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in defense of crows



>By the way, what is here a "sign of spring". In central Europe (Poland) it is
>usually Skylark and Lapwing. Don't tell me that is Fishcrow! I would expect
>some more... handsome species.

Mike -

As an acknowledged fan of corvids of any hue, let me suggest that what they
may lack in visual excitement, they more than make up for with intricacies
of behavior.  I've often said that if crows had opposable thumbs, we'd be in
for a lot of mischief.  They make enough trouble for Red-tailed Hawks and
Great Horned Owls without thumbs.  For several months, I got a chuckle out
of several (usually three or four) American Crows who perched on an overpass
sign over the interstate I take into work and watched traffic on a daily
basis.  I could see their heads moving back and forth as cars passed.
Occasionally they cawed at each other and then went back to watching
traffic.  I thought it humorous that the birds were watching people.
American and Fish Crows are two of the very few species who can be observed
observing people when the people are not a direct threat to the birds.  They
may be "just crows" but careful observation might yield an example of the
sometimes complex, sometimes adaptive, sometimes mystifying behavior of crows.  

So, yes, the "uh-huh" of the Fish Crow is one of the first signs of spring.
The parade of color comes later.

  

Donna Slyce Bailey
Winnsboro, SC

e-mail: dsbailey@conterra.com

URL: http://www.conterra.com/dsbailey
     "Where are the Birds?  Migration across South Carolina"