I touched some magic today...

I live very close to an extinct volcano that has been turned into a city park. There is a family of crows that live up on the volcano and in the ten years I've lived here I've gotten to know them a little bit. They are big fans of some of the berries in my yard and in the winter, on the rare days we get snow, I've taken them out some granola and nuts and fed them. I was always very pleased and proud when I could get 15 or so feet from one of them.

Sometimes when I am working in the yard they will sit on the wires up above and cluck at me. I cluck back. I've always enjoyed them. (and the blue jay family in the birch tree and the two hummingbirds that seem to spend a good chunk of their day in my yard.) The crows will often sit on the power wire over the T intersection I live on and drop nuts onto the roadway. I used to think they were dropping them to break them open but I later realized they were dropping them there for cars to run over. They would drop them by me and I would stomp on them and break them open. I found the interaction to be pretty amazing.

(I should point out that in high school my dad bought a bird farm...pheasants, endangered species, cardinals, finches, parrots...and my dad was always kind of amazed by how the birds liked me and would let me get close)

So today I was outside talking to my new neighbor and the crows flew by and one of them just dropped to the street. Her wing looked hurt and her feet weren't working. I'm guessing she ran into the power line? As she laid there kind of flopping, her whole crow family came flying in...12 or so crows all in the trees, the wires and three landed next to her to check her out. All the crows were cawing and calling like crazy. My neighbor and I decided to go check her out and the closer we got the more loud and frantic the crows were getting. Cawing louder than I have ever heard them. When we got to about 20 feet away I looked up and the crow family of 12 had turned into a scene from the birds. There were, seriously, at least 50 crows in the air around us, the trees, the wires, and then they started dive bombing us. The whole time they were shrieking and cawing so loudly that all the neighbors started coming outside to see what was up.

I went in to look into the Audobon Society and my neighbor told me to come over if I needed him to get a shovel and whack the crow.

The Audobon Society was closed so my partner and I went out to check on the crow. She had got up on the curb and was laying next to a bush but she was really vulnerable and in the open. We decided to give her some time to see if she was just stunned.

We were inside and I heard the crows start up again. I went outside and the bird was back in the street and there was a cat not far away lurking under a car. All the crows were agitated and cawing. I picked up a pinecone and threw it at the cat and crossed over until I was only 5 feet or so from the crow. I started talking to her and telling her I wanted to move her out of the sun into a bush. Then I realized ALL the other crows, dozens of them all around in the trees, had gone totally silent. I saw the movie The Birds when I was 8 and it left an impression...doubly scary because my hair is the same color as Tipi Hedron's.

I kept talking to the bird and clucking a little and I moved a little closer. She looked straight at me and didn't move a feather. I picked her up and held her in my hands. Her legs weren't working very well but she seemed to be moving her wing a little. Her black feathers were shiny like oil, her eyes were deep and obsidian-like and her beak had this slight downward bend to it that gave her a Roman nose. She was very light and delicate and she never fussed once while she was in my hands. It was a moment I wish I could have enjoyed but I must say that I was in awe regardless.

I took her into my yard and set her up on the shed roof nested in this overgrown shrub thing that has grown over the neighbor's fence onto my shed roof. It was perfect--almost nest like but she could get out of the sun and was away from cats. Her crow friends could see her (and several of them flew over into closer trees as I walked her into the back yard.)

As I walked away I could hear flapping wings as her family started landing on the roof to check her out. I heard some wings fly up behind me and a crow flew alongside my right side and then up into the dogwood tree, then another flew up on the other side of me and landed in the tree, and as I walked the 150 or so feet back to the house I had crows swooping alongside me then up into the tree ahead. Six or seven of them flew by silently and then as I got to the tree myself they all started clucking and chirping as I walked underneath them. They were there until I went into the house.

Several crows spent the rest of the evening, til the sun went down, hopping around my yard and shed roof.

I hope she makes it. It was a magical thing to hold her in my hands. She was so calm and trusting and I can't help but think her family knows I'm the human that feeds them when it snows or the weather has been nasty. When my neighbor and I went near her all the crows went nuts. When it was just me they fell silent.

There is another post tonight about a whale that some people saved. I highly recommend it. It inspired me to share my little crow story with you.

When I was in the first grade, we had a crow that visited our classroom on a daily basis... at lunchtime! Then one day it stopped coming.

Don't be squealing on your Aunt Martha now!

I don't live there now or even in that state but you are in an enchanted land, m'dear.

Don't be squealing on your Aunt Martha now!

Probably my favorite park in our fair city. :loveya:

I'll have to show her the next time we come up.

:)

I had two crows drop out of the sky right next to me before, it was very ominous because there was nothing nearby which they could've collided with and they fell from the sky separately so I don't think they hit one another. They managed to fly off though after recovering.

