Crows Are My Breakfast "Buddies" :)

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PeteE
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Crows Are My Breakfast "Buddies" :)

Post by PeteE »

Here is a snapshot through my blinds and a 2 minute video of my crow friends as they come for breakfast this morning....and every morning now.
This is the most crows I have seen waiting in a long time :) The snow last night must have made them hungry,
They were pretty noisy for some reason, A real "raucous caucus" 8)
The crows will usually be gone within a half hour...off to feed elsewhere during the morning. They spend a lot of time "cleaning up" the food scraps people toss on the sidewalks and streets in downtown Whitefish. Crows and other scavengers like their magpie cousins perform a valuable public service in cleaning up edible waste.


pete :wink:

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"If you are not curious, you will learn nothing" -Goethe-

"When you're born in this world, you're given a ticket to the freak show.
And when you're born in America, you're given a front row seat."

George Carlin
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Re: Crows Are My Breakfast "Buddies" :)

Post by PeteE »

Here they were this morning January 6th eating in the front parking lot at work.I was inside taking a break eating a donut :wink:
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This one was watching me clean snow up in the back. Sometimes I put out food in the back lot---and they know that. 8)
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pete :wink:
"If you are not curious, you will learn nothing" -Goethe-

"When you're born in this world, you're given a ticket to the freak show.
And when you're born in America, you're given a front row seat."

George Carlin
Jen

Re: Crows Are My Breakfast "Buddies" :)

Post by Jen »

Thought you might enjoy this, Pete. :)

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31604026
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Re: Crows Are My Breakfast "Buddies" :)

Post by PeteE »

Jen wrote:Thought you might enjoy this, Pete. :)

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31604026
Thanks Jen!!
That story is without doubt, the BEST story of its kind that I have seen. :arrow:
I had seen stories of crow "gifts" before, including one by Dr Marzluff, but nothing like this story.
I haven't gotten a gift yet :(
Dr John Marzluff, who is mentioned in the article and teaches at UW in Seattle, has some really good videos on YouTube about crows and ravens.
He is both very knowledgeable and entertaining talking about crows and ravens.
Anyone interested in crows, ravens, and the corvids in general should Google up his videos.
I have two of his books as well. Excellent reading.

Crows and ravens are utterly fascinating animals.
Extremely smart since they are long lived(up to 20 years or more), very family oriented, and they have very complex "crow societies".
I feed them every morning here at my apartment, and frequently at my first work stop.
I know they recognize me, and my truck. Some mornings at work I can see them come flying in from a 1/4 mile or more as i pull in the lot.

I could go on for hours. Maybe I'll make my own video about crows :)

Thanks again!

pete

PS

I've had ravens come to my place and work a few times, but they are far outnumbered by the "mean old crows".
I would like to have a friend like this one day when I'm really old.
This old boy is funny.
"If you are not curious, you will learn nothing" -Goethe-

"When you're born in this world, you're given a ticket to the freak show.
And when you're born in America, you're given a front row seat."

George Carlin
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Re: Crows Are My Breakfast "Buddies" :)

Post by PeteE »

Here they are this morning at about 0720 waiting on me to feed them. They show up at about 15-30mins after daylight.

Image

I was trying to get a pic of me watching them when they're close under the window. They didn't like it though when I raised the cam to do this selfie 8)
These birds are extremely aware of objects that are "pointed" at them.


Image

pete :wink:
"If you are not curious, you will learn nothing" -Goethe-

"When you're born in this world, you're given a ticket to the freak show.
And when you're born in America, you're given a front row seat."

George Carlin
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Re: Crows Are My Breakfast "Buddies" :)

Post by teapot57 »

What an awesome story, Jen. I never would have thought it possible that a bird would help return an item to someone who lost it, or leave presents for a little girl. Pete, you have given me, and others I'm sure, a whole new appreciation for crows and other corvids.
Jen

Re: Crows Are My Breakfast "Buddies" :)

Post by Jen »

Pete: Didn't Bonnie or Clyde bring you some deer fur once?
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Re: Crows Are My Breakfast "Buddies" :)

Post by PeteE »

Jen wrote:Pete: Didn't Bonnie or Clyde bring you some deer fur once?
Yes!
Thanks for that reminder :) My memory is getting "wuss and wuss"........ as my ex inlaws used to say 8)
April 2014
They flew up in a tree over me as I parked. And maybe that was a gift and I just didn't pick up on it. :(
Then a bit later Bonnie gathers all the hair up very meticulously, getting it all....and caches it. It was cool getting that behavior on video.

