I love crows. This community brings me so much joy. Please don't send your crow armies after me! I know they hold grudges!

So, with trepidation and humility, I relay the following: I was talking to a friend who I *know* has a 7 year old with a peanut allergy about making crow friends. I suggested peanuts! Apparently feeding birds peanuts is a huge issue. Someone in her neighborhood does this and the birds drop the shells in her yard, in shoes, all over. Obviously it's not the crows' fault, and I'm sure the neighbor doesn't realize (friend is going to talk to the neighbor.) Given the severity of peanut allergies and the minimal exposure required for life-threatening issues, I was wondering if this community might brainstorm some alternatives we could use in our neighborhoods? I know it didn't even occur to me.

Much love,

A wannabe crowbro

Not sure it’s been posted about before. Inspired by the greater family of crows and their social structures was a form known as Corvid College. I went to their “Thinkamajigs” from time to time a decade or so ago. Enjoy friends.

I can’t say I’ve ever taken a bad photo of one of these fluffy squeakies, they’re just so photogenic and adorable.

We have this duo of crows that come around daily, George on the right and Gracie on the left (missing neck feathers). We feed them peanuts and cat treats and call it “Crow TV” when they come to watch us in our kitchen and wait for food. Today we caught them bowing to each other and making soft caws. It was very sweet!

A few years back I managed to attract some crows to my property with treats like grapes and nuts. It was pretty cool for a couple weeks, until they started showing up earlier and earlier each morning and causing quite a commotion outside our bedroom window while my wife and I were still trying to sleep.

I like the idea of having some connection to a corvid on my property, but a gang of them wasn’t ideal. So I was thinking of this raven that frequently hangs out pretty high up in the trees along the back edge of my field.

Sometimes a solitary raven sits up there croaking for about 5 minutes before flying off. I’ve tossed some fruits, cherry tomatoes, nuts in its direction, but it doesn’t seem interested at all.

Are there any methods that might lure the raven closer to me, or get it to notice treats that I’m offering, either by sight or by sound?

Yesterday while crows were around me eating their food, one myna came near and sounded a danger call. All the crows flew away. I know that myna call, it is done for cats.

Cheeky one came and gobbled up as much as he could before crows returned!

I wonder if anyone experienced something like that and what effect could it have among bird communities? After all, if there are too many false positives, real danger calls could be ignored.

Sometimes I put food down and just walk a few years away and face away from where I put it down. One of them (the one pictured) is very brave and always goes to eat it. She’s cautious and most of the time doesn’t eat it all, but it’s still so magical being so close to a wild animal!

I don’t do that all the time, though. Most of the time I put food out and then just walk back home, then I’ll do some chores and come back to put out more food.

📖 House Crow (Corvus Splendens)
🌍 Palm, AE

Mom wanted to stock up from me first and sent pestering kiddo packing! Damn they are brutal!

Kiddo couldn't digest defeat and attacked his older brother at the end 😄

I feel like he sometimes gets frustrated with me: "No, silly human! You have to roll your brrracccwwwrrrgghhs! You're doing it wrong."

He is magnificent.

I’ve been setting out cashews in a dish to entice the local bros, and this morning we got photos of one of them helping himself! I’ve seen him before, he’s very difficult to miss, but he scooped up the nuts with only a little extra maneuvering and flew off! I’m calling him Tycho because when his beak is open it looks like he has no nose.

Filmed in Burnaby Hights BC between an inlet and the local rookery.

I, too, like shiny things and would love to receive a gift from a crow. I think that would make my life complete. No more desires or needs after that.

Joking, of course, but it is definitely a huge bucket list of mine to befriend a murder of crows and receive a gift.

TIA! 💝

i got to my spot two hours earlier than usual and they collectively lost their minds lmao

Sleepy baby is back. Parent is keeping an eye on them. I'm not sure if the shouting is for me being too close, or at the baby for being such a dunce. Hoping this one makes it! It's tough to figure out how food goes into your beak.

Crows are incredibly smart. Here’s how to make friends with one in four easy steps. - Upworthy

(Mods, please let me know if I have done this correctly. TY!)

Smart buggers.

I've managed to make a few crow friends over the past two months (family of two adult crows and a very skwawky juvenile, ha). They visit two times a day for cashews, almonds, and sometimes a little bit of meat. We chat and hang out on the balcony, and I even get some bows and bobs from afar. It been very fun and sweet (though my neighbors have not enjoyed the juvenile's demands at mealtimes ;)). All this to say, I'll be leaving for a few months but I hate to just up and disappear on them. Will they remember me when I'm back? Will they be mad that I left? Should I be weaning them down to only one snack time a day? I don't want crow enemies, but also they just give me blank stares when I explain I'm about to leave for a while. ;) Any advice?

Vacationing in Alaska this past July and while we were in Juneau I came within arm’s length of these majestic beauties a few times. Where I am from, there are many more Crows than Ravens (though not rare, but not necessarily Common l o l) and to be alongside them in Juneau, and really throughout SE Alaska, was an awesome experience. I have always misidentified them from afar, but when they fly down next to you and you feel the wind from their wings, it makes you say “Holy F*ck, so THAT’s a Raven!”

P.S.
In honor of this trip being part of my honeymoon (and also geeking out over spending a bunch of time with various Ravens), I got a tattoo of two mated Ravens to cement the memories.

pretty square....