A few weeks back our ex-neighbor (she was in the process of moving out) had a guy come blow her sprinklers out. A very common thing this time of year (we’re still waiting for our company to come do that…I think we really need to learn how to do that ourselves, but I digress).
My husband went out to leave for work, and the yard guy was just staring off toward a field near our house. He stared for a long while, so of course my husband stared too, wondering what he was staring at. As it turns out, he was watching a murder of crows that hangs out in our neighborhood – they were across the street. After awhile, he nodded, and then started to get to work when he noticed my husband watching.
He told my husband that the crows know whether you’re good or bad, and as long as he had their approval to be in the neighborhood, he could get on with his work. But he needed their blessing first.
Crows are very interesting birds, as they have the intellect of a toddler and can remember faces they like or don’t like for years, passing that knowledge down through generations. I can sort of understand where that guy was coming from…crows just seem like they know things, and their overall appearance certainly makes them a bit imposing and foreboding as well.
Perhaps it was a subconscious nod to that then when I picked out a shower curtain with a raven in front of a full moon for our Halloween/Fall decor this year. He’s a rather imposing figure in our galley bathroom, and naturally, he brings to mind Poe and his study. I realize crows and ravens are different, but they are both part of the corvus family, much like magpies, which I’ve (obviously) been reading a lot on lately. We have both crows and ravens here, though I’d be hard-pressed to tell you which was which. At least magpies have those incredibly long tails and some color on their wings to make them stand out.
In any case, knowing that crows are particular and remember people’s faces, I’m always careful to tread lightly around them and make sure they know I mean them no harm. It seems like having big, black, noisy birds on your side could indeed come in handy for…something.
Or maybe just not giving them any reason to attack en masse is enough.
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