I've seen them very often for the past several years after I bought my camera, but I never have the camera with me while the crows are near. I also hear at least one crow almost every day, especially while I'm in the woods. Of course, being beneath the canopy of all the trees I'm never able to see them.
This time it was different though. I found two crows just standing there on the grass waiting for me. I got so excited that I didn't zoom in very close to the one in front. And by the time I remembered, it flew away and out of camera range. It must have been too smart for me.
Crows have also been observed at street intersection dropping nuts down onto the street for cars to run over and break. When the lights change so there is no traffic, the crows will then fly down and retrieve their opened nuts. I'd say that's pretty smart. The intelligence of these birds has even been told about in fables and fairy tales.
This can be used in a useful way though. American crows are used to help identify West Nile virus. Crows can catch this very easily. And if crows die in an area, it is checked for the virus. That can help stop an outbreak among humans. Crows are not known to be able to pass it on to humans, even though humans can catch it in other ways.
A little bit of good information, huh? If you want more, a good web search can bring you a wealth of information about these very interesting birds. I also wrote another story about them that you might find very interesting. It was when I got a few very bad pictures of one a couple of them in the air. You can find that here: The Twa Corbies
I'll be back tomorrow for a short but special look at the night sky.
Crows are very interesting creatures, we have a murder of them that like the trees around our neighborhood. I watched part of the group chase, in a very coordinated attack, a female red tail a few days ago. I suspect she was too close to a place where a nest was being built. I have been watching them collect sticks all week.
ReplyDeleteWe've all been there....outsmarted by a crow
ReplyDeleteVery interesting information on the crow, Ratty! They are quite noisy around here too.
ReplyDeleteNice photos of the crow and your posts are always so informative.
ReplyDeleteI liked the crows dropping nuts into traffic! Nice to know that the automobile is useful for something other than getting us around to places we don't need to go. Fun!
ReplyDeleteBill:www.wildramblings.com
Lots of crows here in this neighborhood. I never see them near houses. They are usually "over there" in the field. Sometimes you can see the sentinel who stands guard over the flock.
ReplyDeleteCrows reminded me of those Cowboys movie where the corpses are being eaten by them.. Not a very good impression of them
ReplyDeleteCrow is a symbol of bad luck, but we see them every now and then, and everywhere.
ReplyDeletewe have lots of crows around here. Yes they do go after the dead carcasses as do a lot of other birds but I do not see this as a bad thing...we need carrion to clear up the dead otherwise the world would be a terrible stinking mess!!
ReplyDeleteThat's a lot about crows I never knew about. We live near a cornfield and get lots of crows in the area. They look very menacing when they're in large groups.
ReplyDeleteRatty,
ReplyDeleteHappy to hear you got a capture of these crows!
I love crows, they are unique birds and have many insights to share. :)
I'm glad you shared with us some interesting facts about them.
It's interesting as there are a variety of species of crows around, and although they may look the same, they have different intentions.
Great pictures of the crows. We have plenty of them around here. Was it a crow that stole the coins out of the machine at the car wash??? I can't remember. It might have been a smaller bird. Thanks for the info.
ReplyDeleteI have read about how intelligent crows are supposed to be. I didn't know though that a group of them was called a murder. What an odd name.
ReplyDeleteI never knew they were so talented and intelligent. They are all over out here. They are in our neighborhoods, on rooftops and trees, though they normally can be found in clusters at the beach. Thanks for the background and info, Ratty.
ReplyDeletevery interesting information, I never know too that a group of them called a murder, though they are popular to have such reputation.
ReplyDeleteI had several in my yard today, and thought about doing a post about them too. How weird is that? But I did the contest instead! Come play.
ReplyDeleteI never knew there was actually more than one species of crow. I guess I never thought about it. As for their notorious reputation, I think it's just because even centuries ago, if there food left over from the hunt, they would act as savages to get the last piece.
ReplyDeletewonderful post!! when I was a kid, we had a pet crow: Cicero. He was very smart and would do tricks for us! We had raised him as a fledgling and by trimming one wing, he stuck around because he had a big cage for nights, and hung out in the backyard by day. My sister even brought him to school once for "show and tell."
ReplyDeleteGood pictures of the crow and a lot of information. They are pretty smart birds it seems.
ReplyDeleteBravo Ratty, I love crows! I have had a post in edit mode for quite some time on them. I wanted to bring some real interesting stuff to the table on them, but realized I'd be better of doing some research first. I love your pics.
ReplyDeleteEvery day at work I try to get out for a walk around our building, which has some nice landscaping to it. Flying around quite often are crows. Huge ones! They are very brave around humans, so I can walk very close without freaking them out. I love the bluish sheen of their feathers, their calls, and even their darker story side from fables and what not.
I have been wanting to study Native American history when it comes to crows for some time, you have inspired me to get to it!
Seems like someone else just did a post about crows and ravens. I knew they were pretty intelligent birds, having read up about them some time back when I was writing a poem about them for a content. I never completed it, though, because the contest deadline was past. I did learn something, though, which is always a good thing!
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