This is what it looks (and feels) like when you’re standing under 10,000+ crows, coming home to roost. I shot the video well after dusk, so I had to crank exposure up in iMovie, causing pixel issues. Still … you’ll get the idea. This occurs every dusk in Bothell, Washington, when crows from Seattle, Snohomish…
An American Crow in Seattle
Maybe this photo resolves the American Crow/Northwestern Crow conundrum, once and for all: I suspect that any Pledge of Allegiance here is to Corvid Nation. Check out my post Crows on Cairns for a short discussion about what really constitutes “American” or “Northwestern” when it comes to corvids. Photographed at the Ballard Locks with the…
Crows on Cairns
A group of young American Crows or Northwestern Crows (or American-Northwestern hybrid crows) foraged around these cairns along Seattle’s waterfront … like sentries in their own Norman towers. Click for Larger Image I don’t know if I’m looking at American or Northwestern Crows when I photograph these corvids in Seattle. The distinction for me —…
The Crow Patrol
Our apartment sits above Interbay in Seattle — what used to be a thriving salt marsh and tidal flat, replete with shellfish, marine life and waterfowl. It was a foraging ground for Native Americans of the Shilshole tribe, who made their home in present-day Ballard, just north of Interbay. At the turn of the century,…
The Caching Benefits of Jays
Disclaimer: As you can see, this Steller’s Jay is grappling with a few almonds, all of which were left out for the jays who are probably nesting nearby. In other words, this particular food was not foraged from local tree sources. At this point, the jay had four or five almonds stuffed into its expanding…
The Benefits of Anthropomorphism
If you work with or care about animals, the nonhuman ones, eventually, someone will say something like, “shouldn’t you care more about what happens to people?” That question doesn’t faze me anymore. Given our predominantly anthropocentric world view, I’d actually be surprised if people didn’t ask it. I have plenty of answers for why it’s…
Crow in Snow
The above American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) was standing behind a short wall with snow on top — and he had a backdrop of snow which created the effect of this portrait. Crow flying against a background of snow-covered trees — and kicking snow off her feet as she takes off. This pair of crows was…
