Back in Schenectady, New York, crows roam the skies creating chaos and trouble. Whether or not it's their fault is up for interpretation. I suppose in their minds they are doing good. They harass predators and force them out of the neighborhood. They seem fearless against hawks, even taking them on one-on-one. Seeing crows stand up to predators is really a sight to behold. However, it seems like "everyone gets it," even hawks that normally don't eat birds, or large birds that don't eat birds at all. Birds that even loosely resemble birds of prey because of their size "get it."
One day, a long time ago on Lafayette Street in upstate New York, I witnessed a group of crows harassing a giant bird. It was the biggest bird I'd ever seen. Up until today I always assumed it was an owl...now I'm not sure. I remember straight wings, as if the creature was in soaring position, which would indicate a hawk or a relative, not an owl, but I'm simply not sure. I'll never forget that scene. The bird was silent. The mobbing took place very close to the ground at eye level. Would a bird be in soaring position that low to the ground? Perhaps it was because of the mobbing. The event took place in a business parking lot across the street from the property I lived on.
After the event, I drew a picture of it. That pic no longer exists. Here I've created the drawing from memory.
I've been in Grand Forks since December 2012 and I've never witnessed any crow harassing any bird or any other creature. Why? Did it happen when I heard big commotions outside but didn't come to the window? Do I look up enough when I'm outside? In Schenectady, New York, it seemed that the mobbing of creatures tended to take place around 4 pm. Why? What happens in the sky here around 4 pm, or when it's 3 pm (4 pm in the Eastern time)?.
What about the laughing sharp-shinneds up here? I don't recall ever hearing their laughs followed by the screams of mobbing crows. Lots of hawks eat different types of animals, but the sharp-shinned's preference is other birds. Do crows consider sharp-shinneds too deadly to mob? Back in upstate New York, red-tails seem to be the bird of choice for the crows to assert themselves, and while red-tails do eat other birds, rodents are the preferred choice. But what about that massive bird I saw in upstate New York? Did that bird prefer rodents? Did the crows think that bird was a threat, but not an extreme, deadly threat like the sharp-shinneds? Perhaps it's just a coincidence that I never witnessed a crow mob a sharp-shinned.
And what about the crows up here in Grand Forks? Do they really live their lives mob free and take a "live and let live attitude?" Crows in general are known for mobbing other creatures. Are these crows just different? And why are they so brown when the sun hits them just right? I'm still trying to figure that out. Am I dealing with a kinder, gentler subspecies? Who are these crows?
