Caw, caw, caw, caw! Hot damn! We can converse with another species. It was a big day when we figured out what four caws meant. Pat had been feeding the crows and talking to them for several days. Having a vision problem, all I can do is listen to them. Crows jabber all the time, but I noticed that if only one crow showed up, it would give four caws, and, in a couple of minutes, the rest of them would fly in. I compared notes with Pat, and we agreed that four caws were a summons. Pat tried it at different times and, sure enough, it worked every time.

The crows always arrived in a group of three or a group of five, and Pat could always tell if it was “her” crows because the guy with the mangled foot would be with either group. If a group of three came, it would be Boss Crow, the crow with the mangled foot, and one small crow that we took to be a mate. If it was a group of five that showed up, we figured the extra two were offspring.

The day that Pat found the 10-inch stick beside the water bowl, we figured it was a “thank you” gift. But, since we have been seeing less and less of the birds, it may have meant “Thank you and farewell.” We think that since spring is here, they may have found a new food source. Also, Pat has noticed that they will sometimes pick up some food and fly away with it. They may be nesting and have extra mouths to feed.

It’s been fun to observe these guys and learn from them. They are intelligent and can solve problems. We also discovered that they want to make friends, are compassionate, and have other human-like traits. Pat found a website on the Internet called “Crow Lovers” where people can post their crow stories. One man posted a video of himself teaching his pet crow how to dance and moonwalk.  A lady wrote and wondered what to do if the crows didn’t show up for breakfast. A man responded “Caw, caw, caw, caw!” There it is. Corroboration for our findings.

We went for four days with no crows. Then, the guy with the mangled foot and another crow that Pat thought must be The Talker started coming around at different times of the day. They would do fly-by’s real close to the windows so Pat would know they were there. She would get some food and go and talk to them. Sometimes, they would eat and sometimes not. Pat said they acted as if they missed her and just wanted to hang out and talk.

Two crows that Pat didn’t recognize (no bad feet) showed up for several days. A third crow would try to join them, but they didn’t like him and always drove him off. Pat wondered if it was a raven rather than a crow. There must be some big reason for their hostility.

One morning, Pat heard a cooing sound. She opened the front door and looked out. She saw that a crow was perched on the edge of the garage roof and making that cooing sound as if to call her. She went out and talked to it for a few minutes, and then it left.

Another time, Pat heard a bird in the driveway and went out. There was just one lone crow, and it was talking. As she talked to it, Pat tried to get closer, but the bird was fearful and kept backing up. No matter how she tried, the crow just wouldn’t relax and let her get up closer. Finally, it took off and flew over the house. She could hear it in the backyard jabbering. She went out to the patio and saw that the crow was perched up in our carrotwood tree. Pat sat down on the swing and started talking to the bird. It responded by jabbering and occasionally making little cooing sounds. She thought it was the bird that had cooed on previous days but was also the one driven off by the other birds and was scared to get close. It would sure make things easier if the birds were different enough to tell them apart. It would make it so much easier to understand their personalities.

The crows like grapes, so Pat comes up with a treat for them every now and then. The other morning, she put out some grapes and gave the four caws, and no crows came. After a few minutes, the two sparrows showed up. They immediately attacked one of the grapes and were pecking away with gusto. I guess if the crows don’t show up, we’ll be lucky in that we only have to put out one grape.

Dave Thomas

6/20/2024