Snoutport Donating Member (1000+ posts) Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Sun Jul-17-11 03:42 AM
Original message
I touched some magic today... Updated at 8:42 PM
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.
Arugula Latte Donating Member (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Sun Jul-17-11 09:30 PM
Response to Reply #10
52. Thanks for helping her! I think if you give her some food and water now it will help her recover.
Why wait until morning?
AllenVanAllen Donating Member (1000+ posts) Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Sun Jul-17-11 05:38 AM
Response to Original message
14. Your act of kindness will resound through the universe.
Well done
yellerpup Donating Member (1000+ posts) Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Sun Jul-17-11 09:31 AM
Response to Original message
22. You have such a good heart.
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!
Snoutport Donating Member (1000+ posts) Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Sun Jul-17-11 04:20 PM
Response to Reply #23
36. :0) I've noticed that it is mostly the same birds in my yard Updated at 8:42 PM
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.
cherokeeprogressive Donating Member (1000+ posts) Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Sun Jul-17-11 10:23 AM
Response to Original message
27. Wow that made me misty. n/t
salin Donating Member (1000+ posts) Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Sun Jul-17-11 01:08 PM
Response to Original message
30. Great story! Over the past couple of years my appreciation for crows has grown.
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.
Snoutport Donating Member (1000+ posts) Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Sun Jul-17-11 04:32 PM
Response to Original message
38. Update: I haven't seen her this morning. Updated at 8:42 PM
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.
Snoutport Donating Member (1000+ posts) Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Mon Jul-18-11 02:18 AM
Response to Reply #43
78. Today the crows flew by for a quick caw and then darted off...only to be Updated at 8:42 PM
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.
AsahinaKimi Donating Member (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Sun Jul-17-11 09:58 PM
Response to Original message
57. When I was visiting Napoli Italy...
Edited on Sun Jul-17-11 10:00 PM by AsahinaKimi
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
(http://www.dentronapoli.it/Dintorni/Cratere_Astroni.jpg)
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...
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.
Shoot the SOB, and you can walk right up an touch it.
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.The Crows trained the DUmmy...
The Crows trained the DUmmy...
The Crows trained the DUmmy...
You know, it may not have been a crow. If it was black and could not fly it MAY have been Blackie the Ghost Chicken.
War and Peace wraps it up quicker than that guy! I couldn't read that whole story, going on and on about friggin crows?
And yeah, of course the cat got it. Cat had been thinking about it all day.
I do believe that there is one of them stories my highschool English teacher done told me 'bout. One of them stories where you have to read between the lines. The black crow flopping around on the ground is Obama representing his inexperience and failings as a president. The black crows around him on the ground are his affirmative action cabinet and czars doing nothing but strutting and trying to look busy and smart at the same time. The black crows in the air, in the trees and on the powerlines that were shrieking and cawing loudly are the Obama voters making excuses for his failure. ....and the DUmmie taking care of the wounded crow...well, that shows the typical Obama supporters inability to do for themselves and a dependence on others to care for them.
Did I get it right that time miss Jones?..... Whadda you mean I gets a zero for seeing the ZERO between the lines in that story?
Was it "Heavy Traffic" or "Fritz the Cat" that had obamas kin folk represented as crows?
Speaking of cats, who did the cat represent in your interpretation of the tale? Sarah Palin perhaps?
Was it "Heavy Traffic" or "Fritz the Cat" that had obamas kin folk represented as crows?
What is 'Fritz the cat' ? For $800 Alex...
If I recall, one of Fritz' lives happened after New Jersey became a separate nation called New Africa, and was entirely populated by crows. That entire scene was a typical 70's "Blacksploitation" film, and as such was a racist as racist can be - not the way the primitives toss the word around...
Snoutport Donating Member (1000+ posts) Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Sun Jul-17-11 04:32 PM
Response to Original message
38. Update: I haven't seen her this morning.
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.
What is 'Fritz the cat' ? For $800 Alex...
If I recall, one of Fritz' lives happened after New Jersey became a separate nation called New Africa, and was entirely populated by crows. That entire scene was a typical 70's "Blacksploitation" film, and as such was a racist as racist can be - not the way the primitives toss the word around...
