on May 1, 2019 [9 favorites]
I want crow friends.
posted by Space Kitty at 5:26 AM on May 1, 2019 [6 favorites]
posted by Space Kitty at 5:26 AM on May 1, 2019 [6 favorites]
I once had a crow empty sweets onto my head whilst walking to work.
I though it was kids messing, but then out of the corner of my eye I saw a sweet drop from a tree. The crow was emptying the sweets (wine gums) out of a bag onto the ground. I still wonder if it was the crow having a laugh at my expense
posted by Homemade Interossiter at 5:34 AM on May 1, 2019 [3 favorites]
I though it was kids messing, but then out of the corner of my eye I saw a sweet drop from a tree. The crow was emptying the sweets (wine gums) out of a bag onto the ground. I still wonder if it was the crow having a laugh at my expense
posted by Homemade Interossiter at 5:34 AM on May 1, 2019 [3 favorites]
Ooo: crow story time.
The one time I knew another species of animal was specifically addressing me (besides cats and dogs) was a crow parent in Sapporo. Me and husband had noticed a baby from its pink mouth, blue eyes and generally stupid way it was moving around. The parent nearby noticed us staring and looking us directly in the eyes cawed with unusual intensity. It very clearly meant “get away from my child, what is your problem, do you want a piece of me?”
posted by sacchan at 5:37 AM on May 1, 2019 [4 favorites]
The one time I knew another species of animal was specifically addressing me (besides cats and dogs) was a crow parent in Sapporo. Me and husband had noticed a baby from its pink mouth, blue eyes and generally stupid way it was moving around. The parent nearby noticed us staring and looking us directly in the eyes cawed with unusual intensity. It very clearly meant “get away from my child, what is your problem, do you want a piece of me?”
posted by sacchan at 5:37 AM on May 1, 2019 [4 favorites]
I had a fish crow who found a mate and raised a lovely family on and about my property last year; I named them Edgar Allan Crow and Lenore, and I believe they're back again this year, along with the usual gang of American crows that mass up into a right proper murder sometimes. This spring I set out a special food bowl for them back by the woods where I think they nested this year, and I try to remember to toss them a handful of corn or cat food when I feed the horses in the morning. Fish crows have a distinctive honking sort of call, and I shout "hey!" back at them, and at times I think maybe we're actually engaging in a dialog of sorts.
posted by drlith at 5:43 AM on May 1, 2019 [9 favorites]
posted by drlith at 5:43 AM on May 1, 2019 [9 favorites]
Crowcophony?
posted by darkstar at 6:20 AM on May 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by darkstar at 6:20 AM on May 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
More crow story time now that I'm on a computer.
1. Carrion crows in Japan can use cars to crack walnuts. To quote part of the um, entire Japanese book on crows I once privately translated into English for fun (カラスの教科書, the best book ever):
"Carrion Crows have been discovered using cars to crack walnuts. This is a behavior wherein the crow places the walnut on a road that seems like it gets traffic, and when a car runs over the walnut and cracks it open, the crow eats it.
The first place this was discovered was in Tohoku University campus in Sendai, but apparently a bit before this crows had also been seen doing it at a nearby driving school. The crows were dropping walnuts and cracking them on the course, but the driving instructors were driving around and running over the uncracked walnuts for the crows. Possibly this is how the crows learned the behavior. "
I've seen crows do this locally in Iwate (same general region). I mean, maaaybe some of it could be just dropping to try to crack the walnuts from gravity, but walnuts around here are very very hard and I can't imagine they're really going to crack open just from dropping.
2. Listen closely to crows and ravens and you will hear them say some very bizarre shit. It's not just "caw caw." Very soft, weird vocalizations saying who knows what to nearby crows.
3. A friend in college was working in a study with crows on our campus and everyone had to wear special masks when catching the crows because they remember faces. If you use your regular face without the mask to abduct some crows, you are going to have a problem because the crows will know you are The Enemy and maybe they will caw at you and swoop you and defecate on your car. For years.
