“It’s a bit harder with cats, because they’re made entirely out of cat.”

May 21, 2021 12:50 PM

When the crow whisperer appeared at the side gate to Adam Florin and Dani Fisher’s house, in Oakland, California, she was dressed head to toe in black, wearing a hoodie, gloves, and a mask. This was a few weeks into the coronavirus lockdown, so Adam initially took her garb to be a sign of precautionary vigilance. In fact, it was a disguise. “It’s so the crows don’t recognize me and—no offense—start associating me with you.”

–The Crow Whisperer, by Lauren Markham.
posted by Kattullus (30 comments total)

Incidentally, Frans de Waal, low-key MeFi fave and animal behavior scientist, makes an appearance in the latter part of the essay.
posted by Kattullus at 12:51 PM on May 21, 2021 [1 favorite]

“It’s a bit harder with cats, because they’re made entirely out of cat.”

Truer words have never been spoken.
posted by Faint of Butt at 1:04 PM on May 21, 2021 [29 favorites]

Oh, Kattullus, I just read de Waal's book Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?! It sounds like several of the anecdotes Markham is sharing here come directly from that book.

But my world had become so small, and they offered the company I missed, along with a dash of magic, as if a curtain had been pulled back to reveal a secret world.

This bit resonated with me. I, and several of my friends, took to watching the birds for long periods at a time during this pandemic.
posted by TheKaijuCommuter at 1:15 PM on May 21, 2021 [5 favorites]

I, and several of my friends, took to watching the birds for long periods at a time during this pandemic.

The popularity of birding has exploded in NYC over the past year, helped along by some birdspotting Twitters and the once-in-a-century (?) appearance of a snowy owl in Central Park.

I myself enjoyed my occasional glimpses of the young hawks fledging in Tompkins Square Park. My eyesight is quite poor so I've been resisting taking up the hobby, but there are three baby hawks in TSP this year and I'm sliding towards buying some binoculars.
posted by praemunire at 1:23 PM on May 21, 2021 [2 favorites]

Great read, but I did laugh out loud that Markham "expected a new-age mystic, but she turned out to be [not a mystic]" before describing remote telepathic communication with animals a few paragraphs later.

Crows being so smart creeps out at least one person I know, but crows are so cool. I had always assumed crow grudges were permanent, but it's reassuring to know that they can be negotiated with.
posted by Anonymous Function at 1:30 PM on May 21, 2021 [9 favorites]

This winter, when I was mostly working from home (which meant I was mostly in bed all day), a mated pair of cardinals would occasionally come hang out in the tree I saw outside my window. I named them Conor and Fiona, and I was actually a little scandalized when I saw a second female out there along with them (was there a poly thing going on or was Conor cheating?).
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:32 PM on May 21, 2021 [2 favorites]

Several years ago, my boyfriend chased off an outdoor cat, forever earning him the respect of a friendly little catbird. When my boyfriend's outside, his catbird buddy will often come by to hang out a bit (always at a distance). He was also pretty suspect of me until he heard my boyfriend talking to me.

We think this catbird has been hanging out for 7 years now. It's adorable.
posted by edencosmic at 1:58 PM on May 21, 2021 [42 favorites]

I’ve made friends with the pair of crows who live out in front of our house, peanuts 100% work for this. While the jays and crows don’t get along, they all love peanuts and the crows help chase off the local hawk (who’s made our backyard a regular stop).

Our resident pair of scrub jays lost a young one this morning, and our dogs either found it or were part of it—I was alerted by both jays screaming very urgently, and found the pups kind of milling around near the poor dead bird with its parents freaking out nearby (from body language, I think the dogs just found the immediate aftermath of whatever happened). Got the dogs inside and left the parents to do their thing; went out to check after a bit, made sure to ask permission first. For now, just covered it with a box, will remove later today.

This essay was terrific, and the bit at the end about Carl hanging out with Buigues one last time was unexpectedly moving.
posted by LooseFilter at 2:13 PM on May 21, 2021 [3 favorites]

Great article! I think it is about the attention. If you pay enough attention, you can read animals like you can read humans. When I was younger, I was quite good at this, and I've been very disappointed with myself because my dog was so hopelessly badly untrained before the pandemic. And then I realized I hadn't being paying attention. He's still a silly dog now, but he keeps on asking me what to do when he is in doubt, a huge improvement in quality of life for both of us.

