The little crows continue to be elusive and just darn hard to see. I can hear a couple of them but no true sightings yet.
Went to check on the two trees that I know have babies in them. On my way there I watched another nest under construction. Spotted the usual crow with sticks diving into the thick part of an evergreen tree. That dense growth is what makes it so hard to see them. Most nests are built in a thicket type area that you just can’t penetrate with even a high power zoom lens.
While I was searching the tree for the actual nest along came a gentlemen who I frequently see walking our neighborhood. My husband has nicknamed him “Walking Man”. I told him about the crow’s nest building endeavor. He proceeded to tell me how smart crows are and how he has observed them in the area for years. Ahhh another Crow Aficionado.
Proceeded to the two trees that two weeks ago I had heard baby crow crys. Sure enough the first one had the mama mama baby crow sounds echoing down the alley. No sighting of him or his parents this time. Was hoping to see the banded crow again so I could get a good photo but that wasn’t to be.
Next I wandered down to the tree on Roxbury but first went by a house on California Ave with the nicest treehouse I have ever seen. It is a mini of the modern house it sits in front of. I needed this photo for my blog on “Shelter”. That is the Sunday Post topic this week and I was collecting the local old and new backyard tree structures. So, I approached the Roxbury tree from a different direction than last time. The street is a bit steep here and I saw a BMW coming. I don’t trust anyone even on a residential street so I stepped over to the side. The lady waved me on because she was actually backing into her garage right next to my baby crow tree.
I walked up to where I got a shot of the nest two weeks ago and did a quick look. No sounds or crow activity to be seen. The lady in the BMW by this time had gotten out and was walking to her mail box. Perfect… I could ask her about the baby crow. What she told me was the opposite of “Walking Man”. NO she had not heard anything, nor did she care, nor did she like crows, nor did she even know there was a nest in the tree between her house and the neighbor. She told me they are noisy birds and she just didn’t like them. Of course, I told her how they are so smart and family orientated. She didn’t care. Funny thing, not more than a block away, I heard a rooster crowing. He was far louder than the crows in the area. Wonder what “Ms BMW” thinks of that?
Moral of the story, not everyone is a crow fan. But more important, baby crows are out there but still to be seen. Can’t wait to set my eyes on those little blue eyed black babies.
Crows of Arroyos 
People who don’t like crows are “ignorant”. There are so many fear stories out there. Crows have been a symbol of the shadows, the night, etc., etc… I think people who don’t like crows, have that fear/ignorance running in their veins.
Freeing oneself from that mental block is LIBERATING. I do admire you for getting the word out about crows! I’m not sure how I would react to the lady in the BMW. I get pretty impatient with ignorance.
I wanted to ask you – awhile ago you suggested that I leave peanuts for the crows in this area. Should it be “shelled” peanuts, or “naked” peanuts? 🙂
Thanks for existing/being there! Keep up the good work!
oh what a sweet thing to say… thanx for existing I will have to shamelessly copy that phrase. And yes back at you!!
on the peanuts. We buy them in the same section as bird seed where they have squirrel or other animal feed. they are shelled, unsalted and made for non-human consumtion. recently we found a hardware store that carries an even bigger bag which saved money. Thats the peanut scoop. 🙂 or a scoop of peanuts.
Okay, I know a store which probably sells those. Thanks!
what a beautiful blog post. no, not everyone likes crows. lots of people don’t. in fact most people i know are prejudiced against crows. including my mother. “bloody crows” she’d say, throwing something at them to chase them away. when she did that in my garden, i’d have to tell her to leave the crows alone.
they are messengers. the aboriginal people of australia believe they are spiritual messengers.
to the Nyoongar people of Western Australia, they are the voice of the ancestors, and they protect the people.
but europeans who have come to live in australia, like bmw lady, see it differently. they don’t like them because, oh those crows, well… apparently they chew cockroaches and spit them out on the west australian equivalent of bmw lady!
while I’m sure it wouldn’t be pleasant having chewed up cockroaches showered down upon you ( though one must wonder if that is just an urban myth, really) – you gotta ask, if they protect the local aboriginal people, who respected them and looked after Country ….. maybe the Crows are trying to tell something to BMW lady and Chewed Cockroach lady. maybe the crows are saying, respect all that is, respect all life and good things will come to you.
but if you don’t… watch out for chewed cockroaches coming your way!!! i mean you gotta see the humour in that!
here’s the link to the article i was reading that contains the above info:
http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/aboriginal-elder-warns-dont-stone-the-crows-20090106-77ad.html
Wow I am sure bmw lady pissed them off. Chewed cockroachs. Too funny actually. Seriously though ravens / crows are revered here in the northwest us by the local indians. They are part of creation in several stories. Thanx for visiting my site. R