4. Maybe crows seem scary and you've heard of crow attacks, but crows are not particularly strong creatures and they don't want to attack anybody because other creatures are much stronger than them. The only reason they would is when they feel they have to.
For example, when their babies have fledged and are stumbling around on the ground, a person walking by might be seen as a threat. This is what happened when I was bopped on the head by a crow once. I had headphones on and was probably too close to a baby crow. From the parents' perspective, they had probably warned me multiple times to get away, and I had still gotten close to their baby, so I must be fixing to eat it for lunch.
OK, going to cut and paste something from that book again, about attacks:
"The most common situation in cases of being attacked is when a fledged chick is on the ground or a low branch. Chicks that have just fledged can flap their wings, but they can’t fly. (They just take time to fall down, and can’t go to a higher place than they were originally.) So as they’re flailing around, they come to progressively lower and lower places. If it’s in a forest there are a lot of branches on the way down and they can stop themselves clinging to a branch somewhere but on single roadside trees they often aren’t able to stop and end up on the ground. At which point the parents, trying to protect the chick, perch in that area and start scolding those coming close from one side, warning, 'Stay away from my baby.'
In an actual case that happened in Shibuya, the parents tragically built a nest on a tree next to a pedestrian bridge, so the height of the nest and the pedestrian bridge were about the same. The people on the skybridge were oblivious to the nest, but apparently from the crows’ point of view, 'lots of creatures are deliberately going up stairs in order to come look at our nest.'
If the pedestrians had just gone by, that might have been OK, but from sheer coincidence there were people taking photos of each other in front of the nest. So the crow parents went berserk, and for minutes on end threatened all passersby indiscriminately. They must have been saying, 'No exceptions! Out! All of you! Get out!'"
posted by sacchan at 6:58 AM on May 1, 2019 [18 favorites]
1. Carrion crows in Japan can use cars to crack walnuts. To quote part of the um, entire Japanese book on crows I once privately translated into English for fun (カラスの教科書, the best book ever):
"Carrion Crows have been discovered using cars to crack walnuts. This is a behavior wherein the crow places the walnut on a road that seems like it gets traffic, and when a car runs over the walnut and cracks it open, the crow eats it.
The first place this was discovered was in Tohoku University campus in Sendai, but apparently a bit before this crows had also been seen doing it at a nearby driving school. The crows were dropping walnuts and cracking them on the course, but the driving instructors were driving around and running over the uncracked walnuts for the crows. Possibly this is how the crows learned the behavior. "
I've seen crows do this locally in Iwate (same general region). I mean, maaaybe some of it could be just dropping to try to crack the walnuts from gravity, but walnuts around here are very very hard and I can't imagine they're really going to crack open just from dropping.
2. Listen closely to crows and ravens and you will hear them say some very bizarre shit. It's not just "caw caw." Very soft, weird vocalizations saying who knows what to nearby crows.
3. A friend in college was working in a study with crows on our campus and everyone had to wear special masks when catching the crows because they remember faces. If you use your regular face without the mask to abduct some crows, you are going to have a problem because the crows will know you are The Enemy and maybe they will caw at you and swoop you and defecate on your car. For years.
4. Maybe crows seem scary and you've heard of crow attacks, but crows are not particularly strong creatures and they don't want to attack anybody because other creatures are much stronger than them. The only reason they would is when they feel they have to.
For example, when their babies have fledged and are stumbling around on the ground, a person walking by might be seen as a threat. This is what happened when I was bopped on the head by a crow once. I had headphones on and was probably too close to a baby crow. From the parents' perspective, they had probably warned me multiple times to get away, and I had still gotten close to their baby, so I must be fixing to eat it for lunch.
