Back in South Dakota...and Magpies!

It's been weeks since I left the crows of Grand Forks.  I think about crows and the interesting things they do.  I long to be with them again.  I'm sure I will...one day. I decided to keep the blog going because there is still very much to say about crows...about the whole Corvid family.

Magpies are VERY human-like. They are quirky and mischievous.  They'll work together, in cunning fashion on a poor, unsuspecting creature to take its food away.  They can talk like humans by imitating the voices they hear.  Magpies even hold funerals for members of their species.

Magpies are gorgeous birds.  The wings and tails of these black and white birds sport a shiny greenish-blue hue when the sun shines on them just right.  They have extremely long tails.  Black-billed magpies (Pica hudsonia) have black beaks.  There is bare skin near the eye that is also black.  Their yellow-billed counterparts (Pica nuttalli) are smaller.  The area of bare skin near the eye is much more pronounced, being yellow, and different birds show that the patch of skin varies in size and shape.

Black-billed magpies and yellow-billed magpies can both be found in California.  While black-bills can also be found in the western half of the United States and all over the world, yellow-billed magpies can only be found in California.

The holding of funerals for magpies who have passed away is an action that has been covered by various people. Dr. Bekoff of the University of Colorado states that "magpies feel grief and even hold funeral-type gatherings for their fallen friends and lay grass 'wreaths' beside their bodies" (The Telegraph, 2009).  Dr. Bekoff goes on to describe a funeral he witnessed:

"One approached the corpse, gently pecked at it...and stepped back.  Another magpie did the same thing...Next, one of the magpies flew off, brought back some grass and laid it by the corpse.  Another magpie did the same. Then all four stood vigil for a few second and one by one flew off" (The Telegraph, 2009).

To read more about magpies found in American visit the following:
 

All About Birds- Black-billed Magpie

All About Birds- Yellow-billed Magpie
Living with Wildlife- Magpies 

Sources
Audubon, Guide to North American Birds
- Yellow-billed Magpie:  Pica Nuttalli
http://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/yellow-billed-magpie
- Black-billed Magpie:  Pica Hudsonia
http://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/yellow-billed-magpie

Cornell University, All About Birds
- Black-billed Magpie:  Pica Hudsonia
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-billed_Magpie/id 
- Yellow-billed Magpie:  Pica Nuttalli
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-billed_Magpie/id

The Telegraph
'Magpies Feel Grief and Hold Funerals'- (Oct 21, 2009)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/wildlife/6392594/Magpies-feel-grief-and-hold-funerals.html

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Living with Wildlife
Magpies
http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/magpies.html#viewing

Returning to South Dakota

As graduation from graduate school approached, I thought about the crows. I still do.   I think about the times I could have done observations and taken notes, but I did not.  During my last months in Grand Forks, work, school, health problems, and looking for a job that I would take after graduation were all very time consuming and they all cut into my personal time, including time I could have spent on the crows.  I did notice a rather large group of crows flying overhead one day, which I thought was strange for springtime. I missed opportunities.  I'm not happy about that.

I'm back in South Dakota, where crows do not not roam...at least not in this area.  Time approaching the day of the move was intense and once again, little time was available.  Now, I look forward to so many things in my life I neglected when I was a graduate student.  With bags and plastic totes everywhere, my life feels somewhat chaotic, but when it's quiet and my mind drifts back to Grand Forks, I will think of the crows, and their interesting and entertaining ways!  My stay in South Dakota will be temporary.  Wherever I go from here, I will be sure to look for the crows.!

It's Been a Long Time

It's been a long, long time since I've posted anything.  This past semester was particularly grueling and there didn't seem to be time for much of anything.

Yesterday I was walking to the post office, in a hurry.  With my ice treads I made my way to the post office, which closes very early in this area.  There was quite a commotion in the sky, but I didn't have time to look up.  It had to be one of the most intense situations.  The crow calls were different.  There seemed to be a lot of emotion behind them.  I just wish I had had the time to look up.  I had made it to the post office two minutes before closing.  It made the right decision to keep on going and not look up.  But gosh, I wondered what was going on in the sky that day.

Details on the American Crow

"Crows are perhaps the best-known birds on the continent" (Mahnken, 1996).  They are large, dark birds, reaching 18 inches in length.  They have been described as black, with a purple or green sheen when the sun shines upon them.  However, as I stated before, the crows in Grand Forks, North Dakota appear brown in various angels of sunlight. Otherwise, and almost always they appear black. I have not witnessed a sheen of purple or green on them.