Obviously each species has their own "language", I'm impressed that the lady in the article can cover so many different animals. I also liked the observation that the pandemic has changed our relationship with the rest of the natural world.
Crows are incredibly smart, you really don't want to get into a fight with them. I never have, but I was quite scared of seagulls when I was younger. If you came too close to their nests, they would start threatening you.

Yesterday, I noticed that the deer have stopped running away when I come out. They stay at a distance of about twenty up to fifty meters depending on how confident they are, but they are clearly not scared of me or my dog anymore. It was confirmed today, when I was out with the laundry. Even when the dog ran off to bark at the neighbor's horses, they remained in place, they know it's just fun and games on his side (and so do the horses). The other day I was talking with the neighbor I see most of, and told him that our other neighbor had asked if he could shoot deer on my land once a year, since I don't hunt, and I said that I sort of liked them being so numerous, though I do like a bit of venison, too. Then tonight, minutes before sundown, I heard gunshots over from our third neighbor, and it really felt bad. I realized that the deer have become my friends, in a way, and I don't want to participate in killing them, even if it just by giving someone a permission. Maybe they knew that before I did.
posted by mumimor at 2:18 PM on May 21, 2021 [18 favorites]

The joke in my house is that all small children and animals love me. They do. Or, at least, they are relaxed around me. My kids used to ask how I did it. I would always reply, "Two things. One, respect. I respect them. Two, I listen." Two weeks ago, I met my son's rowdy two year old dog for the first time. Before going in the house, I was warned he might bark, might jump on me or might nip at me. I heard her barking from behind the front door. I said, in a normal voice, one I was not expecting anyone on the inside to hear, "Hello dawg friend." My son opened the door and his dog was wagging her tail and rubbing up against me. I rubbed her behind the ears and she just sat down and smiled at me. My son and his gf were astonished. How did you know she liked to be scratched there? Why isn't she barking at you? Etc.

I don't profess to actually talking with the dog/animal. I just treat them with respect. I just know what they want from me and I give it to them. I don't hear them talking, I don't get secret signals, I just look them in the eye and be nice.

I think animals sense indifference, anger, sweetness, and most character traits and emotions in humans and we in turn can do the same if we just want to. And when I say want, I mean if we actively try to listen without imposing our own thoughts or norms on them.

I will say though that I find birds freaky. I do not like birds. Crows especially. Been that way since I was a little Augie.
posted by AugustWest at 5:57 PM on May 21, 2021 [10 favorites]

I will say though that I find Wests freaky. I do not like Wests. Augusts especially. Been that way since I was a little Cynthiabird.
posted by Flock of Cynthiabirds at 7:53 PM on May 21, 2021 [23 favorites]

I don't take all of the claims at their word, but much of the theory used by The Crow Whisperer lady closely mirrors Chinese medicine (of which I am a skeptical permanent student).

She ran her hands up and down his spine, feeling for, as she put it, “hot” areas—which could mean inflammation or pain.

I've experienced this with humans. It was totally unexpected, not a sensation I was seeking or even anticipated at all. There was an old couple who were customers at my work (a pizza restaurant, also in the Bay Area coincidentally. Or not.) I had a close rapport with them, they were very sweet people, and one day I touched the woman's arm and felt a sensation of empty heat there, it actually shocked because it was such a surprise. She then told me she had some inflammation in the tendons in that area.

I should really do something more constructive than just post pointless comments about this on Metafilter. (Also this is the first time I've checked in here in quite a while. I will try to follow up if anyone does read my comment and comes back with the inevitable attempt to debunk but I can't guarantee it will be timely sorry.)
posted by viborg at 9:06 PM on May 21, 2021 [4 favorites]

Interesting. Crows. I can communicate with alot of species but crows, bribing them is best. Parrots are fine once they trust you enough for them to trim ear hair, that's trust. Or, giving pain meds to a Bull Mastiff, the peanut butter helps, it's the 6" jaws opening. Curious dogs as they like to trap rather then go for the bite/kill.
I even whispered a bee last summer. Grandmother lived next door to a bee keeper. Dogs are fairly easy. Cats, easier but a cat, gotta really listen. Giraffes are friendly if you are quiet and hold up peanuts like an offering to Sol. I really like Alexandra Horowitz' 'Inside of a Dog'. If your good with a dog, verbal commands are not needed unless dogs talking or for communication outside. hand signals work on about 80% of my old dogs other then play talk. Squirrels give me breadth and I love robins and once had a perigrinne falcon on my arm. Horses are Horses.

