Never lie to crows

[pjthompson]

Yesterday I went out to my car to run the engine so the battery didn't die. I usually try to get out and drive around to accomplish this, but I have not had the (mostly mental) energy for it recently. However, it was getting on towards two weeks since I’d driven anywhere and I have a sorry history of killing batteries so sitting in the car reading a book while running the engine was the best alternative.

But as I opened the car door one of the neighborhood murder of crows that I feed landed on the garage roof about six feet from me and gave me The Look. "Where is my snack?"

I told him, "I'm sorry. I don't have anything for you right now. Maybe later." He looked deep into my eyes, bobbed his head as if nodding, and flew away.

So after I'd finished with the car, I went inside and got a snack and threw it out front for him and his crew of crows. (It's not a good idea to lie to crows.) I didn't hear him or his fellows. Sometimes they are quite raucous when snacks are around, sometimes silent and efficient consumers.

But when I looked out a little while later the snacks had magically disappeared.

Comments

[sartorias]

Heh!

[pjthompson]

:-)

[queenoftheskies]

How awesome! You are lucky to have such friends.

[pjthompson]

I am. They will continue to be my friends as long as I feed them. 😂

[rimturse]

Very nice.The crows here keep their distance.

[pjthompson]

Like I said, as long as I keep feeding them they'll be my friends. :-)

[wayfaringwordhack]

<3

[pjthompson]

❤️

[whythehellnot]

We also feed the crows. When I can get out to a store (COVID woes!) I stock up on the very cheapest CATFOOD. They love and can easily take the small crisp nuggets and it is more acceptable for birds (high corn content) like crows than it is for any carnivore like a cat. The local peacocks like it too as the protein content is good for their colorful tail production!

[pjthompson]

When I still had a cat they got all the leftover cat food, wet and dry. They also got all the day old mealworms when my starling was still alive. (She was a very spoiled and particular starling so she wanted fresh every day.)

Alas, those halcyon days are over but they still get table scraps and the cheapest wheat bread I can get and I also throw wild bird mix out for the littler birds and the occasional batch of peanuts. The crows grab up the peanuts first thing, but occasionally a squirrel will get some.

I hope to get another cat(s) one of these days, so their diet may improve in future.

[whythehellnot]

WE do put out table scraps, but those are more rare as I practice cooking to produce less waste. We feed small birds up close to the house, under the eaves where the hawks cannot get at them as they feed. And the hummingbirds - both Anna's and Rufous.

During the long confinement, seeing the birds and squirrels, the occasional bunny, and earlier - a whole litter of little possums - has been very rewarding.

[pjthompson]

I used to have a bird feeder under the eaves close to the garage but because I live about 1/2 mile from a wetlands, I got so many hawks, and they were bold enough to strike at the little birds while they were at the feeder. So I started throwing the feed on the ground near a big bush that the little ones like to hide in. I almost never see hawks anymore.

And yes, the critter presence made the lockdown more bearable. Sadly, possums and rabbits are no more though we used to get a lot. Coyotes have invaded the neighborhood. The squirrels are not as vulnerable to the coyotes.

[whythehellnot]

We also have an arbor over the side of the house where the feeder is - I think it makes it a bit too "iffy" for the hawks.

Coyotes are in nearby neighborhoods, tho' thus far they seem to prefer isolated houses around the periphery. We still don't let cats outdoors, nor even dogs alone at night.