I'm really hoping she is just stunned. We'll check on her in the morning and give her some water and raspberries...see if she needs some food.

Why wait until morning?

:hi:

And it makes sense why they would let me get close to her but not my neighbor.

Is there any sort of wildlife place near you that might be able to help? I hate the thought of the poor bird expiring if she can't fly, despite all your care. The vet hospital where I've taken my dogs and cat is the place in my area where they take injured wildlife. I was there once when a guy came to pick up some baby squirrels who were ready to go. The specialty of one of the vets there is birds, though she treats other pets, but I've seen lots of folks bring in their birds and her license plate says "BIRD DR," LOL. Wishing you luck with this and kudos for your compassion. It sounds like you have a gift. Let us know how it goes. :hi:

So we'll be heading there if she's still in the back yard.

Wishing you, and your bird, all the best... :hi: :yourock:

I had a similar experience with the Mynah birds who visit my back garden... protecting a just fledged flyer.

it is a long story but i used to go to thailand and stay at the same place for a couple of months every winter. There was a minah bird couple that would come on the porch for food. It is a good tail worthy of a full post. :0) I'll write that and let you know.

Here are videos of crows doing that:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NenEdSuL7QU

http://www.pbs.org/lifeofbirds/brain/index.html

From the second link (which deals with bird intelligence and tool-using behavior):

Biologists already knew the corvid family–it includes crows, ravens, rooks, magpies and jackdaws–to be among the smartest of all birds. But this remarkable piece of behavior–it features in the final program of “Life of Birds”–would seem to be a particularly acute demonstration of bird intelligence.

Apparently, it's part of the culture of the crows in Akita, Japan--they pass it on to others.

Crows in other places do it, too:

The crows in Japan have only been cracking nuts this way since about 1990. They have since been seen doing it in California. Researchers believe they probably noticed cars driving over nuts fallen from a walnut tree overhanging a road. The crows already knew about dropping clams from a height on the seashore to break them open, but found this did not work for walnuts because of their soft green outer shell

.

Well done. :)

:grouphug:

You are a blessing and you are blessed, Snoutport :) Thanks for sharing your amazing story.

:yourock:

:applause: What a great story.

It is the highlight of my morning.

The birds do know and recognize those who perform acts of kindnesses. Two years ago we had a very late, very deep snow and the tree outside our apartment building was filled with hungry male robins--I don't know why only males were in the group but I do know they were hungry. I scrambled a half-dozen eggs and made crumbs of a half loaf of bread and put it on the window sill. They came and ate it all. When the sun came out and the birds were able to get at their favorite foods again, my help was no longer needed. Two years later I still get shout-outs from those fellows I fed. They call to me when they see me leave the building and fly closer to give me a nod and a wink. Animals are wonderful. So are you! :hug:

Sometimes all we need to do is "listen" to the needs of our fellow creatures. They are often much more humane than humans. Good job!

I love birds. I feed and water them every day. They let me sit and watch just a few feet away. It's fun watching the bluejays dip in the bird baths to cool down. They line up and take turns, all the while cackling at each other and me. The mockingbirds around here don't let the crows near the food. They try to keep everyting else away, too, but there's just too many little chickadees, titmouse, starlings and cardinals One will distract the mockingbirds while the others swoop in and grab a few seeds.

the crows, a blue jay family, two hummingbirds and a flock of finches. Other birds come through in groups on their way somewhere but for the most part it is just the same birds. The bluejays do their best, i think, to keep everyone else out of here.

Your neighbor doesn't look like Rod Taylor, does he?

thanks!

rec'd

We had some aggressive hawks in the area - it was awesome to watch when the hatchlings grew and learned to fly. However, as they grew many birds and other small animals were sacrificed. Seasons shifted and migration patterns followed. The next year when the hawks returned, the crows began swarming and cawing whenever the hawks were near. Chased the hawks away. The hawks didn't appear to threaten the Crows, it seemed more like the Crows had become the protectors of the smaller birds. I started watching them with fascination which has grown to awe. Your story confirms my growing sense of appreciation of the community care which seems so present among the crows.

Thanks for sharing.

I clicked on it because I saw that you posted it. Thanks for a wonderful story!

I wish more people shared day-to-day stories. :0)

No sign of her or any of her crow family. I'm hoping they picked her up and flew her home or that she was able to fly on her own.

Hmmmm....I think I better get a ladder and make sure she isn't where I can't see her.

call your nearest uuildlife rehabilitation center. They'll have people that are expert at nursing birds back to health. Ask to have her released back in your yard if she can be fixed up. If you need help finding them, pm me and I'll look up someone near you.

:hug:

Ravens are my local animal friends, and yes, they are sooooo intelligent!

