The girl who gets gifts from birds
October 18, 2023 12:41 AM Subscribe
The girl who gets gifts from birds. Lots of people love the birds in their garden, but it's rare for that affection to be reciprocated. One young girl in Seattle is luckier than most. She feeds the crows in her garden - and they bring her gifts in return.
I liked that the crow brought her lens cap back. That was very neighborly.
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:38 AM on October 18, 2023 [9 favorites]
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:38 AM on October 18, 2023 [9 favorites]
Oh man this is so cool.
My daughters have a friend who lives nearby who had a similar setup with the crows in her neighborhood. She'd feed them, they'd bring her feathers and bones and bits of shiny metal. That got us interested in trying to befriend some crows as well, but our block is dominated by a pack of extremely ferocious bluejays so the crows won't come here. However, we found a group that congregates in the big field across from my daughters' elementary school, so we'd bring peanuts with us on the walk to school every morning, and at this point as soon as we cross the main road the whole murder materializes out of nowhere and flies circles around us in the field, cawing. We haven't gotten any presents yet and I doubt we will given the transient nature of our feeding system, but all the parents in the car drop-off line at the school can see us being circled by crows every morning and I KNOW that it weirds some of them out, and that's honestly gift enough.
posted by saladin at 3:52 AM on October 18, 2023 [52 favorites]
My daughters have a friend who lives nearby who had a similar setup with the crows in her neighborhood. She'd feed them, they'd bring her feathers and bones and bits of shiny metal. That got us interested in trying to befriend some crows as well, but our block is dominated by a pack of extremely ferocious bluejays so the crows won't come here. However, we found a group that congregates in the big field across from my daughters' elementary school, so we'd bring peanuts with us on the walk to school every morning, and at this point as soon as we cross the main road the whole murder materializes out of nowhere and flies circles around us in the field, cawing. We haven't gotten any presents yet and I doubt we will given the transient nature of our feeding system, but all the parents in the car drop-off line at the school can see us being circled by crows every morning and I KNOW that it weirds some of them out, and that's honestly gift enough.
posted by saladin at 3:52 AM on October 18, 2023 [52 favorites]
This is wonderful. It's so important to let young girls to know they can muster their own dark sky-armies, well-fed and loyal, assembling daily to await the bidding of their ground-queens.
posted by PlusDistance at 4:24 AM on October 18, 2023 [55 favorites]
posted by PlusDistance at 4:24 AM on October 18, 2023 [55 favorites]
It is my dream for a wild animal to bring me a gift.
posted by tiny frying pan at 5:17 AM on October 18, 2023 [9 favorites]
posted by tiny frying pan at 5:17 AM on October 18, 2023 [9 favorites]
Mod note: Yes, technically a double, but it's been eight years, so let's enjoy this shiny gift again.
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 5:39 AM on October 18, 2023 [43 favorites]
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 5:39 AM on October 18, 2023 [43 favorites]
It is my dream for a wild animal to bring me a gift.
Get a cat -- specifically an outdoor cat. You will quickly realize that (i) it is a wild animal and (ii) the dream is not what you thought it was.
posted by The Bellman at 6:33 AM on October 18, 2023 [31 favorites]
Get a cat -- specifically an outdoor cat. You will quickly realize that (i) it is a wild animal and (ii) the dream is not what you thought it was.
posted by The Bellman at 6:33 AM on October 18, 2023 [31 favorites]
The Seattle metro area has several huge crow rookeries. Here is a typical article about the crows, and you can easily find videos of the intense flocks leaving and returning to their nesting areas. So it is a place where there are a lot of human/crow interactions.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:34 AM on October 18, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Dip Flash at 6:34 AM on October 18, 2023 [1 favorite]
when we lived in KW there were a lot of crows around our house and i never took it to mind to try and befriend them. now that we're in Toronto it's just pigeons. don't get me wrong, pigeons are fine. especially how they annoy the old guy across the way who comes out on his balcony and fwips his towel at them, futilely, many times a day. i digress. pigeons are fine. but they're not crows.