" I wrote to Frans de Waal, a leading primatologist, asking whether he’d be willing to discuss the potential scientific underpinnings of the kind of communication I’d witnessed between Buigues and Ernie. I received a quick response: “But I am sorry I don’t believe in telepathy.”
posted by clavdivs at 10:05 PM on May 21, 2021 [4 favorites]

I'm quite interested in animal intelligence, so thanks for posting. Along these same lines, I'd like to invite a MeFite who is not me to make a future FPP on What About Bunny the sheepadoodle dog and BilliSpeaks the cat (NB Billi's favorite word-button by far is "Mad" and Bunny herself came up with the word combo "Sound Settle" to mean 'shut up'.)
posted by zaixfeep at 10:38 PM on May 21, 2021 [2 favorites]

I used to have a knack with cats and dogs; any stray or lost little one would come and greet me, and my mother used to joke that whenever I came back home for visits, her dogs would suddenly learn to behave themselves. I would always just say that we had an understanding.

But once my own little cat died it's like I have some kind of black mark against me, honestly. Only once has a stray come over to say hi; a good friend's sweet dog bit clean through my hand. And the dog of the person I'm dating has some distinct reservations. It's like they know I let her down.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 11:34 PM on May 21, 2021 [3 favorites]

"She has tried psychically beaming treatments to horses from many states away, only to hear from their owners that the animals were acting very strangely at the exact moment that Buigues’s treatment was under way."

Course she has.
posted by StephenB at 12:27 AM on May 22, 2021 [2 favorites]

A quick correction: de Waal’s famous research is with capuchin monkeys who were satisfied to trade pebbles for cucumber slices until they saw a neighbor getting grapes instead. Don’t piss off baboons! They will fuck you up. ^_^

(Also, I am glad the world has seemed to be moving away from captive primate research, and struggling with animal rights in general. That feels like a good direction.)
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 12:28 AM on May 22, 2021 [3 favorites]

But once my own little cat died it's like I have some kind of black mark against me, honestly. Only once has a stray come over to say hi; a good friend's sweet dog bit clean through my hand. And the dog of the person I'm dating has some distinct reservations. It's like they know I let her down.

Please pardon the intrusion, but I think they sense the self-protective block you've put on the unconditional positive regard you used to feel for them because losing your own cat hurt you so much.
posted by jamjam at 1:08 AM on May 22, 2021 [12 favorites]

This is a great post.

My own relationship with the hummingbirds and the crows in my neighborhood has become more complex over the years as I have become known to them and their offspring. Or so I would like to think.

As for Bunnie and her buttons, if anyone does post about her, we may hear from serial dog and cat owner languagehat on the subject.

Myself, I would like to believe but I suspect he will be rather strict on the subject and, given his hat, I respect his opinions on such matters.
posted by y2karl at 4:41 AM on May 22, 2021 [3 favorites]

That was a great read, thanks.

I've always had a way with animals and small kids. I've even been told by a number of adults that I have a very calming presence. It doesn't seem to extend to Metafilter though.
posted by Alex404 at 7:39 AM on May 22, 2021 [4 favorites]

"Two things. One, respect. I respect them. Two, I listen."

That's it, especially with cats. I'm almost always adored by my friends' notoriously prickly cats because I'm good at reading their body language and only do what they want and back off as soon as they start to indicate that they're done with whatever it is.
posted by Candleman at 8:43 AM on May 22, 2021 [3 favorites]

Deer situation follow up: today the deer have completely disappeared from the meadows. I guess that they will hide for a while after the shooting. But a doe lay on my lawn ruminating, grooming herself and sometimes taking a nap all morning, just 10 meters from my windows. She could see me move around and heard the dog barking at a distant car, I could see her reacting, but she stayed in place. When she finally got up, she was a bit slow, I wonder if she is close to delivering her kids.
(It's totally normal with deer in the garden, eating all my attempts at growing stuff, but they usually stay on their legs during daytime, ready to run if something bothers them).
posted by mumimor at 8:58 AM on May 22, 2021 [4 favorites]