Then at the 10:00 mark you can see "begging" behavior by Bonnie. Allogrooming by Clyde as he pets her a few strokes after feeding her a bite.
Allogrooming is rare except for higher order animals--primates, cetaceans, canines, corvids, some parrot and macaw species.



later
pete :wink:
"If you are not curious, you will learn nothing" -Goethe-

"When you're born in this world, you're given a ticket to the freak show.
And when you're born in America, you're given a front row seat."

George Carlin
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Re: Crows Are My Breakfast "Buddies" :)

Post by PeteE »

teapot57 wrote:What an awesome story, Jen. I never would have thought it possible that a bird would help return an item to someone who lost it, or leave presents for a little girl. Pete, you have given me, and others I'm sure, a whole new appreciation for crows and other corvids.
Crows, ravens, jays...they're all fun to watch.
I've been watching them since I was a child.
My Mom used to put out cut up stale bread and old peanut culls we got from a neighbor.
The five of us ate breakfast as a family (Imagine that?) almost every morning on a screen porch.
A giant oak tree shaded the entire back of the house including that porch. We could watch the birds and squirrels coming and going close up.
Back in the "old normal" of the 1950's. 8)
The blue jays would watch the squirrels bury a nut, And then go dig it up when the squirrel left,,,even though there were dozens of nuts laying in plain sight 8)
it's this mischievous sort of behavior that got me hooked on corvids early on.

thanks for listening...
pete :wink:
"If you are not curious, you will learn nothing" -Goethe-

"When you're born in this world, you're given a ticket to the freak show.
And when you're born in America, you're given a front row seat."

George Carlin
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Re: Crows Are My Breakfast "Buddies" :)

Post by PeteE »

A while back Jen posted a link about the story of the 9 year old Seattle girl who had received all these "gifts" from the crows she fed in her garden.

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31604026

I had known about "crow gifts" from my reading of Prof. John Marzluff's works. Prof. Marzluff was mentioned in the link as an expert in corvid behavior.
He also lives in Seattle where the little girl lives.
I have links below to that story and Prof Marzluff who is a very knowledgable and entertaining guy. I recommend his books and YouTube videos very highly if you're interested in ravens, crows, jays, and corvids in general. Good stuff.

Well don't you know that yesterday, Saturday, I stopped at the Whitefish joint to get some coffee before heading to Kalispell to do a quick job.
"Lori", the Whitefish runner, sometimes feeds the crows on days I don't work. I always feed them in the same patch of grass out front where I can watch.

Lori told me that shortly after opening at 8AM she heard the crows making a big racket outside. And so she got a pailful of kibbles and peanuts and went out to feed them in the usual spot of grass that is maybe 15x15feet, if that.

She was about to toss a hand full of food out when she looked down and spotted the ring pictured below :shock:
You see Lori's husband lost his wedding band this past winter in all the snow in the parking lot just feet behind where the crows are fed. Lori thought at first it was hub's wedding band. She then noticed it was not his gold wedding band but a silver? band of some kind as you can see.

That band was not there when I fed the crows Friday morning. I'd bet my life on it. I'm sure I would have noticed it going by where she said it was.
This is a 1 minute video I made . I asked Lori to show me exactly where she found it.


I told Lori I was jealous because she got a "gift" and not I 8)

Notice the peanut shells all around. :)
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This is a BBC version of the little girl in Seattle. Wonderful story!!!!
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31604026

This is a good link on crows. Crows are incredibly "interesting" animals.
Aggravating as hell at times, but their good far outweighs any bad.
http://thewildlife.wbur.org/2015/03/12/ ... ing-crows/

And these are really terrific stories about crows.
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31795681
"If you are not curious, you will learn nothing" -Goethe-

"When you're born in this world, you're given a ticket to the freak show.
And when you're born in America, you're given a front row seat."

George Carlin
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Re: Crows Are My Breakfast "Buddies" :)

Post by MarxMN »

So now you have to figure our where the ring came from - where did the crows find it?

It must be a "Thanks for the food."
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Re: Crows Are My Breakfast "Buddies" :)

Post by PeteE »

First snow of the season here in Whitefish :)
And my crow friends are here for breakfast.


pete :wink:

Image
"If you are not curious, you will learn nothing" -Goethe-

"When you're born in this world, you're given a ticket to the freak show.
And when you're born in America, you're given a front row seat."

George Carlin
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