There was an unusual incident with the crows the other week. One morning Pat was watching and listening for them, but none showed up. After a short time, a lone crow landed on the roof of the house across the street. It began making a noise Pat hadn’t heard before. It was like the bird was in great pain and was crying. This went on for two or three hours. Terri happened to come over while this was going on, and she commented to her mother that it sounded as if the crow was crying. Eventually, this crow left. The next day, again, no crows showed up for breakfast. But a little later, the lone bird landed on the roof across the street and started “crying.” This time, Pat put out some food, and the crow came over and ate. As soon as it finished, it flew back to its regular spot on the roof across the street and started crying again. After a bit, another crow came in and landed beside the first guy. They chattered together for a moment and then flew off together. After an hour or so, the crow came back and cried for at least an hour before leaving. On the third morning, the regular group showed up for breakfast.

After a time, a lone bird that Pat took to be the distraught guy showed up and started eating. Two of the other crows went it and chased it away. That was the last time we saw or heard him. Considering the events of the last three days, Pat’s interpretation of the events was presented. She thought the lone bird had committed some type of infraction and had been booted out of the group. All the crying was the crow begging to be let back into the group. Who knows?

Dave Thomas

2/29/2024

Growing up in a small town in Kansas, I listened to family and friends cussing the crows as a regular thing.  Besides raiding gardens and fields, they sometimes made enough noise to drive you nuts. I never was acquainted with any of the crows, but I had heard or read somewhere that crows were very smart.

Boss Crow as a Scout

The Boss Crow initiated our relationship some eight months ago when he landed on the roof of our garage. Our house and attached garage are configured in an L-shape and that makes it possible to see the front door from the garage. It was a nice, warm day, so the front door was open, and the screen door was closed and locked. From his perch on the roof, the crow looked through the screen door, saw Pat inside, and started talking to her. He was making his cawing noises in a quiet, conversational tone rather than the normal hysterical sounds that crows usually make. Pat came to the door and listened. From the sound of it, she decided that he must be telling her a story of hard times in the crow community. She heard him out and got a slice of bread, tore it into little pieces, and scattered it on the driveway. That was the start of this, and the whole thing is a mystery to me. Why did the crow pick our house? What made him tell his story to Pat? Does she emit some kind of vibe that says she is a good listener? I know that people like to confide in her. She can stand in line at the bank, the grocery store, or the post office, and then come home and tell me the life story of the person standing next to her.

Meet Boss Crow

Due to a vision problem, I’ve never seen Boss Crow. I’ve heard him every day he is here, and Pat fills me in on his demeanor and antics. All this input has made it possible for me to develop a good mental image of this guy. I see him as A Damon Runyon type character, wearing a hat and sunglasses and with the stub of a cigar sticking out of the corner of his mouth. He is never still prances or struts around, making one wisecrack after another. He is always ready to give you a wink to indicate that he knows his shtick is silly, but he uses it to maintain his position. Don’t get me wrong, though. I feel that he is quite a guy and a real crowmanitarian. He looks after his group, sees to it that they are fed, feeds the sick, and runs off anyone that interferes with them. I’ll try to describe some of the things we have learned from and about him.

Communication

The first few times the boss crow came, I thought he was just jabbering like crows do. Then, I began to notice that when Pat went out and put food down, he gave a distinct four caw cry. It was always, “Caw, caw, caw, caw.” Then, in a couple of minutes, the other members of his group would come swooping in. I took the four caws to mean “food” or perhaps was just a general summons. I told Pat about this so whenever she took food out, she would give the four caws. She would hear a four-caw response, sometimes from far away, and in a minute or two, the crows would come flying in. Sometimes Boss Crow wants to have a conversation with Pat. He will land on the driveway and walk up to within three or four feet of her and start pouring out his heart.  He talks in a quiet, conversational tone. His manner is that of a person talking about things of great importance. When it’s Pat’s turn, she speaks in a consoling voice and then lets him proceed. When he has got it out of his system, Pat feeds him. Of course, neither of them knows what the other has said, but Boss Crow seems satisfied. Pat is getting a little nervous about standing in the driveway and giving the four caws call. She is afraid the neighbors will think she is nuts. I’ve noticed she sometimes stands in the doorway and gives the call before going out.

The Group

Boss Crow has a group that he looks out for and that sticks with him. Initially, they were a 3-bird group. It was Boss Crow, a regular looking bird that stayed close to Boss and we figured was a spouse or mate, and a bird with a mangled foot. We don’t know if the crippled guy is a family member or just a friend. After a few weeks, two more birds came along. They looked to be a little smaller, and we thought they may be offspring. Recently, two more crows have sometimes come along with the group. They might also be offspring.