Egg laying events occur only once during the breeding season (one brood), and several are laid.  Eggs are bluish to olive green and are covered in brown marks.  Females will keep the eggs warm for 18 days.  Nest are usually built in pine trees toward the top.  Nests are big and bulky, with twigs and branches.  Most of the nest seems to be arranged in a sloppy, chaotic manner. However, it seems that care goes into the making of the middle of the nest, which is cup-like and lined with soft materials, such as, grass, feathers, dog hair, and deer hair.  Crows will pull hairs right out of animals for their nests.

Crows engage in courtship behaviors.  However, "courtship among crows begins with fighting in the flock" (Mahnken, 1996).  However, things take a turn for the better.  "The male walks toward the female, bows, ruffles his feathers, and spread his wings and tail.  He lifts his head up and then lowers it.  It's all very courtly, and his lady is impressed (Mahnken, 1996).

Crows are known for their mobbing behaviors- "calling on gangs of crows together to harass a large hawk or owl on a perch or drive it out of the area.  Catches up to a soaring hawk and repeatedly drives on it from above, often forcing it down into the shelter of trees below" (Alsop, 2001).  However, as I've indicated previously, I've never seen this or any type of mobbing behavior in Grand Forks.

Crows eat a variety of foods, which is why the species has persisted well throughout time:  "fruit, insects, mammals, fish, carrion, will come to seed and suet feeders" (Tekiela, 2000).  Crows can contract avian pox and West Niles disease.  West Niles disease can have devastating effects on crow populations.  However, overall, the species seems to still be going strong.

Crows are highly intelligent, and very human like.  They can use tools and mimic human voices.  Crows of one family will pitch in and raise the younger ones:

"A family unit usually includes a mom and dad and several “kids” hatched in previous years, and can include up to 15 birds! They include goofy, immature one-year-olds and some adult sons and daughters. Sometimes these kids stay with their parents for more than five years. In addition to the nuclear family, crow groups sometimes include extended family members such as nephews, brothers, and half-brothers of the mom and dad. We’ve also seen crows “adopt” the kids of unrelated neighbors" (Townsend, 2010).

Crows are fantastic creatures.  There is so much more to them that this posting presents, especially language.  Much more on language will be coming, in the future!

 

 Crow and Flower- Grand Forks, ND; Taken by Sharon Lee Hudson

Sources

.  Armstrong, B.  Bob Armstrong's Nature Alaska, http://www.naturebob.com/ 

.  Alsop, F.J. (2001).  Birds of North America:  Eastern Region.  DK:  New York

.  Townsend, A. (2010).   The Young and the Restless:  Watching Neighborhood Crows, All About Birds.  http://www.allaboutbirds.org/the-young-and-the-restless-watching-neighborhood-crows/

.  Spruch, G.M. (1983).  Such Agreeable Friends:  Life with a Remarkable Group of Urban Squirrels.  Morrow:  New York.
.  Tekeiel, S. (2000).  Birds of New York:  Field Guide.  Adventure:  Cambridge, MN.

.  Manhnken, J. 1996.  The Backyard Bird-Lovers Guide:  Attracting, Nesting, Feeding. Storey Books:  Pownal, Vermont.

Memories of a Raven

Many years ago, I once learned that ravens make a GRONK sound.  I remember thinking that that was silly and no bird makes a sound like that.  Some time later I was walking down a street in Albany, when I heard GRONK.  I looked up and there was a raven above me perched on a street light.  That was over 14 years ago.

It's hard to put into words how the encounter felt.  After all, coming across a bird in general was not unusual for me, but there was something different about this bird. The scene was like something out of a fairy tale.  There I was, on the ground.  There it was, above me.  For a very, very brief point in time, there seemed to be a connection between us.

In pictures, ravens look like large crows.  In person, they do not...at least, this one didn't.  Books, have nothing on this bird. This bird seemed enormous- rounded beak and all....much larger than the pictures in the book.  It happened on a Washington Ave. in Albany, New York, somewhere not far from the state university I was attending as an undergraduate...at some point in time, during a life that no longer exists.

Two types of ravens can be found in the United States.  Corvus corax is a term I've often liked...it just sounds catchy, and it's the scientific name for the common raven.  I'm not sure why this bird was hanging out in Albany, New York.  According to maps, it was certainly out of its range. Its known to roam more toward the middle of New York state, and much further upstate towards Canada.  Corvus corax has a very limited range in the eastern half of the United States but can be found in the west from Montana down to New Mexico, and all the way to the western edge of the country.  This bird is also found throughout Alaska, Canada, and Mexico.  These are year round ranges for this creature.

The common raven likes to build large nests that can be up to 4 feet across.  These nest are much more wider than they are deep, as they are only 6 inches tall.  But even though they are very short, these ravens take great care in lining their nests using "hair, moss, grasses, and bark shreds" (Mahnken, 1996).

