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?

*****

Celebrate Birds Every Day

How Will You Celebrate Bird Day?

I celebrate birds every day. Do you?

Here's why I celebrate birds.

1. They fill our world with song. 
2. They eat insect pests in our gardens. 
3. They are fun to watch in the wild and in our yards.
4. They give us eggs.
5. They hunt rodents that damage our gardens and crops.

Some Ways to Celebrate Bird Day

Do some birdwatching.

Take a walk and see how many different kinds of birds you can spot. Try to capture them on camera. Make a video of their songs. I personally use two cameras. Both give me half an hour of HD video if needed. My Canon PowerShot SX410 IS features a 40X optical zoom. That is very important when capturing birds that go high in trees. I also use an obsolete Nikon CoolPix that's smaller and will fit in a pocket. Fortunately for me, both cameras fit nicely in the shoulder case featured in the PowerShot bundle below. It's really handy to always have both cameras and extra batteries and SanDisks along, and they all fit in the bag with my ID and other small things I need.

If you aren't a photographer, you may want to take along binoculars. A good pocket field guide is also nice to have along.

 Bushnell Falcon 133410 Binoculars with Case (Black, 7x35 mm) Nikon COOLPIX B700 20.2 MP 60x Optical Zoom Super Telephoto NIKKOR Digital 4K Wi-Fi Camera (Black) + 64GB SDXC Memory & Accessory Bundle Canon Powershot SX410 IS 20 MP Digital Camera with 40x Optical Zoom and 720p HD Video (Red) + NB-11L Battery & AC/DC Battery Charger + 9pc Bundle 32GB Accessory Kit W/ HeroFiber Cleaning Cloth Fvstar Kids Binoculars Pocket Size Compact 8 X 21 for Bird Watching Watching Wildlife or Scenery Lightweight Waterproof and Fogproof (Blue) The Bird Watching Answer Book: Everything You Need to Know to Enjoy Birds in Your Backyard and Beyond (Cornell Lab of Ornithology) Bird Watching Record: Bird Watching Log Bird Watching for Kids: Bite-sized Learning & Backyard Projects Sibley Backyard Birding Flashcards: 100 Common Birds of Eastern and Western North America

Do Something Creative with Your Bird Photos

Use an editor like Fotojet or PicMonkey to make a collage. Both have free versions. I use the premium versions of both because I think it's worth paying for the extra features they provide. 

I also like to make products at Zazzle for fun and profit. Here are some of the gift items I've made that feature birds. 

 Night Heron in Tree Jigsaw Puzzle Wall Decal: Bird on Bare Tree Limb Wall Sticker Water Birds Swimming at Morro Bay Large Mug Gull on Pier at San Simeon State Beach Jigsaw Puzzle

Put Up a Bird Feeder

I confess I haven't done this yet, but I want to. Many of my friends love watching the birds flock to their backyard feeders. Some even keep a special camera to watch them and play back the video later. If you don't have a bird feeder yet, the selection may overwhelm you. Here are a few of the most popular. 

 Perky-Pet 365 Antique Copper Lantern Feeder First Nature 3091 16-Ounce Hummingbird Flower Feeder Pennington Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder

Get a Bird Bath for Your Feathered Friends

Birds appreciate water. Sometimes when I've been working in the garden with the sprinkler on the birds fly through the water just as children run through sprinklers. Birds need water, and it's not always easy for them to get during a hot summer. I've wanted a bird bath for a long time, but so far I haven't found the right place for it. I do admire those my neighbors have when I walk by them. So do the birds.

 Smart Solar 34222RM1 Gray Weathered Stone Country Gardens 2-Tier Solar-On-Demand Fountain, Designed For Low Maintenance and Requires No Wiring or Operating Costs Smart Solar 20633R01 Acadia Solar Birdbath, Olive Green Finish With Relief Of Cat Tails And Frogs Playfully Climbing The Pedestal, Requires No Wiring or Operating Costs Birds Choice Rocky Mountain Ground Level Bird Bath with Dripper Tube

How Will You Celebrate Birds?

However you do it, get the whole family involved if you can. Whether you watch birds in the wild or in your backyard, enjoy them. Learn to recognize them by their looks and their calls and songs. Feed them if you are so inclined.

As you can probably tell my photos, I like to watch birds in and around the water. I see many other birds, but the waterfowl are the easiest for me to photograph because they aren't always moving. Even if they are moving, it's usually in the water or on the ground -- not flitting from branch to branch as you are trying to focus on them.

I hope I've given you some new ideas on cultivating the birds in your environment or reminding you of something you've wanted to do but not done yet. Maybe today is the right time.

****