I saw a pet psychic work with horses once. A lot of what she heard was generic (food is good, horses like to go outside, jumping is fun). My friends horse had been sent to an internationally known trainer the previous year and the horse told the psychic that they liked it when "that man" was riding. My friend and almost every other rider at the facility were female so all we could think of was that the horse was referring to the trainer.
The psychic also told me that animals communicate in images and that is something that has helped me when working with animals. If an animal I am working with (primarily dogs and horses) is acting up or being aggressive I will visualize them standing in a calm, relaxed way. I also do this before going into a space with an animal that makes me nervous or has been aggressive towards me before. I will also visualize whatever it is I want to do (putting a bridle on, giving a dog a bath), with the animal appearing comfortable and calm. I don't know if this is what works, or if it just helps me be calm and confident in the interaction but it seems to help.
posted by arachnidette at 10:42 AM on May 22, 2021 [5 favorites]

This was lovely. I have a murder of crows that visit me almost every day, weather permitting. Probably because I have pecan trees, pears, and I leave them tools to open the pecans, after I realized why they were upset when we got rid of the play set the kids had outgrown. So now under the pecan trees, I’ve left a platter of slate, and some smaller rocks. We leave peanuts and stuff when it’s not nut season. This has caused a bit of a war between the squirrels and the crows, so now I leave a different pile for the squirrels. The pears have just started to emerge, and the crows check them every day to see if they’re ripe. The matriarch of the clan plucked one tiny thumb sized pear and dropped it at me, as though to Karen about the quality of my produce. I love them.

All of our wildlife has gotten used to us. The bunnies only move if they hear a mower, else they lounge about, eating my garden. The owls keep me company at night, the possum has come to expect fruit deliveries, and the squirrels will just stare at me as they raid the bird feeders. I miss hearing the coyotes, but they’ve built 500 houses where they used to live.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 10:34 PM on May 22, 2021 [9 favorites]

Great essay; fascinating subject. As an almost life long pedestrian / transit commuter, I consider it a baseline responsible investment to pay the Crow Tax along streets I intend to use frequently. I whistle and scatter peanuts and I let everyone up on the powerlines and high branches see me do it, because I don't want there to be any confusion should I happen to chuckle at a podcast on my headphones during nesting season.

I of course have no way to know for sure how well this objectively works, but I can tell you that I didn't start out with it for no reason, and I haven't had a problem with getting divebombed or donked on the head since then.
posted by EatTheWeek at 9:44 AM on May 23, 2021 [3 favorites]

All of our wildlife has gotten used to us.

I recall a local story on KUOW FM wherein a professor from the U of W said it was related to the reduction of human traffic by foot and car. It's easier to keep an eye on us when we are fewer and farther between. Coyotes are their main worry now.
posted by y2karl at 12:26 PM on May 23, 2021 [2 favorites]

That was fun to read. Thank you! I've been trying to make friends with my neighbor hood crows for a couple of years now. I put out a couple troughs of water for them. They use one to wash and soak food in and the other to bathe in. (I can tell because I have to clean the food one everyday.)

Just a few days ago a huge murder showed up outside of my workshop. There must have been a hundred or more. I went out to see what was happening and found an adolescent crow behind the trash cans with a sticky rat trap stuck to it's wing. I was able to take it off and get most of the goo and then released it in my back yard where it could get to the huge pine where they all hang out and make noise all afternoon.
posted by snsranch at 9:35 AM on May 24, 2021 [6 favorites]

Whether they’re good-naturedly harassing an owl caught out in daylight, or carrying bits of sticks and used gauze bandage in their beaks to make their colorful, free-form nests, or simply landing on the sidewalk in front of you with their characteristic double hop, the crows have become a part of the fabric of our days. When you had your first kiss, the crows were there, flying around nearby. They were cawing overhead at your college graduation, and worrying a hamburger wrapper through the wire mesh of a trash container in front of the building when you went in for your first job interview, and flapping past the door of the hospital where you held your first-born child. The crows have always been with us, and they promise that by growing the species at a predicted rate of 17 percent a year, in the future they’ll be around even more.

Ian Frasier, Count on Crows
posted by whir at 8:44 AM on May 25, 2021 [5 favorites]

When hantavirus started breaking out of the rodent populations in the Southwest where it is endemic, crows were among the first casualties, and in retrospect we could have recognized something serious was going on from all the dead crows lying around -- which adds a distinctly modern aspect to their traditional role as harbingers of disaster.
posted by jamjam at 3:46 PM on May 25, 2021 [2 favorites]

"Is that your pet, someone asked. No she said, he's not my pet he's my friend."

I have no idea how this hit me so hard, but I just burst into waterfalls of tears when I read this, nodding my head through the deluge, because someone gets it. My friends, my best friends, are/have always been, non humans.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 11:55 AM on May 28, 2021 [5 favorites]