crows

Day 179 #365DaysWild

Nottingham’s Forest recreation ground (from which our world-famous football team takes its' name) is a gathering place for large numbers of carrion crows. These are the ubiquitous, solid black corvids we see in gardens, woodland, fields and parks. Carrion is dead stuff. They'll eat almost anything.

They are opportunists, and as such, are brilliantly-placed to make the best of the opportunities that we create. Research now shows that the overall intelligence of crows may be closer to that of Great Apes such as the gorilla. And none of that antisocial chest-beating. I'm a huge fan.

Crows have learned how to crack nuts using the tyres of passing vehicles. They can enter thick-shelled eggs with stones. And can smash the shells of shellfish on the sea shore by dropping them from a height. Their behaviour is learnt.

We watch them in the garden 'caching' when food it is abundant. Kitchen scraps or birds eggs are taken and buried for later consumption.

They are fascinating to watch on our mini-ponds. A good bath is always welcomed.

And they frequently bring food to the pond for what appears to be soaking or cleaning.

Here a crow disgorges what looks like cereal before, later, delicately dipping each individual grain in water. To aid digestion?

At the Nottingham NET tram stop on the Forest, they have learned to perch on car roofs.

Presumably this vantage point allows the birds to quickly spot when food is dropped by car users to make this behaviour productive.

They have bred successfully in the garden for several years. They are very shy but have steadily moved towards the bungalow over the years as their confidence has grown, making them easier to watch.

Last year, in a possible attempt at usurpation, a group of what appeared to be younger birds entered the garden territory of our resident crows. The younger birds were given short shrift. The adults can be ver aggressive. In some springs, the male bird has attacked his own refection in the patio windows until his own blood is shed.

Before crowbars weroe invented, they had to drink alone.

Fascinating and successful animals.