OK, going to cut and paste something from that book again, about attacks:
"The most common situation in cases of being attacked is when a fledged chick is on the ground or a low branch. Chicks that have just fledged can flap their wings, but they can’t fly. (They just take time to fall down, and can’t go to a higher place than they were originally.) So as they’re flailing around, they come to progressively lower and lower places. If it’s in a forest there are a lot of branches on the way down and they can stop themselves clinging to a branch somewhere but on single roadside trees they often aren’t able to stop and end up on the ground. At which point the parents, trying to protect the chick, perch in that area and start scolding those coming close from one side, warning, 'Stay away from my baby.'
In an actual case that happened in Shibuya, the parents tragically built a nest on a tree next to a pedestrian bridge, so the height of the nest and the pedestrian bridge were about the same. The people on the skybridge were oblivious to the nest, but apparently from the crows’ point of view, 'lots of creatures are deliberately going up stairs in order to come look at our nest.'
If the pedestrians had just gone by, that might have been OK, but from sheer coincidence there were people taking photos of each other in front of the nest. So the crow parents went berserk, and for minutes on end threatened all passersby indiscriminately. They must have been saying, 'No exceptions! Out! All of you! Get out!'"
posted by sacchan at 6:58 AM on May 1, 2019 [18 favorites]
Carrion Crows have been discovered using cars to crack walnuts. This is a behavior wherein the crow places the walnut on a road that seems like it gets traffic, and when a car runs over the walnut and cracks it open, the crow eats it.
I have a friend who was observing similar behavior from the crows in the horse chestnut tree in front of his house. They were collaborating, all lining up on a branch and then flapping their wings in unison to shake the branch so the horse chestnuts would fall onto the road, where the cars would drive by and crack them. But what was weird was that the crows weren’t eating the nuts, despite going through all this effort.
He was trying to puzzle through what could possibly be going on when he saw a squirrel dart into the center of the road and start to eat the nuts, only to get WALLOPED by a car whipping around the blind curve in the road just prior to the horse chestnut tree. It was still twitching when the crows descended on it en masse, dragged it out of the road, and began to enthusiastically tear it apart.
I live in Seattle. These were Seattle crows. I have no doubt they were deliberately crafting the “gifts” in this story.
posted by KathrynT at 7:27 AM on May 1, 2019 [49 favorites]
I have a friend who was observing similar behavior from the crows in the horse chestnut tree in front of his house. They were collaborating, all lining up on a branch and then flapping their wings in unison to shake the branch so the horse chestnuts would fall onto the road, where the cars would drive by and crack them. But what was weird was that the crows weren’t eating the nuts, despite going through all this effort.
He was trying to puzzle through what could possibly be going on when he saw a squirrel dart into the center of the road and start to eat the nuts, only to get WALLOPED by a car whipping around the blind curve in the road just prior to the horse chestnut tree. It was still twitching when the crows descended on it en masse, dragged it out of the road, and began to enthusiastically tear it apart.
I live in Seattle. These were Seattle crows. I have no doubt they were deliberately crafting the “gifts” in this story.
posted by KathrynT at 7:27 AM on May 1, 2019 [49 favorites]
It’s all part of the crows’ ongoing efforts to further domesticate humans. A small step towards success!
posted by warriorqueen at 8:42 AM on May 1, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by warriorqueen at 8:42 AM on May 1, 2019 [4 favorites]
My parents feed the (Seattle!) crows, and the crows got to know them and love them. Every morning, when my mom went out to feed them, they'd caw a bit to let their friends know that food was coming, and then Mom would go "OK, that's enough!" and the crows would all stop cawing and come down and eat.
Sadly, he's passed now, but my folks also had a blind dog. He was a sweetheart, and the crows loved him, too. Not only would they watch him when he went out to pee in the yard, they'd land near him and act as sort of, seeing-eye crows, in case there was anything he was getting a little close to.
The yard had these tiers with railroad ties — it was on a hill and so ages ago we put in the railroad ties to keep stuff from sliding down in the rain or anything like that. Anyway, sometimes Hal (the dog) would go down there. Sometimes he was okay, but other times he'd get turned around and couldn't find his way out. (We tried to keep him from going down there because of this, of course, but, well, dogs gonna dog.)