In Native American Medicine, the Crow has the ability to travel 'between worlds' and see the light within the shadow and vice-versa. what a lovely bit of magic and reverence you shared together! I do believe they 'know' you, and the moment you got to hold the one who needed you is precious, remember that deep obsidian color, the feathers that have an iridescent quality, it's a magical bird for sure! Glad they welcomed you into the flock ;)

followed by a woodpecker. I've been here 10 years and never had a woodpecker land on my roof and chirp for..oh...three or four minutes. Then off he went.

Good bird karma, I guess.

unlike your neighbor who wanted to whack the crow with a shovel.

crows have a sense of relationship among fellow creatures. They have empathy. They have concern for others of their kind. They are protective of species-mates who are hurt or ill.

Ravens are crows with advanced degrees.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8L4KNrPEs0

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/ravens/video-full-episode/5577/

And only a few stray crows flying by. I hope she snapped out of it and went on her way.

Wonderful and yes, magic.

Of course they knew you and knew you were trying to help her. Many chits to you!

Sorry - SOMEONE had to say that :)

Cool story, BTW

When I was a kid. He use to follow my brothers to school and peck on the windows. The recognise different human faces. I'm glad they are your friends.

i used to have a friend like you. birds would go under the screen door to get into her house. strays always found her. she was like dr doolittle.

porch to eat out of her hand. My niece (my sis and her kids lived with Mom and Dad at the time) inherited that quality, so the only way she could get to the car to drive to school without being mobbed and risking running over the animals was to throw a handful of peanuts in the opposite direction and then run to the car and take off.

Most animals love me, too, and I am sort of a cat and dog whisperer (and baby whisperer), but my rapport with animals doesn't approach my mother's and niece's, because theirs was magical. Maybe there are pheromones involved in the way we relate to animals.

I used to tease Mom that whenever I drove east from Kansas to Pennsylvania to visit, I would see rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks standing by the side of the road with little signs with eastward pointing arrows and the legend: Free eats this way!

We visited a park that was once a volcanic crater. It wasn't till after we left that someone told me.. because the entire basin was filled with trees, plants and wild life. It was gorgeous. I wish I could recall the name of the park.

Just did Google Maps...I think its this place:
Riserva Naturale Cratere degli Astroni


Just beautiful isn't it?

called In the Company of Ravens and Crows, done here in Seattle by a couple of ornithologists who decided to study neighborhood populations. They have some fabulous stories about the way they communicate and talk to one another and interact with other parts of the neighborhood. One of my favorites is that they remember people who have upset them, and the authors wanted to band some babies and were worried the crows would never forgive them so they did it wearing Dick Cheney masks. So if Cheney ever visits the UW...

Wonderful story. As a bird lover I appreciate that they know good people.

crows and black birds amaze me. When I was working and smoking I'd take a smoke break in the early morning outside our communications center the crows would line up in the tree across from me and watch my evey move....I'd caw back at them ...well the boss would get crazy about cigarette butts all over the place....we we tell him we put them in the receptable..well I caught our little friends one morning on the video cameras. They would scatter them all over, I guess they didn't want us to smoke.:hi: They were getting eveyone in trouble.

the Human Nature of Birds?

Barber was a famous psychologist, a major figure in hypnosis research, who got interested in the psychology of birds. Wonderful book.

They're known to fashion tools (turn a wire into a hook, for example) to solve simple puzzles involving food, and they're very good at recognizing familiar objects or people and retaining past information for future use.

A video on the subject:

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/joshua_klein_on_the_intelligence_of_crows.html

they can do facial recognition.

animals know... and animals understand who among us humans will do ill and who will not.

Reading about the kindness of people towards the other occupants of our planet inspires us all, I believe.

I hope your crow is happy and healthy with her family - or murder - tonight. :)

it's those little bits of good put together
that overwhelm the world.” - Desmond Tutu

I just heard a news story last week that pigeons can recognize people so it wouldn't surprise me if crows can too. I hope the crow makes it too.

You can also do an internet search for small animal rehabilitators in your area. Some specialize in certain species. I've done this with injured turtles and a ground squirrel.

And brilliant, too. You can bet those crows knew you from before and knew you were trying to help.

You're family now.

Be very careful.

:P

Maybe they could relate the thrill they got doing so.

Here's a nice link to Cornell with tons of interesting crow info.

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/crows/crowfaq.htm#legal

Scientists studying birds have fairly conclusively proven
that crows can recognize individual humans even after a
quite-brief exposure. If one hurts a crow, they will
remember that person essentially forever. I expect the
same is true if one helps a crow.

So you are probably well-known now to a whole coven of
crows; you probably have a whole new flock of friends!
Don't be surprised if they come around from time to time!

Our casual experience with the neighborhood birds (mostly
non-crows) seems to back this up. We feed them very gen-
erously and in return, they seem to have gotten quite
used to just hanging around when we're near. Or maybe
our parrots have just vouched for us to them? ;)

Tesha

Have you ever considered getting published? You are really creative. Bravo.