Boss Crow as Teacher/Trainer

Not long ago, Pat started seeing the mangled foot guy across the street on the roof or in the tree as a lookout. Then, one day last week, Boss Crow didn’t show up, but the mangled foot guy did. He stood there on the drive, and when Pat came out with the food, he gave the four-caw food call and brought the others in. He also came up close to Pat and had a conversation with her. This is strange because, up to now, he has never said a word or done anything to make himself noticed. We figured he was just observing and learning the ropes from Boss Crow.

Boss Crow, Caregiver

Some time ago, I wrote about the sick bird that came in with the group. I’ll briefly rehash that story. When the group showed up for breakfast one morning, there was an extra crow with them. This guy was sick. He wasn’t black and shiny like a crow should be. He looked almost gray and showed no vitality whatsoever. He was strong enough to fly in, but for some reason, couldn’t feed himself. Boss Crow and the others took turns picking up food and placing it in his mouth. When the food was gone, they flew away together.

The Protector

Boss Crow is happy taking care of his little group, but if any other crows try to join them, there is trouble. The Boss gets up in their faces and chest bumps them until they leave.

Dave Thomas

2/22/2024

The crows recognize Pat and Terri. What surprises me is that they seem to recognize their cars as well. I’ve written two stories about Terri being followed to the house. Also, there was one story about Pat being recognized in the bank’s parking lot. That has happened again. Pat went to the mall and the bank, and when she got out of the car, there was a crow circling overhead.

From the air, it would be hard to see the person driving the car unless you were at an angle to the side. That’s why I think the crows know the cars. I don’t know the capacity of a bird’s intellect or memory. It just seems apparent that they know who they are seeing.

 As time passes, the crows seem to become more friendly and less fearful of humans. Sometimes now, Pat or Terri will go out on the driveway and give the food call “Caw, caw, caw, caw.” The crows will come swooping in and do a fly by just a few feet from them before landing. This action seems more like a greeting or a salutation than an inspection. Pat says it feels like, “Good morning. Nice to see you!” The crows seem more at ease now.

Dave Thomas

2/15/2024

Terri was coming over to take Pat to an appointment. As she pulled into the driveway, Pat came out and headed for the car. Pat noticed there was a crow sitting on the roof across the street.  An hour or so later, the ladies had concluded their business, and were on the way home.

As they rounded the final corner and were coming down the block, Terri saw there was a crow flying just ahead of them. She glanced at the rear-view mirror and saw there were two more crows bringing up the rear. Terri turned into the driveway and Pat got out.  The crow on the roof across the street was watching them. Pat figured it was probably Boss Crow serving as lookout. Sure enough, he sounded the gathering food call “caw, caw, caw,  caw.”   

The lookout swooped down and landed near Pat, and, indeed, it was the Boss Crow because he began talking immediately. The other crows had responded to his call and landed a minute or so later. Pat went into the house, got some food, and came back out and fed the group. She and Terri went in the house, the birds had their snack, and everything was back to normal.

Dave Thomas

2/8/2024

What Did He Say?

The other morning, Pat stepped outside to get the mail. She noticed there was a crow in the liquid amber tree to the south of us. As they made eye contact, the crow let out a strange sound that Pat had never heard before. It was a deep, guttural sound. It was kind of like a belch, but had a ripple quality to it. Maybe “trill” would be a proper word. I don’t know, but she said it was very strange. Pat said, “Are you talking to me? What does that mean?”  Then, she tried to replicate the sound, but got no answer from the crow. Maybe it was speaking a German version of crow language?

Dave Thomas

2/8/2024

-If I was giving out awards today, I would give one to the person who invented the bow knot. Millions of us use the bow knot every day to tie our shoes. It’s so easy that little kids can do it. It’s kind of magical also. You can pull on either of the two loose strings, and the bow disappears, and you are left with a nice undamaged piece of string.

-Old age seems to warp your perspective. Life had an order to it. The people around you and the people in the news grew up, got older, and died of old age when they reached 60 or 70 years. That’s the way the progression worked. Now that I am 87, and I hear of people dying at 60 or 70, and the reason is said to be “old age,” it seems strange. What used to be ahead of me is now behind me. It’s like I am now looking at life and death through a rear view mirror.

-Marriage is one of those places where you ask a yes or no question and an essay answer.

-I wonder how you put a Mellow Tone Muffler on an electric car.

-I used to think of the Boeing Company as being one of the best. The software and the door patch that blew out now have me wondering. The accident investigators need to talk with the software engineers, the airframe engineers, the aircraft assemblers, and the quality control inspectors. They may be suffering from a diminished pride of workmanship. Higher stress levels caused by tighter budgets, higher quotas, short staffing, and a lack of respect from management, all due to worshipping the bottom line.

-Those of you who have been wondering what happened to the better country music people will be happy to know that I found a bunch of them. They were on Willie Nelson’s 90^th birthday show on TV.

-Smile. Open a door. Lend a hand. Do something nice for someone today.

Dave Thomas

2/1/2024

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