One time he got stuck, and the crows flew up to our deck and started raising a ruckus. One of us went outside to see what the matter was, and saw Hal down on one of the tiers trying to get out. Once we started down to go get him, the crows stopped, and were happy again that their friend was getting help from their other friends.
My mom used to feed them on a bench, and while we generally tried to keep Hal inside when they were eating, just because he was a fat dog who ate everything, haha — sometimes he'd figure a way to sneak out, and when he did, he'd be snuffling around beneath the bench... and the crows would eat, but then drop little bits of food for him. It was adorable and sweet, even if it was kind of the exact thing we were trying to keep Hal from, haha.
posted by Rev. Syung Myung Me at 9:50 AM on May 1, 2019 [24 favorites]
Sadly, he's passed now, but my folks also had a blind dog. He was a sweetheart, and the crows loved him, too. Not only would they watch him when he went out to pee in the yard, they'd land near him and act as sort of, seeing-eye crows, in case there was anything he was getting a little close to.
The yard had these tiers with railroad ties — it was on a hill and so ages ago we put in the railroad ties to keep stuff from sliding down in the rain or anything like that. Anyway, sometimes Hal (the dog) would go down there. Sometimes he was okay, but other times he'd get turned around and couldn't find his way out. (We tried to keep him from going down there because of this, of course, but, well, dogs gonna dog.)
One time he got stuck, and the crows flew up to our deck and started raising a ruckus. One of us went outside to see what the matter was, and saw Hal down on one of the tiers trying to get out. Once we started down to go get him, the crows stopped, and were happy again that their friend was getting help from their other friends.
My mom used to feed them on a bench, and while we generally tried to keep Hal inside when they were eating, just because he was a fat dog who ate everything, haha — sometimes he'd figure a way to sneak out, and when he did, he'd be snuffling around beneath the bench... and the crows would eat, but then drop little bits of food for him. It was adorable and sweet, even if it was kind of the exact thing we were trying to keep Hal from, haha.
posted by Rev. Syung Myung Me at 9:50 AM on May 1, 2019 [24 favorites]
I live in Columbia City in Seattle, and we have befriended crows. It's been 2.5 years now of feeding them high-quality dog food, leftovers, and stale bread, and no gifts yet. Apparently the two extended families in our neighborhood haven't yet gotten the word that that's what they're supposed to do.
Because we don't know how to tell the difference, we have taken to using he/him pronouns with all of them. Obviously they can tell the difference though, because there are fledglings every year. One of them, with a very pronounced hook in his beak, we call Jaime, after Jaime Farr. Another hooked-beak crow we call Jimmy (Durante). None of the others have names.
It's not unusual for crows to come to our patio and caw at us to tell us it's time for food. Less frequently, we will hear trilling. One crow last summer 'talked' to us [Facebook link, sorry].
They definitely recognize us, our dog, and our car. I believe they assign lookouts to notify the others when we lock or unlock our car, put food out, or exit the apartment. They follow us on walks, and come quite close. I often feel the wind from their wings when they fly by as they 'hopscotch' with me, hoping for a handout. I think others in the neighborhood think of me as the crow whisperer.
Last week when walking the dog, I tossed some food for the crows and there was a fuss because crows from both family groups wanted the food and were fighting over it. I watch as two crows pinned a third by tossing him to the ground on his back and standing on his wings to scold him!
I freaking love crows!
posted by QuakerMel at 10:01 AM on May 1, 2019 [5 favorites]
Because we don't know how to tell the difference, we have taken to using he/him pronouns with all of them. Obviously they can tell the difference though, because there are fledglings every year. One of them, with a very pronounced hook in his beak, we call Jaime, after Jaime Farr. Another hooked-beak crow we call Jimmy (Durante). None of the others have names.
