The large flocks of crows that have been so successfully
wintering in this northern region, especially with the open
ground until several weeks ago, are now being hard pressed to
locate food. It was not too unexpected that they recently found
our daily handouts of cracked corn and black oil sunflower seeds.
In case we are busy indoors and are away from the windows for
an hour or so, or are gone from home for a short while, as many
as 50 of these big strong birds will have descended upon our
feeding areas and "licked their platters slick and
clean."
My next project will be to construct some large-mesh wire
cages to fit over our two platform feeders that will limit access
to only those birds smaller than jays and doves, and naturally
this will prevent the crows from feeding there too. Whatever
they and the jays and doves get to eat will have to be that which
was scattered or fallen upon the ground.
Who doesn’t know a crow? Even people who claim absolutely no
interest in birds know a crow and a seagull, clearly as black and
white. In fact the crow, one variety or another, may be the
world’s most familiar bird. About 30 species inhabit every piece
of land with the exception of Antarctica, New Zealand, several
oceanic islands, and the southern portion of South America.
Depending on where you live in the world you will soon get to
know either the American, carrion, house, jungle, black, fish,
hooded, or other crows. All will exhibit the uncanny ability to
coexist with people in spite of their relentless fight against
them that includes bombing, trapping, shooting and poisoning.
Study these omnivorous birds with the cast iron stomachs long
enough and you will be quite amazed at the wide range of food
they consume including many extremely injurious insects. The old
U.S. biological Survey identified around 650 different items of
food in their diet.
Henry Ward Beecher, famous U.S. clergyman of the 1800’s, made
the statement to the effect that if man could be feathered and
provided with wings, very few would be clever enough to be crows!
Anyone who has had a pet crow, downright mischievous in many
ways, surely will agree to this claim.
In spite of their being so widespread, crows tend to
invariably be near the activities of people. Agricultural
clearings for crops, as well as woodlots and tree plantings, have
helped the total crow population reach its greatest numbers in
history. Such has also been true of red-winged blackbirds,
grackles and perhaps even the crow’s cousin, the blue jay. They
all are very compatible with mankind.
One of our very best friends and correspondents,
93-year-"young" Ann, from Lincolnwood, Illinois, writes
with great sorrow in her heart at the complete disappearance of
her crow-friends from her area. Ann is a very early riser and
has always welcomed their pre-dawn songs and visits to her home
for food. Apparently the dreaded West Nile Virus has had
extremely adverse effects on their population in recent months.
It is thought that the cause of the 80 percent recent drop in
crows in a five-county region in Illinois was brought upon by the
West Nile Virus. Whether these highly intelligent creatures will
return to re-populate that area in future years is difficult to
predict at this time, but the experts believe that they will.
The crows’ arch-enemy, aside from people, is the owl.
Literature states that night roosting crows sometimes fall victim
to several species of owls, especially the great-horned owl.
Slow-moving baby crows would obviously be easy prey for owls too.
Little wonder that the large daily flocks of crows have been so
consistently mobbing the great-horned owls in recent weeks that
are nesting in the woods east of our home.
What amazed me today, when trying to photograph from indoors
the crows feasting on the cracked corn on the ground in our front
yard, was how quickly they saw my stealthy movements, and off
they flew – momentarily. It was simply a matter of waiting them
out because soon they were back for more precious, hard-to-find
food.
The question arises, "How can one differentiate a raven
from a crow?" A raven’s five inches of extra length do not
make its identification that much easier, especially from a
distance. However, look closely at its tail while the bird is in
flight. The crow’s tail is only slightly rounded while that of
the raven is wedge-shaped, coming to somewhat of a broad point.
It has also been said with tongue in cheek that a raven has
one more pinion in its primary flight feathers than does a crow,
and that telling them apart is simply a matter of opinion! No
doubt a crow’s response to that would be "CAAAW-ful!"
In spite of the crow’s unpopularity with gardeners and farmers
you simply have to admire this controversial but intelligent,
durable and fascinating bird.
Crows are far more important in our world than most people like to think.
This column appeared in the Door County Advocate
on 02/14/2003.
© Copyright 2003 Roy Lukes. All rights reserved.
