Pat was out in the garage doing laundry. She had opened the roll-up garage door to let in the sunshine and fresh air. Apparently, a crow flying by saw her and swooped in for a landing just outside the garage door. The crow pranced around and was jabbering non-stop. In a couple of minutes, three more crows landed and began squawking. All four birds seemed to be stimulated and quite excited about something. All four were looking at Pat as they pranced around and jabbered and came within three or four feet of her. She realized that the crows must have decided that she was a person of compassion and empathy and wanted to communicate with her. She started making conversation. “How’s your day going?” “Did you get enough to eat?” and so forth. The crows would listen and respond. We know that neither side knew what the other was talking about, but wasn’t that an interesting exchange? Pat had to go on to other chores but told the birds she would talk again with them.

I don’t want to make more of this than is there, but I think we can draw some conclusions. First, the Boss Crow is a leader. He may be the patriarch of a family group, or just one who is recognized as a leader by the rest of the group. (I know that a bunch of crows is referred to as a “murder,” but I don’t like the word and will not use it.) The Boss Crow is a scout who has invited the other three or four birds to join him at breakfast every day. It seems that on a tough day for scavenging, he will invite the whole flock. He’s the one who originally found Pat and marked our house in his mind so he could return.

The crows recognize Pat. This is evidenced by the fuss the one crow made over Pat at the bank parking lot.

The birds have feelings for others of their kind. We learned that when the birds took turns feeding one of the gang who was sick or hurt.

The crows are social and smart. When they find a new friend, they want to communicate.

I am truly captivated by these creatures, and hope they will continue to teach me about their world.

Dave Thomas

12/21/2023