It's not unusual for crows to come to our patio and caw at us to tell us it's time for food. Less frequently, we will hear trilling. One crow last summer 'talked' to us [Facebook link, sorry].
They definitely recognize us, our dog, and our car. I believe they assign lookouts to notify the others when we lock or unlock our car, put food out, or exit the apartment. They follow us on walks, and come quite close. I often feel the wind from their wings when they fly by as they 'hopscotch' with me, hoping for a handout. I think others in the neighborhood think of me as the crow whisperer.
Last week when walking the dog, I tossed some food for the crows and there was a fuss because crows from both family groups wanted the food and were fighting over it. I watch as two crows pinned a third by tossing him to the ground on his back and standing on his wings to scold him!
I freaking love crows!
posted by QuakerMel at 10:01 AM on May 1, 2019 [5 favorites]
We've got some sort of bird that pecks on the facia of our eaves every once in a while, so loud and persistently we can hear it all over the house. Usually we go out there and yell and wave our arms to make it stop. One time I was tossing kibble for the crows while my wife was chasing off the house damager and the crows watched very carefully.
Some weeks later, I happened to hear the pecking and went to go out just in time to see my two crows swoop at the other bird and chase it off. Whether that was to help me out, or simply territorial keeping someone out of their food scam, I don't know. I imagine they're my yard guards, though.
Mine are named Crook-tail and Bully. Bully likes to block out Crook-tail with his body if I throw the food in too small an area and hog it all, so I throw it over a wide enough area he can't be everywhere at once. I think Crook-tail appreciates that.
posted by ctmf at 10:24 AM on May 1, 2019 [9 favorites]
Some weeks later, I happened to hear the pecking and went to go out just in time to see my two crows swoop at the other bird and chase it off. Whether that was to help me out, or simply territorial keeping someone out of their food scam, I don't know. I imagine they're my yard guards, though.
Mine are named Crook-tail and Bully. Bully likes to block out Crook-tail with his body if I throw the food in too small an area and hog it all, so I throw it over a wide enough area he can't be everywhere at once. I think Crook-tail appreciates that.
posted by ctmf at 10:24 AM on May 1, 2019 [9 favorites]
Thanks, hippybear. I really needed to read something encouraging this morning. This was perfect.
posted by Altomentis at 10:41 AM on May 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by Altomentis at 10:41 AM on May 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
One of my favourite things about the place in Maine I visit a lot is that we have a ton of crows who hang out in our neighbourhood. We let them eat our grapes and kitchen scraps when they want. Plenty to go around, and better we feed them than the goddamned deer and skunks.
On the drive up, we also see a lot of crows playing what we call "the crow game". One crow (the "lookout") perches somewhere with a good vantage point, ideally on power lines but a tall tree will do. The other crow (the "road crow") stands literally in the middle of the road, right on the center line. We haven't figured out the actual rules yet, but the road crow seems to just stand there waiting until a car drives by, at which point it flies off the road.
My personal theory is that the crow game is a training exercise for harvesting roadkill. The road crow is there to learn the signs that a car is coming and figure out how long they can stay on a carcass before they have to leave to avoid getting squished. The lookout is there mainly as backup in case the road crow doesn't notice an inbound car, or maybe if there's a particularly fast or hard-to-dodge vehicle coming up. That's what I think, anyway. They don't leave anything in the road that I can see, so I don't think they're cracking nuts.
posted by tobascodagama at 10:49 AM on May 1, 2019 [9 favorites]
On the drive up, we also see a lot of crows playing what we call "the crow game". One crow (the "lookout") perches somewhere with a good vantage point, ideally on power lines but a tall tree will do. The other crow (the "road crow") stands literally in the middle of the road, right on the center line. We haven't figured out the actual rules yet, but the road crow seems to just stand there waiting until a car drives by, at which point it flies off the road.