I do believe that there is one of them stories my highschool English teacher done told me 'bout. One of them stories where you have to read between the lines. The black crow flopping around on the ground is Obama representing his inexperience and failings as a president. The black crows around him on the ground are his affirmative action cabinet and czars doing nothing but strutting and trying to look busy and smart at the same time. The black crows in the air, in the trees and on the powerlines that were shrieking and cawing loudly are the Obama voters making excuses for his failure. ....and the DUmmie taking care of the wounded crow...well, that shows the typical Obama supporters inability to do for themselves and a dependence on others to care for them.
Did I get it right that time miss Jones?..... Whadda you mean I gets a zero for seeing the ZERO between the lines in that story?
Yep they flew in with their little crow stretcher and flew her out.
Oh my God, that's what I get for skimming a story. I completely missed that. "Picked her up and flew her home?" :lmao: :rotf: :rofl:
Anthropomorphizing animals is about as babyish as you can get.
Keep in mind that snoutpout, or whatever he calls himself, is a educator.I'd like to hear his reaction if he ever watched his crows discover a nest of baby rabbits.
I'd like to hear his reaction if he ever watched his crows discover a nest of baby rabbits.
Snoutport Donating Member (1000+ posts) Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Sun Jul-17-11 03:42 AM
I can't find any reference to that so it might be the 'Nine lives of Fritz the Cat". I've never seen that one.
Made in 74, that would put it in the era of pop culture creations such as "All in the Family".
I'd like to hear his reaction if he ever watched his crows discover a nest of baby rabbits.
Inconsolable, babbling, choking back salty wet tears. And that is just Sgt. Snuggle Bunny, Ptarmigan maybe not so much.
PS I thought Crows were why God invented the .410, or maybe the .22, but a 12 ga?
Well, unless you're DUmmy DUmoTex, you can't often hit a flying crow with a .22, even with high-explosive bullets.
The pellets in a .410 ga. shotgun hit every bit as hard as a 12 ga., but there are far fewer of them, so effective
range is drastically reduced by the thin patterns.
When I hunted crows, I used 1 1/4 oz. of #7 1/2 pellets. A .410 load would typically be a half-ounce. At typical ranges,
there are lots of crow-sized gaps in the .410 shot pattern.
Snoutport Donating Member (1000+ posts) Mon Jul-18-11 02:18 AMOh my!! Tell me more!
Response to Reply #43
78. Today the crows flew by for a quick caw and then darted off...only to be Updated at 8:42 PM
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.
Oh my!! Tell me more!
Snoutport Donating Member (1000+ posts) Mon Jul-18-11 02:18 AM
Response to Reply #43
78. Today the crows flew by for a quick caw and then darted off...only to be followed by a woodpecker.
I've been here 10 years and never had a woodpecker land on my roof
Snotspout is excited by the "pecker" part.
There was an injured pigeon on our patio about a month ago. His/her wing was injured, looked bloody. My cats were licking their lips at it. My daughter kept pointing at the bird and going crazy because she wanted to see it. So we went outside and gave the bird some bread. The next day, the bird was gone. I saved a life. Someone honor me.The bird was gone, and the cats were well fed.
There was an injured pigeon on our patio about a month ago. His/her wing was injured, looked bloody. My cats were licking their lips at it. My daughter kept pointing at the bird and going crazy because she wanted to see it. So we went outside and gave the bird some bread. The next day, the bird was gone. I saved a life. Someone honor me.
The bird was gone, and the cats were well fed.
Yes, I believe one of the feral cats got to the bird. Circle of life. No big deal. It's not like we don't have 50 million pigeons over here.
Friend of mine has a 25-06 that he refers to as a "crow popper".
He runs a sheep farm and hates the black feathered bastard things.
Two things here . . .If the killing the crow is your only objective, you can wait until it's 25 yd. away and kill it with a .22 short, or 10 yd. away and kill it with
1) A .25-06 for crows???? Wow! Talk about overkill! But, his characterization is dead on.
If the killing the crow is your only objective, you can wait until it's 25 yd. away and kill it with a .22 short, or 10 yd. away and kill it with
a pellet gun. If you're a gun nut varmint hunter, killing the critter is just a by-product. The real objective is hitting a very small target at very
great and unpredictable range. You can't do that unless you start with huge muzzle velocity.
Miskie, :lmao: :rotf:
haha--you have a moonbat for a cat.