Nothing too exciting in the crow world this week. Just a couple of observations of their behavior.

The other morning, Pat had a 7:40 AM appointment with the dentist. Pat had been busy doing chores and getting herself ready and hadn’t fed the crows. About 7:00, Terri pulled into the driveway, and Pat went out to get in the car. The crows saw her, and when they realized she wasn’t bringing food, they really raised the devil. All of them were yelling as loud and as fast as they could. Pat and Terri ignored them and left. When they returned home, Pat went in and got the breakfast rations and went out and gave the food cry, “Caw caw caw caw.” The crows flew in and ate, and peace was restored.

The crows are becoming more comfortable with humans. They are learning about Pat and Terri as we learn about them. I suppose they feel that someone that gives them food can’t be all bad. These birds are smart and observant and have good memories. They know they can sit on the roof of the garage and see in through the picture window or through the screen door if the front door is open. They know that Terri comes in the car, and they respond to her if she gives the food call. They know that Pat lives in the house, and they watch for her movements inside. One new behavior they have started is to do a fly by near the picture window so they can see what is going on. Then, one crow is posted as a lookout in the tree across the street while the rest of them settle in the liquid amber tree to the south. When the lookout sees Pat come out the front door, it gives the food call. Then, all the crows swoop down onto the driveway for breakfast. It’s interesting to hear how they have jobs and take care of each other.

The crows don’t seem to mind if Pat stands just a few feet from them as they eat. And the Boss Crow gets within 3 feet of Pat when he wants to hold a conversation.

Dave Thomas

1/25/2024

We were worried. The crows hadn’t shown up for four days. It didn’t seem likely that all four of them would have been hurt or killed. They must be scouting for more food. Maybe they migrated south to Mexico. Maybe they went east to the Imperial Valley, a large agricultural area that has a different climate than we have here on the coast. The valley might have crops ripening that would appeal to our crow friends.

A few crows had shown up at different times, but Pat had decided that she would only feed “her” crows. Her crows were recognizable first by seeing the guy with the mangled foot, and next by the Boss Crow who was a boisterous talker and always had plenty to say to Pat.

I think it was the 5^th day that Terri was coming over. As she approached the house, she saw crows in the driveway. As she pulled in, the birds scattered and went to the nearby trees. Terri charged into the house and yelled, “The crows are back!”  She said, “I saw the guy with the mangled foot.” She and Pat rushed outside, and Pat gave the food call, “Caw, caw, caw, caw.” From a tree, they heard an answering “Caw, caw, caw, caw,” and the crows swooped down and landed on the driveway. The Boss Crow began talking to Pat, no doubt explaining where they had been for the last four days. He gets so excited when he is talking to Pat that you know he is imparting something that is really important to him.

Things are back to normal. There are always three birds for sure- Boss Crow, the one we think is his spouse, and the mangled foot guy. Sometimes, there are a 4^th and 5^th crow that we think may be offspring. There were 6th and 7^th crow today, but the Boss Crow didn’t seem too happy about it. He kept crowding them out of the immediate area. Two sparrows have been showing up the last couple of days, and they have been accepted.

Dave Thomas

1/16/2024

It’s been a lot of fun to try and understand what the crows mean by their actions and the noises they make. For instance, the four caw, “Caw, caw, caw, caw” seems to mean “food” or to be a summons to food or to meet up. We are still not sure what the fly by means. It could be a recognition and greeting, or they may just be looking things over. Hopefully, we will understand better as we see more of the crows.

The crows have a lot of ground to cover when hunting or scavenging. A block south of us is a big canyon with a highway running through it. It also contains plenty of trees and bushes and good ground cover. About a quarter mile north of us is another canyon that is also well-covered with vegetation. Between the two canyons is a strip mall that the crows like to check out. The situation must be pretty grim if the crows can’t find food in these locations, and they are forced to come to our house and beg.

Our daughter, Terri, lives just over a mile from us, so she comes over almost every day to check on us and help out. She takes us both to the doctor, buys groceries, and does a million other things to keep us going. I mention this because the crows see her, sometimes many times a day, parking in the driveway and getting out of her car. Also, she sometimes feeds the crows and gives the food call, “Caw, caw, caw, caw.” The crows recognize her as they do Pat.

Yesterday, Terri was coming over to our house. She came down the main thoroughfare and turned left onto the side street just before the mall. She travelled a couple of blocks and made a couple of turns before heading down the block to our house. Evidently, the crows had been circling the mall, and from their height, spotted her car. As Terri came down the block, she looked through her windshield and saw a crow flying just ahead of her.  She glanced up at her moonroof (sunroof?), and saw crows flying above her. When she turned into our driveway, the crows landed in the trees and started jabbering. She couldn’t believe that the crows had provided an airborne escort all the way down the block. You may think I am stretching things a bit, but I am being straight with you. Let me ask you this:  Have you ever seen anyone else with such an escort? Of course not. They did it because they recognized Terri and/or her car and thought they might be able to promote a snack.

Dave Thomas

1/11/2024

Pat scattered the food in the driveway, and four crows were enjoying their breakfast. Pat had gone back into the house, leaving the screen door closed, but the front door open. Our front door has side windows, and Pat was looking out one of those side windows so she could watch the crows without disturbing them. The crow that was closest to the door, probably Boss Crow, finished the food that was near him and started looking around for more. Apparently, he saw Pat out of the corner of his eye and turned to face her. As he recognized her peeking out the side window, he started prancing and then in a loud voice started jabbering. As excited as he was, he must have been saying something like, “There she is!” It was like a little kid who had just spotted his mother and couldn’t contain himself.

I had never realized that these birds could be so social or that they would recognize people as they seem to recognize Pat and Terri.

Dave Thomas

1/4/2024