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Seattle. April 7, 2015.
Early in February I wrote about our almost year long relationship with a family of crows.
The Daily Bucket - Backyard Crows.
Seattle. February 9, 2015.
My neighbor feeds the crows every day. Every one of them, as well as the Steller's Jays, and anyone else who stops by as she tosses peanuts from her back porch. I know when she feeds by the cacophony of sound and the cloud of happy birds flying from all directions over the yard.
I'm not as generous. I set out five pieces of dog kibble between 9:30 and 10:00AM every morning, lining them up along the top of the back porch railing. This began last spring, when I noticed that a family of crows had set up housekeeping in the big cedar in the wayback of our yard....
I recognize each one now, not by sight, but by behavior. Crow 1 is the boldest, and will march right up the railing to the food and pick up each piece with me standing only a few feet away. Crow 2 needs me to stand towards the far end of the deck before taking the food. Crow 3 will not approach until I move into the shadow of the open doorway. The interesting thing is that only one crow gets food every morning - one crow takes it all and flies off, with the other two just following in silence, or moving on in other directions.
I promised an update --->
In the winter the local crows congregate in roosts of huge numbers somewhere to the south and east of us. We're on their flyway. I have attempted more times than I want to admit to count them as they make their way across the sky, and have always lost count. My very best attempt over the years was 6000 - and still they came, Rivers of crows.
From my notes:
March 1, 2015: Evening flyover continues, but far fewer than the winter size. Straggly lines 3-5 min apart. 50-150 at a time? maybe 2000 total? Three crows perched at the top of the big poplar to the south. Arch themselves and scream when other crows fly over. A few flyovers try to land in the poplar, are immediately chased off. The locals defending their territory.
Territorial behavior means the beginning of nesting season. Nesting season means that the crows will need more food, as well as some nesting material. I'm a softie. My morning offerings grew more generous. I added some old nuts that were mouldering in the back of the fridge, and bits of Bill-the-Dog's undercoat, dog fluff brushed out over the last year and saved for this purpose. The crows began to arrive multiple times a day, yelling from the deck railing until I brought them their offerings. Within a few days they began to take the dog fluff first, always flying through the northern neighbor's back yard and returning from there a bit later for the food.
All three became more comfortable with my presence. Crow 1 allowed me to stand three or four feet away when s/he gathered the goodies. Crow 3 began to let me stand outside of the doorway when s/he approached.
From my notes:
Mar 15, 2015. No river of crows for a day or two, maybe more? Crows have settled into their summer territories.
The territorial displays began to change. Once or twice a day I would hear harsh crow cries moving towards the house from the north, cries that mean "Danger! or "Interlopers!". I'd look up from my work to see two or three crows swooping down from the north across the yard into the nearby trees, and I'd see other crows fleeing to the south. Often, the attacking crows would perch on the southern neighbor's roof in the aftermath, arch themselves and scream.
I found these sorties almost amusing as the days progressed. "Incoming!", I'd yell out to anyone who might be listening. Sometimes I could almost hear the Ride of the Valkeries in the background as the northern crows began their swoops over the yard and the other crows scrambled to get out of their way.
A fourth crow began to show up in mid March. I recognize this one by sight - his/her lower mandible is deformed, elongated a third again the normal size and curved up into a narrow point. S/he arrived alone at first, clambering through the just budding branches of the lilac trees along the south side of the deck, snipping off twigs and flying away with them. At first I thought this one a new addition to the usual group, but s/he was never present when I put out the food and the dog fluff. I began to think of this him/her as Wrybeak. Within a week Wrybeak was accompanied by one or two others, all gathering twigs from the lilacs, always flying off to the south.
Wrybeak.
Still, every morning the North Clan gathered to take their offerings, returning multiple times a day to demand more dog fluff and food. I always obliged. Some mornings I would find things on the railing. A bottle cap. A bit of shiny glass.
March 25, 2015. AM: Wrybeak and clan perched on the southern neighbor's roof when I go out. Eye the morning offerings. North clan comes in. wrybeak and clan flee, return, perch. Standoff. North clan drives them off after ~10 min. Take food and fluff.
The territorial sorties become territorial battles - aerial dogfights between North Clan and Wrybeak's Clan. I am amazed by the intensity of their combat, amazed at the skill with which they all maneuver through the sky. Their voices are almost too intense to bear. I cannot stop watching.
March 26, 2015. 5:00PM. Wrybeak's clan holds the southern neighbor's roof. North Clan perched in the trees to the east.
March 26, 2015. 5:00PM. Standoff.
March 26, 2015. 5:00PM. North Clan in trees to the east.
March 26, 2015. 5:00PM. Wrybeak's Clan on neighbor's roof.
March 29, 2015. I put out the morning offerings. Wrybeak's Clan sits on the southern neighbor's roof. North Clan sits in the surrounding trees. I place five pieces of kibble on the porch railing, lining them up as I always do. Stand in a shadow and watch. The two clans yell back and forth for 10 or 15 minutes, neither clan moving from their positions.
Then a brief silence, and one of Wrybeak's Clan flies down from the neighbor's roof to the porch railing and takes the food, leisurely, one piece at a time.
"NO!", I yell. "This is not for you!"
But one of Wrybeak's Clan has already taken the kibble, has flown back up to his/her companions on the neighbor's roof. All of Wrybeak's Clan arch themselves and scream.
I go back into the kitchen, get the special nuts. Return to the porch and line them all up on the side railing, carefully, more than five, one by one by one in a line reaching out from me towards the members of North Clan. Crow 1 comes down from the trees and perches, takes the nuts one by one, hopping closer each time until s/he is inside an arm's length of me. Stands right there, looking me straight in the eye.
I don't know what to do except to speak out loud: "I am so sorry." I say, "I could chase them away, but we both know that they'll come back, and I can't do anything that will make this change. Please, just know that you are always welcome here."
Crow 1 stands less than an arm's length away, crop full, looking me straight in the eye for a minute that goes on for hours.
Crow 1 flies north.
I've not seen any of North Clan since.
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