Corvus corax "glides on flat outstretched wings, compared to the slightly V-shaped pattern of Crow.  Low raspy call distinguishes the Raven from the higher-pitched Crow" (Tekiela, 2000).  According to Alsop (2001) "this magnificent flier is the aerial equal of hawks and falcons and is the largest passerine, or perching bird, in North America."

Corvus crptoleucus, the chihuahuan raven is an interesting flier.  "Highly adventuresome, these birds sometimes dive into rotating air masses or dust devils and allow themselves to be taken for an upward ride (Alsop, 2001).  Corvus crptoleucus can be found year round in the western half of Texas,  Oklahoma (extreme west), Kansas (southwest corner), Colorado (southeast corner), New Mexico (extreme east, extreme south), and Arizona (southeast corner).  This creature can also be found in different parts of Mexico as well.

For more on the common raven, please click here.

For more on the chihuahuan raven, please click here.

Sources:
.  Mahnken, J. (1996.).  The backyard bird-lover's guide.  Storey:  North Adams, MA.

.  Tekeiel, S. (2000).  Birds of New York:  Field Guide.  Adventure:  Cambridge, MN.

.  Stokes, D., & Stokes, L.  (1996).  Field Guide to Birds:  Eastern Region.  Little Brown and Company:  New York.

.Alsop, F. J. III (2001).  Birds of North America:  Eastern Region.  New York:  DK

.  Cornell Lab or Ornithology.  chihuahuan raven. 
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/chihuahuan_raven/id

.  MapsOfTheWorld.com.  US Map:  State and Capital.   http://www.mapsofworld.com/usa/usa-maps/us-map.gif

Who are the Crows of Grand Forks?

Who are the crows of Grand Forks?  That sounds like a sentence referring to people, not to animals.  Still, I wonder.  The crows of Grand Forks seem so different than the crows of upstate New York.  Compare to the crows of Schenectady, these crows seem to be more aloof, more gentle, and appear to not concern themselves with harassing birds of prey...at least, that's how they come across.

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?

Memories of a Fish Crow

I remember those days back in upstate New York when I longed to hear the whimsical call of the fish crow.  Those days are in the past, since I moved over 1,000 miles away.  But the other day I heard a quirky call.  I don't remember what it was, but just the quirkiness of it reminded me of a fish crow.  I believe the call was crow-like.

I remember the day I identified the fish crow.  Fish crows in Schenectady, New York are rare, but they do exist.  This is the entry I have on my wild bird life list- the journal, not the website. (They sometimes differ in what I write.)  I wrote it here as it appears in my journal: 

"March 16, 2003 

 Morning

Union College, Schdy, NY

Kept this off my life list long enough.  I waited, maybe 2 years.

Heard AH-OH before, and nasally CAWS, but I needed to hear that Uh-Uh.  I didn't.  I heard Uh-Huh with the accent on the first syllable, sounding almost like Uh-Uh.  It was in the fish crow voice.  That was enough for me.  

Bird flew overhead in the sun[light].  It was almost spiritual.  I saw with naked eyes.  With outstretched wings it flew."

I remember how frustrated I was that the experience only lasted a few seconds because a woman drove up and asked me for directions.  I'm not sure if I was able to help her, but I remember she drove off without even thanking me for my time.  I waited and I waited all that time to identify the fish crow with confidence and this lady suddenly ended my experience.  

But though it was only couple of seconds- to see it flying overhead in the sunlight was a beautiful experience.  

The fish crow "will feed inland but usually feeds in shallow waters along coastline and salt marshes" (Aslop, 2001, p. 497).  They eat a variety of things, including berries, some fruits, fish, and different types of crustaceans.    This clever bird will fly with a mollusk in its beaks and will drop it on a hard surface in order to break it open.  

Parenting duties are shared, as both Mom and Dad incubate eggs.  It takes between 16 to 18 days for eggs to hatch.

Fish crows are capable of hovering- something I have never read about any corvid.   They will hover above while searching for food, then come down out of the sky to make the catch.

Fish crows have short and very nasally CAWs that may even be more nasally than American crow juveniles.  And then, there is the wonderfully funny UH-UH call that sounds like they are saying "No-No."  Their calls are funny and whimsical and I miss them terribly.

Many years ago I read (the source escapes me) that if you want to know if the crow you've come across is an American crow or a fish crow, just ask.  Ask the bird if it is an American crow (I have to add- while keeping a proper distance to not crowd it).  If the bird replies UH-UH, then you know it's not an American crow, but a fish crow!

Sources:
Birds of North America: Eastern Region
by Fred J. Alsop III
DK: New York
2001

All About Birds
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/fish_crow/id.aspx?spp=fish_crow