When I was in 5th grade, I was walking alone to the bus stop. I lived in a lovely neighborhood in Southern California. And on this particular crisp winter’s day, the sun was shining, and the birds were chirping… well, all of them except for one bird; a big black crow that was following me as I walked. This bird would perch itself on the street lamps, and stare at me, and when I got too far away, it would fly to the next street light and watch me, and this went on for several blocks, at least.
So, I decided to have a chit-chat with the bird, ” Hi Birdie,” I said, in my young, squeaky-high voice, and I’d wave and smile, thinking I had found a new friend. I could literally feel this bird staring at me so intently, that it was burning a hole through my soul. So, as I was having this happy little “Disney” chat with the crow, it kept following me, and just when I was ready to break out into a cheery little fairytale song, everything changed.
The bird began swooping down at me. I was terrified, and I began running and waving my hands in the air, but that only made the dive-bombing increase. And as the bird was swooshing down near my head, I could hear its squawk so loudly in my ear, like it was screaming at me. I turned around and started running back home. Screw the bus stop. I needed my mom. And just when I turned around and began charging back towards home, the bird swooped down, and this time, it didn’t fly away. Now that big bugger was sitting in the hood of my winter jacket, pecking at my head.
Yes, pecking at my head…
I was screaming bloody murder. Up until that point, I had never felt so much fear in my young life. I successfully brushed the bird off for a couple of minutes and thought I had escaped, but I was wrong. The crow was back again, this time, it sank its claws into my head, and I could feel its little feet wrapped up in my hair, as I ran screaming through the neighborhood.
Can you imagine that sight? A little girl, screaming and crying, with a squawking bird sitting on top of her head? Probably not my finest moment.
I ran up the lawn, and to the front door. I was breathing so heavily, and screaming so loudly, I had woken up my mother, who was now standing, frantic at the front door in her nightgown.
The bird was long gone by the time my mom showed up, but I told her what happened. She couldn’t believe the story, but then she looked at my head and saw the mess of tangled hair and the bits of blood on my scalp.
It was like something out of a horror movie: The Birds Part 2. Hitchcock wishes he had the rights to tell that story.
This was the beginning of my fear of birds in general, and my nightmarish fear of crows, which has lasted for most of my life.
But all of that changed when I started researching and learning about crows, trying to figure out why that attack may have happened to me. And, while I didn’t find an “answer” per se, it was a wonderful journey into discovering what magnificent and intelligent animals they are. So, I thought I’d take a break from politics and share some really cool stuff that I have learned about crows with you.
They really are one of the most intelligent animals on the planet. They’re very logical, and they feel emotions. I read this one amazing story, about this woman who saw a crow in her garden, so the next day she went out and got some seeds and dried fruits, and left them on a dish for the crow. The crow, leery at first, eventually came around and was eating all the goodies she put out every day.
And then, a while later, the woman started noticing something strange happening in her yard. Every day, small random objects would end up in one area of her garden; doll clothes, keys, straws, you name it — just a hodgepodge of bizarre little trinkets, and she didn’t know what to make of it.
Then one day, she was sitting inside her house, looking out at the garden, and she saw the crow fly up to get his daily meal of seeds and dried fruit, and in his mouth, was a little kid’s sock. She watched, bewildered, as the crow landed, and very carefully placed the sock in the special area of the garden and then went and ate his food.
And that’s when it hit her. The crow was bringing her “gifts.”
Amazing, right?
I loved that story so much, and that’s when I started thinking very differently about crows. So, when I am online, I always look for interesting articles, or videos on crows, and I found a good one today that I wanted to share with you. It talks about how crows are so intelligent, that they actually have the problem-solving skill level of a 7-year-old human.
Watch:
@the_world_naturelife crows #crow #fypシ #fyp #outdoors #foryoupage #theworldnaturelife ♬ Love You So – The King Khan & BBQ Show
They truly are magical birds.
If you’d like to try attracting crows to your yard, here are some tips:
If you want to know how to attract crows to your yard, the first thing you need to do is to offer them food. Try having some roasted peanuts in the shells and leave a small pile in railings or open spaces, free from dogs, cats, or the typical crow predators.
They are generally omnivorous; therefore, they will be showing a specific preference for crackers, nuts including almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts, hard-boiled eggs, and some meat. Crows would also love to feed on insects, berries, cat food, baby cereal, insects, and more.
Consistent Feeding Schedule
Providing a steady supply of quality food they like is only the first step. However, if you seriously want to know how to attract crows to your yard, having a feeding routine in place is also crucial.Consequently, if you want to master attracting crows, it is best only to put an adequate amount of food at feeders to keep them coming back for more.
Knowing how to attract crows to your yard includes essentially developing a rhythm for your interaction with them. The best way to do that is by having a regular feeding schedule.
I can’t imagine any birds who could resist an environment that replicates their natural habitat. It would mean re-creating the surroundings by adding plants, feeders, and birdbaths. Utilize your knowledge of a crow’s behavior and how it adapts to its environment to attract them better.
These crows will surely value the availability of nesting sites for hanging out in places they visit.
Having a birdbath in place can also work as an artificial breeding spot for these crows. You can strategically place a birdbath around your yard. Besides being a roosting area, this birdbath can even act as a sink for dipping and washing its prey before swallowing it down.
And if you really want a deep dive on the magic of crows, here’s a much longer documentary that you will enjoy:
I really hope you enjoyed this little side trip into the world of the crow, and I hope this inspires you to get to know more about this fascinating, super-intelligent bird.
This post originally appeared on WayneDupree.com.