My personal theory is that the crow game is a training exercise for harvesting roadkill. The road crow is there to learn the signs that a car is coming and figure out how long they can stay on a carcass before they have to leave to avoid getting squished. The lookout is there mainly as backup in case the road crow doesn't notice an inbound car, or maybe if there's a particularly fast or hard-to-dodge vehicle coming up. That's what I think, anyway. They don't leave anything in the road that I can see, so I don't think they're cracking nuts.
posted by tobascodagama at 10:49 AM on May 1, 2019 [9 favorites]
I've thought about making friends with the neighbourhood crows, but I've held off initiating things because I've realized I'm not ready for a serious interspecies relationship right now.
posted by JamesBay at 11:14 AM on May 1, 2019 [14 favorites]
posted by JamesBay at 11:14 AM on May 1, 2019 [14 favorites]
I have an indoor cat who has taken reasonably well to her vest and leash. She doesn't like the vest, but it's worth it to get to go outside for a walk. Once we took her up to a local park instead of just tooling around the block our apartment was on, figuring that would be a nice treat.
What we didn't realize was that the park was crow territory, and they did not approve of the sudden appearance of a cat, even one on a leash. We didn't get dive bombed, but they made their presence known to us, and our cat was walking around constantly hissing until we got to another area of the park that I guess was okay, but she was pretty stressed out about it by that point.
Sometimes when a crow yells at me I wonder if it's because I'm known as a friend of cats to the local community now.
posted by vibratory manner of working at 11:27 AM on May 1, 2019 [7 favorites]
What we didn't realize was that the park was crow territory, and they did not approve of the sudden appearance of a cat, even one on a leash. We didn't get dive bombed, but they made their presence known to us, and our cat was walking around constantly hissing until we got to another area of the park that I guess was okay, but she was pretty stressed out about it by that point.
Sometimes when a crow yells at me I wonder if it's because I'm known as a friend of cats to the local community now.
posted by vibratory manner of working at 11:27 AM on May 1, 2019 [7 favorites]
I too had an encounter with Seattle crows. One of them grabbed a box of crackers out of my trunk and was trying to drag it down my street. While I slowly approached, suggesting that it just give up and fly away, it's flock mate popped up 90 degrees to my left and started loudly trying to distract me. I then went to great lengths to explain,"No way! I am a primate. You will not distract me by flanking!"
My wife then called me back into the house as having strongly worded disagreements with birds was gonna weird out the neighbors.
I got the crackers, but left a few out "for effort."
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 11:59 AM on May 1, 2019 [14 favorites]
My wife then called me back into the house as having strongly worded disagreements with birds was gonna weird out the neighbors.
I got the crackers, but left a few out "for effort."
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 11:59 AM on May 1, 2019 [14 favorites]
My husband grew up with an orphaned raven named Smedley. It terrorized the neighbor children with divebombing and hat theft for years until some neighbor shot him. I always imagine this tale as an Edward Gorey illustrated book.
posted by RedEmma at 1:49 PM on May 1, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by RedEmma at 1:49 PM on May 1, 2019 [3 favorites]
Crowcophany?
I wish to revise and extend my remarks.
*ahem*
Cawcophany.
Thank you, that is all.
posted by darkstar at 2:01 PM on May 1, 2019 [7 favorites]
I wish to revise and extend my remarks.
*ahem*
Cawcophany.
Thank you, that is all.
posted by darkstar at 2:01 PM on May 1, 2019 [7 favorites]
I had a routine going on at the Roy Street Cafe. I would sit at the window table by the door and wait for my crows to show up and land on the railing by the steps to the door. Then I would step out and put chunks of cheddar cheese sticks on the railing. ( I used to use Sargento cheese bits until Sargento stopped making them. ) And then go sit back and watch as crows flew up and alit on the railing and then sidled up sideways and grabbed as many pieces they could stuff in their beaks.
Crows are surprisingly graceful flyers and I loved watching them takeoff from the gutter of the Loveless building across Broadway and with a couple.of wingbeats glide all the way over to land.
It got to be that one crow, the alpha of the three who follow me, would land and grab the cheese if I stood still with a hand on the door.
