Crows are one of a few birds that are often looked down upon. Actually they are among the smartest of the birds, and at least for me, the hardest to get a good photo of. ( photo / image / picture from Calomaar's Garden ) "I'm just waiting here for the Mrs. to finish washing the sliding door, then the fun begins." ( photo / image / picture from Calomaar's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from Calomaar's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from Calomaar's Garden )
Growing up on a farm the crow was always an enemy for my father (we grew potatoes and they like to get at them). But I never had the same contempt. I remember finding one with a broken wing and nursing it back to health in our garage. Great photos as always Tom.
The crows around here can be a pest but I've noticed something they're rather good at. They can get rid of leatherjackets in the lawn with those big, sharp beaks and it helps to keep the grass aerated too. :-D So all in all crows can be good for your garden even if they can be a tad destructive in other ways.
I like the crows, generally speaking, but I do not like big flocks of them, and much prefer the magpie to the crow because of the smaller size. That said, I can't imagine my garden without both species.
I call them Darth Vader birds because they look so fierce looking at me from the trees! I don't mind them. When my cat Austin gets out, they let me know right where to find him -- they squawk and chatter so much -- so they are helpful in that way. I used to have a neighbor who would walk around with his pet crow sitting on his head... Eileen, what is a leatherjacket?
We recently moved to a rural area and I've never seen so many crows. They're all pretty big, too. I love them.
Great shots. I enjoy the antics of the crows. We used to have a pair of crows that nested in a neighboring old fir tree. I think the raccoons drove them away. In the fall all the relatives would gather before they migrated. They were sure noisy as they planned their trip and visited. We still have them around but it is different without the nesting pair.
Your photos are just wonderful as always Tom.They come by thousands in Texas.The sounds they make to me are very pretty.I do not mind them but my dad did.They dig up the corn and other seeds that he planted and he usually use bird shot in his shotgun.
Great pics! I haven't seen the crows down here in the south yet, but up in Lofoten the crows are huge and look different. Only the Ravens are all black, the crows are dark grey body with black wings and tails. Some crows are as big as the ravens. I love both birds, and used to sit and watch them hunt or fly over head into the mountains to their nests. Everytime i would see the ravens i would think of Hugin and Munin and say hello and wave to them.
We have a lot of seagulls in fields that eat seeds. When we moved south from Lake Ontario I wasn't expecting there to be any, but as soon as the weather started to turn, they showed up in fields. After Biita's post, I'm wondering if we have ravens and crows. Some birds do have a bit of grey, but others are all black except they shine purple. Both colored birds are the same size, so that makes it kind of hard for me to tell.
I have great-tailed Grackles up here in north Texas, by the thousands. No relation to the crow even tho some refer to it as a crow. They are bossy, noisy but I really like them. There is on in the backyard I talk to often, he is always fussing at me so I might as well talk back.
I too talk to the crows, they are quite spooky, and fly off for the least reason. But some times they will stay and act like they enjoy the conversation. The Gulls appear here when the weather starts to get cold. When it is too cold for them on Lake Superior, just north of us the gulls move south to our area. Thanks for your comments. Tom
