It’s not just the crows who are blowing off adolescent steam right now. The blue jay teens are also talking back, and even the cardinal kids have gone from mute to mouthy. They can afford to scream and yell and demand attention now. They’re mobile. When they’re confined to the nest, baby birds save their [...]
So, that video where the squirrel chases two crows away from a second, squished squirrel? Touching, heartbreaking, the very soul of loyalty? No. I don’t think so. Humans are vulnerable to misinterpreting animal behavior for many reasons. But at work in this case is our social nature. We’re an “obligate social” species — we can’t [...]
GUEST BLOGGER, MARY LELLO: I began to notice the family of crows in my neighborhood after reading Hannah’s book Suburban Safari, a Year on the Lawn, which I just loved. Having been an environmental/natural history educator many years ago, I found this book rekindling my love of observing the natural world. I began to take [...]
Damn! I missed Crow and Raven Appreciation Day! I would have made a special delivery of dog food kibbles to the back yard. Well, the truth is I appreciate my crows every time I see them. They’re the closest thing we have to chimpanzees up here in the north. Based on their intelligence and tool [...]
The crows have been gathering grape vine bark this week. It’s my FAVORITE thing that crows do. Well, one of my many FAVORITE things, anyway. The crows clamber through the grape vines that loop around a backyard oak, seeking loose strips of last year’s bark. They are surprisingly nimble as they search for footholds, flapping [...]
