November 21, 2012

Not a Thanksgiving prank

As usual, this morning I put out a dish of food for the birds and squirrels. The place where I leave it is only about three feet from my front door.

So there I was, inside the house, typing away at my computer when I heard what sounded like a turkey warble. I swear: just like a turkey. Now, I've seen wild turkeys in the area but not for many years. And that was in mid-summer. So I peeked outside.

Sitting at the feeder were three squirrels and a crow. I think it was the crow! It's a sweet sound, melodic and nothing like a crow's typical "caw". There was no other creature in the area. It must have been the crow.

Months back, I saw a show about crows. I think it was called "A Murder of Crows". It included a scene with two crows sitting on a branch, leaning in toward each other. They were making the sweetest sounds. It seemed they were a mated pair and this was their method of communication. The show suggested that this is how crows speak when in private. The cawing is for outsiders, and perhaps to announce this and that to distant relatives.

It was so strange. I closed the door and went back to the computer. It's still making those sounds. So nice!

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