Who Done It?

Scene of the crime is our company’s parking lot.   We arrived to work to find a dead crow.  I have my theory but will we ever really know what happened here?   It tis a crow murder mystery.  Here is what I do know.

Over the last couple of weeks we have watched from our second story office windows two crows build a nest in one of the pine trees that surround our parking lot.  Last year they or another couple built a nest a couple of trees over.   Sadly the babies didn’t make it to fledge.  Here are a couple of links to three of the blogs on them.  One of them is about an intruder’s death before they laid their eggs.  http://wp.me/p1d1cX-lq  http://wp.me/p1d1cX-nt  http://wp.me/p1d1cX-oR

My hopes are high that this second nest would be successful and it is exciting to watch them haul sticks, moss and other nesting material into the tree.  The nest had grown as the weeks passed.  They are ready when the weather and the time comes to get to raising a family.

Alas, this nest too might not produce baby crows to fledge.   Is the murdered crow one of the pair or is he a rogue crow? All day Friday I never saw the pair together.  One crow lingered on a tree top and several swooped over the building and parking lot.   A bit of crow mourning was occurring.   Certainly no nest building.  On Monday we shall see if they both return.  Then we will know if it was the defender or the attacker.

Here are a few photos of the lone watcher and a distant shot of the poor dead soul.

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I took a short video.  If you are faint of heart, I suggest you do not watch.