Crows

Last night I had a half hour to kill before going to my monthly meditation group, so I wandered around Wyman Woods, a small park in Grandview Heights. As I was driving in, I noticed a group of crows scavenging under the trees next to the road. I love crows, so of course I had to try to get some photos of this bunch.

Crows are extremely intelligent birds, totally unimpressed by humans with cameras. This wary group, seven in all, lit out for the trees before I got within good camera range. The best I could do was catch a couple of them as they sat high above my head, probably snickering to themselves.

Crows are usually found in pairs or groups, and sometimes a group will help raise young communally. I suspect there was a nest nearby, as there was one particular tree that most of this bunch headed for when I tried to get close, and I could hear very soft little crow sounds coming from that direction. They were also fond of lining up on the roof of a building behind the treeline and watching me trying to take their pictures.

For those who are interested in crows and their kin, Candace Savage has written two really fascinating books. The first encompasses the entire Corvus family, and is titled Bird Brains: The Intelligence of Crows, Ravens, Magpies, and Jays. The other, which is one of my favorite books ever, centers only on crows and ravens. Check it out: Crows: Encounters with the Wise Guys of the Avian World.