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:50 AM on October 18, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:50 AM on October 18, 2023 [1 favorite]
I loved this story the first time around and was inspired to try it myself; there are plenty of crows near my house. But I ended up eating most of the peanuts myself.
posted by TedW at 6:52 AM on October 18, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by TedW at 6:52 AM on October 18, 2023 [3 favorites]
Get a cat -- specifically an outdoor cat. You will quickly realize that (i) it is a wild animal and (ii) the dream is not what you thought it was.
I have two cats, indoors, and it's mostly Mild Kingdom in here.
And you know what kind of gifts I meant! Jewelry and the finest nuts and bolts and sea glass!
posted by tiny frying pan at 6:59 AM on October 18, 2023 [6 favorites]
I have two cats, indoors, and it's mostly Mild Kingdom in here.
And you know what kind of gifts I meant! Jewelry and the finest nuts and bolts and sea glass!
posted by tiny frying pan at 6:59 AM on October 18, 2023 [6 favorites]
2016 story on lawsuit.
Folo— family moved from Seattle.
posted by Ideefixe at 8:03 AM on October 18, 2023 [3 favorites]
Folo— family moved from Seattle.
posted by Ideefixe at 8:03 AM on October 18, 2023 [3 favorites]
Long ago, a local duck tried to do the same thing to me, but I refused it once I saw the bill.
(realizes comment was fowl, ducks, migrates away from discussion)
posted by zaixfeep at 8:17 AM on October 18, 2023 [12 favorites]
(realizes comment was fowl, ducks, migrates away from discussion)
posted by zaixfeep at 8:17 AM on October 18, 2023 [12 favorites]
Previously on MeFi. My previous commentary on crow befriending is still relevant.
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:06 AM on October 18, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:06 AM on October 18, 2023 [1 favorite]
Crows are amazing animals and remember faces. About a decade ago one evening I was watching TV and heard raucous cawing coming from the street. When I went to investigate there was a dead crow in the gutter and crows loudly hovering above it. I got a shovel, carried the crow across the street and buried it in my backyard while about a dozen crows followed me and circled overhead. I told them I was doing this out of respect and was sorry for their loss -- like that was going to help. On my walks in the neighborhood in the ensuing years a group of crows would follow me for about a block, flapping from tree to tree and cawing loudly and angrily. They seemed to be angry, anyway. I guess they thought I was the mean witch who had removed their buddy. There were no presents.
posted by missinformation at 9:07 AM on October 18, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by missinformation at 9:07 AM on October 18, 2023 [2 favorites]
Hmm. I am not a fan of feeding wildlife in a way where they begin to associate that feeding with humans. It may make people feel good, but it is really not such a kindness for the wild animal or the ecosystem that they inhabit with each other, other animals and humans.
We have a water fountain specifically for the birds in the neighborhood, especially with the hotter and drier season. In years past, we have had hundreds of small bird visitors every day. But this spring we had a flock of crows take over our backyard, and drive away all the other smaller, more fragile birds. It was so heartbreaking to see a little bird desperate to get to the water source and have to leave because of a menacing crow. The crows also brought over all the food that people have been feeding them (a lot of peanuts) and dumped them into the fountain. They were also so unafraid of humans after being hand fed, that they had become very aggressive.
So, no, don't feed the crows. Trust me, they are doing just fine already.
posted by nanook at 9:59 AM on October 18, 2023 [5 favorites]
We have a water fountain specifically for the birds in the neighborhood, especially with the hotter and drier season. In years past, we have had hundreds of small bird visitors every day. But this spring we had a flock of crows take over our backyard, and drive away all the other smaller, more fragile birds. It was so heartbreaking to see a little bird desperate to get to the water source and have to leave because of a menacing crow. The crows also brought over all the food that people have been feeding them (a lot of peanuts) and dumped them into the fountain. They were also so unafraid of humans after being hand fed, that they had become very aggressive.