With a couple of weeks, I figured, I would have the alpha taking cheese from my hand.
But not no more: Roy St. Coffee and Tea closed this past Sunday and I and the crows lost our interspecies Third Place.
The crows, however, know who I am and and where I live and follow me home from Roy to Aloha and back when I walk to QFC and back.
posted by y2karl at 4:13 PM on May 1, 2019 [6 favorites]
Crows are surprisingly graceful flyers and I loved watching them takeoff from the gutter of the Loveless building across Broadway and with a couple.of wingbeats glide all the way over to land.
It got to be that one crow, the alpha of the three who follow me, would land and grab the cheese if I stood still with a hand on the door.
With a couple of weeks, I figured, I would have the alpha taking cheese from my hand.
But not no more: Roy St. Coffee and Tea closed this past Sunday and I and the crows lost our interspecies Third Place.
The crows, however, know who I am and and where I live and follow me home from Roy to Aloha and back when I walk to QFC and back.
posted by y2karl at 4:13 PM on May 1, 2019 [6 favorites]
I wish I had cool crow stories like y'all. My best one is the time I was walking into the nature trail near twilight and it was silent except for all of a sudden all this crashes in the canopy and then i see this bigass crow (coulda been a raven, I didn't manage to ask) and some kind of slightly smaller fluffy owl maybe a horned owl i dunno, but they were rolling around in the air like when two cats fight, like a ball of feathers and beaks and talons tumbling together through the air and through boughs up high at twilight in the nature preserve. just me and them. It was pretty cool i guess. The owl disengaged, followed quickly by the crow. Then it got too dark to see anymore. Pretty neat tho, I'd not have expected to see those two species scrapping like that. Especially cuz, you know, owl talons!
posted by some loser at 5:37 PM on May 1, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by some loser at 5:37 PM on May 1, 2019 [3 favorites]
Corvids are the fucking best. Indeed so.
posted by Corvid at 6:07 PM on May 1, 2019 [7 favorites]
posted by Corvid at 6:07 PM on May 1, 2019 [7 favorites]
More cool crow stories — I was once late getting my 4 year old son to a play date and was super anxious and stressed out, and then I rounded the corner and saw A CROW FIGHTING WITH A BALD EAGLE IN MID AIR. Like twelve feet off the ground! Right over the road! As far as I could tell, the eagle had gotten too close to the crow’s nest, either accidentally or for a predatory purpose, and the crow had sprung into righteous corvid action.
The eagle had the advantage in every way except boldness. We just stopped in the middle of the road to watch in awe. The eagle did, eventually, fuck off.
posted by KathrynT at 7:15 AM on May 3, 2019 [3 favorites]
The eagle had the advantage in every way except boldness. We just stopped in the middle of the road to watch in awe. The eagle did, eventually, fuck off.
posted by KathrynT at 7:15 AM on May 3, 2019 [3 favorites]
The crow harassing owl/raptor like birds thing was I think getting a predator to go away. That raptor could be chomping on crows and crow babies, so the crows want to harass them to go away. The raptor is probably stronger than a crow and could win in a fight, but it’d gain nothing by staying to fight, so it just leaves.
Or the crows could just be messing with them. Because: crows
posted by sacchan at 7:32 AM on May 4, 2019 [1 favorite]
Or the crows could just be messing with them. Because: crows
posted by sacchan at 7:32 AM on May 4, 2019 [1 favorite]
Yeah, every once in a while a hawk or eagle or hated seagull wanders into my neighborhood and all the crow families drop what they're doing to take shifts continually harassing the interloper 2 or 3-on 1 until it gives up and leaves. Then they all go back to what they were doing before. It makes quite a ruckus; I can tell it's happening from inside the house.
posted by ctmf at 10:37 AM on May 4, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by ctmf at 10:37 AM on May 4, 2019 [2 favorites]
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posted by JamesBay at 8:38 PM on April 30, 2019 [8 favorites]