I don’t know why it took so long to cross my mind that I often see (and especially hear) crows and occasionally ravens hollering when I’m out walking in the neighbourhood. We live in a perfect area for them – lots of towering pines and maples, and many of the properties are large with several mature trees on each one. So instead of waiting for the crows and ravens to come to me, I went out looking for them!
The first day, I had walked all of about 100m from my house when I heard ravens croaking off toward the river. I called out to them and made a show of throwing a few peanuts, but they were a goodly couple of hundred meters away. They did take flight and swoop nearish to me, which was thrilling in itself, but they didn’t seem too interested in my peanuts. I’m always thrilled just to see them. I hear them often but rarely see them.
Pleased and figuring that was as good as it was going to get for my first day out, and thinking I’d mark it down as a success, I kept walking and did a loop around Watson’s Mill. As I came back around, I heard a crow making a racket up in a tree, so I positioned myself pretty much underneath him and made a show of dropping a couple of peanuts, then I walked away with feigned nonchalance. To my delight, he immediately dropped down and gobbled up the peanuts. SUCCESS! I fed the crows!
And then, as I completed my loop and made my way back home, I found a crow (maybe the same, maybe another?) eating the peanuts I had dropped for the ravens earlier.
Thinking I had unlocked the secret to befriending the local corvids on my very first walk, you can imagine my disappointment the next few days when I went out walking and heard nary a caw nor croak. There were no corvids to be seen, and only once distantly heard one day.
In the last few days, though, I’ve had more luck. I let my walks take me wherever I hear their calls, and for the last few days have managed to throw out some peanuts within sight of a crow who happily flies down to gobble them up once I’m a safe distance away. Each time, I call out the same thing, hoping they get used to the sound of my voice beckoning them, and I always throw out three or four peanuts a few meters down the road from each other leading toward me. Hey, you never know!
So I’ve really taken a renewed interest in my daily walks around the neighbourhood now, and while listening for crows and ravens, I’ve noticed the red-wing blackbirds are back with their distinctive call, as are the bellowing Canada geese. And today as I was scanning the treetops for corvids, I saw the local bald eagle flying so high above me I could only barely make out his distinctive white head.
It may be only the first day of meteorological spring here, but I’d say it’s safe to say that spring has sprung!