Watching a Crow Decide Whether to Stay or Fly Away

I Found the Crow First on a Power Line

I'm trying to get back to walking again to get stronger, so after I got attached to my Holter monitor this morning I walked all over Posada Lane and behind MedWorks to a drainage ditch. I took almost 300 photos, some of which you will see in future posts. But today I will show you the crow I followed. I first saw it when I had walked over to Las Tablas Road toward the hospital to get a shot of where they are rebuilding a medical complex that burned down a year or two ago. Then I heard some cawing and looked up.  That's when I saw it.

Crow on a Power Line. Will it Fly Away? © B. Radisavljevic

It appeared that the crow couldn't decide whether or not to fly to the tree. Eventually it made a decision and flew away. That was almost the end of the story. Until I walked back around the corner to Posada Lane.

My First Introduction to Crows

I've seen crows around all my life, but I first learned a bit about what they were like when I read Blacky the Crow by Thornton Burgess.  I highly recommend the Burgess animal stories for getting children acquainted with nature in a fun way.

I Find the Crow Again

I was almost back to where my car was parked when I stopped to take this photo. I had never noticed this tree before. The color resembled a sycamore at this time of year, but the leaves were wrong. A woman walked by, saw me with a camera, and asked me if I were taking a picture of the hawk. I told her I was taking a picture of the tree and was trying to figure out what it was. She said, "It's an oak." I knew the leaves were the right shape, but I'd never seen oak leaves so big. 

Red Oak, © B. Radisavljevic

This is my go-to book when trying to identify my local trees in San Luis Obispo County. It's written by a professor at Cal Poly.


There are some cheaper copies at eBay if you prefer that to Amazon.

As I found out later, she was right about the tree, but wrong about the "hawk." It turned out to be my elusive crow, or its friend. There were two of them. This is the one that stayed in one place long enough for me to get a shot. 

Another crow began to circle and call and it flew to the next tree. Finally this bird decided to follow. 

Crow in Flight, © B. Radisavljevic

I think being among the birds and the trees had a healing effect today. How often do you take nature walks?

What is your favorite way to interact with nature?

*****

The Bird and the Berries

The Bird Sings among the Berries After the Rain 

I actually didn't see the bird while I was taking the picture. I was focused on the red berries on the fence beside the J. C. Penny parking lot. On the other side is the trail inside Larry Moore Park. I found the bird when I uploaded my photos. 

Bird on Tree Branch above Berries on Fence

Below you see the bigger picture. 

Bird on Tree Branch above Red Berries which Are Growing on Fence in Paso Robles

Have you ever discovered something special in a photo you didn't know was there until you uploaded it to your computer?

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Waiting for the Rain

The weatherman promised rain for Wednesday, and I waited all day for it  but it didn't come.  In the late afternoon I went out to look at the sky and it did seem to promise rain. But no rain  was falling yet. 

Then I began to hear a bird singing from a tree. It was a cheerful song, but it took a while to find the bird, which was hidden behind some high branches. Here it is, singing for us. Sorry it's hard to see. I seems it picked the best hiding place in the tree. 

 It took a few more hours for the rain to  start falling, but as I'm writing, it is beating a steady rhythm on my roof. I expect to sleep soundly tonight. 

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Bird in Tree Enjoying the Rain

Bird in Tree Enjoying the Rain, © B. Radisavljevic

As I was standing on a covered porch looking out at my backyard during a light rain, I noticed some birds frolicking on the ground. I ran for my camera, but by the time I came back, the birds were gone. I stood there for a few minutes with the camera aimed toward the ground before I saw a bird heading for this tall tree. I was delighted when it forsook the lower branches and moved to the very top where it was more visible. I loved seeing the bird in the tree enjoying the rain. I loved it even more when it remained there long enough for me to photograph it.

The tree itself is dormant. It's supposed to be an apricot tree, but it's never had a blossom in twenty years. It shades my roses in summer and probably robs them of nutrients and water. My mom planted it wanting apricots, and either she was wrong about the type of tree or there is no tree nearby to cross-pollinate it. She may have thought one was not needed. There are plenty of bees, so lack of pollinators is not the problem.

I have almost had this tree removed many times, but have not yet been able to afford the cost of having it done. Removing our pine tree, which was in front of it, was fairly expensive. I'd rather put a smaller tree here that does produce fruit. I'm glad, though, that the tree was here for my friend with feathers today.

Below is a bird whose photo I took in another tree during another gray winter day. This magnet can be customized with an inspirational text or left as is.

Small Bird in Bare Tree in Winter 2 Inch Square Magnet
Look at Birds Magnets online at Zazzle.com

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