Nothing to Crow About

Posted on September 9, 2015 under Storytelling with no comments yet

A crow seeking redemption

 

 

The wind is howling and rain is falling in buckets as I pull into the parking lot at the hospital for an early morning shift. A work crew of arborists is in the final stages of delimbing several beautiful, stately pine trees that guard the entrance to the hospital. Truthfully, until this very moment, I had never noticed them before. The branches of the trees looked perfectly healthy. A few hours later, I happen to be outside when the cleanup is winding down. I casually ask a member of the hospital’s maintenance crew, who supervised the work, the reason for the felling of the trees.

“Crows.”

It seems that many people are fascinated by birds and spend a lifetime watching and photographing them, cataloguing their every move and habit. Many species are noted for their brilliant plumage while others are held in awe for their spectacular feats of long distance travel. But in many small towns and cities, the humble crow has become something of a nuisance.

I must admit that I have never paid much attention to birds other than my quest to score at least 1 under par over the years! Our family had a budgie which was all the rage back in the 60’s. We all had to take a turn cleaning the floor of the cage which had back issues of the newspaper to catch the droppings. It’s funny how these memories stay with us all our lives; like eating liver for the first time.

Back in 1974, on a road trip to California, I was on a tour of San Francisco Bay … a harbor cruise that included a circumnavigation of Alcatraz. It was a spectacular day and the boat was packed with tourists. I was enjoying the scenery when I noticed almost everyone on the boat moving from one side of the vessel to the other. I thought this rather odd. Actually, I wasn’t thinking at all as moments later I felt a splat of excrement as it nestled into my afro. High above, on the ships mast, sat a seagull that seemed to be laughing at me along with all the other passengers.

This past January, on a road trip with my son, I was at Fisherman’s Wharf and was dive bombed by an aggressive gull who was quite interested in the crab roll that I was consuming. Could this possibly have been an offspring of the bird who rained on my parade (literally!) some forty years ago?

According to people who know these things, crows are among the smartest birds in our hemisphere. Apparently, a crow’s brain is the size of a human thumb; huge relative to its body size. This puts their intelligence on a par with primates, allowing them to solve complex problems. I wonder if they can crunch the numbers to define a recession?!

It seems like the most pressing question about crows is this:   Why do they congregate in such large groups (known as “roosts”), keeping neighborhoods awake at nightfall?

One theory is that they gather in a favorable spot to protect themselves from predators, such as owls; the “wagon train” analogy. Another has to do with food and food sources. Apparently the crows communicate with each other about such weighty matters, so they get together before dark to compare notes. A third explanation is that they assemble around a reliable food source; the “bed and breakfast” concept. I guess this explains why hundreds of crows routinely hang out in the large trees adjacent to The Wheel Pizza and Sub Shop!

Crows are able to recognize human faces. They have long memories and tend to take things personally.  The story is told of an incident at a golf course in Dartmouth when a woman inadvertently struck and killed a crow with an errant drive. It was early in the round. A murder of crows followed her for the remainder of the game … and every day she golfed after that. She joined a new club: The Raven`s Roost.

Meanwhile back at the hospital, an animated discussion ensues about the crow problem. They have become regular denizens of this stand of trees and routinely pester hospital patients, staff and guests as they make their way from the parking lot to the entrance of the hospital. There are reports of unprovoked attacks, some of the boldest birds grabbing food from unsuspecting pedestrians. They also forage in garbage cans and routinely pillage the beds of half ton trucks looking for food and building material. They are known to perch on the roofs of vehicles as they sort through the garbage, scratching paint and occasionally leaving droppings.

We know that crows are very smart, recognize people, retain knowledge, recall events and are known to be somewhat vindictive.   One wonders what they will do now that their roost has been eliminated.

I notice that the trees haven’t been cut down to the ground. Apparently a local artist has some ideas on what to do with what’s left of the firs. Perhaps he will carve a parliament of owls from the stumps.

There’s a roost on the loose!