So, no, don't feed the crows. Trust me, they are doing just fine already.
posted by nanook at 9:59 AM on October 18, 2023 [5 favorites]
So, my wife would call "hello" when scattering walnuts for the crows.
At some point we heard this odd noise, thought it was a cat or something. Eventually we figured out that it was one of the crows, saying hello back to us.
She'll come by pretty consistently. Her vocabulary is still limited to that one word, but it's very musical. We manage to have lengthy chats sometimes, calling back and forth.
posted by emmet at 11:54 AM on October 18, 2023 [5 favorites]
At some point we heard this odd noise, thought it was a cat or something. Eventually we figured out that it was one of the crows, saying hello back to us.
She'll come by pretty consistently. Her vocabulary is still limited to that one word, but it's very musical. We manage to have lengthy chats sometimes, calling back and forth.
posted by emmet at 11:54 AM on October 18, 2023 [5 favorites]
It can be practical to make friends with crows. My co-workers mother walks her elderly dog around a small lake daily. Urban, but a pretty wild area with lots of critters. She drops peanuts for the crows and they follow her around.
One day the crows started cawing nearby, and a giant mob of crows appeared out of nowhere swooping on the nearby bushes, big ruckus, and a lone coyote comes shooting out running away with some enthusiasm, hounded by the crows. It was stalking her dog and the crows chased it off.
She leaves extra peanuts now.
posted by Pink Fuzzy Bunny at 12:33 PM on October 18, 2023 [23 favorites]
One day the crows started cawing nearby, and a giant mob of crows appeared out of nowhere swooping on the nearby bushes, big ruckus, and a lone coyote comes shooting out running away with some enthusiasm, hounded by the crows. It was stalking her dog and the crows chased it off.
She leaves extra peanuts now.
posted by Pink Fuzzy Bunny at 12:33 PM on October 18, 2023 [23 favorites]
Corvids are the best.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 1:16 PM on October 18, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 1:16 PM on October 18, 2023 [1 favorite]
This story made me want to befriend a flock of crows. Hard to do in a taller-story metropolitan apartment. There are local squirrels, as well, so I cannot try the peanuts thing once I am at ground level, or I will befriend the squirrels, who have enough local friends.
posted by SaharaRose at 1:41 PM on October 18, 2023
posted by SaharaRose at 1:41 PM on October 18, 2023
Ideefixe's first link is sad. The neighbors sued them to stop her feeding crows. What terrible people. Way to stamp on a young girl's love there. I hope Gabi's family moved somewhere more friendly.
posted by JHarris at 1:41 PM on October 18, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by JHarris at 1:41 PM on October 18, 2023 [3 favorites]
I'd always been a fan of the idea of feeding crows until I watched one take an entire batch of robin restlings while the parents cheeped miserably. Feeding crows may have worse effects on birds than outdoor cats; cats have a lot harder time getting up to the nests.
posted by Earthtopus at 2:38 PM on October 18, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Earthtopus at 2:38 PM on October 18, 2023 [2 favorites]
I've been throwing out peanuts for the crows that visit my backyard, but it's hard to befriend them because they only stop by occasionally and typically flee if I step out to share something.
posted by TheKaijuCommuter at 3:50 PM on October 18, 2023
posted by TheKaijuCommuter at 3:50 PM on October 18, 2023
I always wanted to befriend a crow. They'll bring you gifts and even do favors for you.
posted by mike3k at 5:17 PM on October 18, 2023
posted by mike3k at 5:17 PM on October 18, 2023
I think about this story a lot. I want to write a fiction with that title. It would be in the vein of Terry Bisson's "Bears Discover Fire".
posted by neuron at 9:00 AM on October 20, 2023
posted by neuron at 9:00 AM on October 20, 2023
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