[rick-in-seattle]

Today being a beautiful spring day in Seattle, I was working with the shop door open. A one-legged Raven landed in the big maple just outside the door. He is not a stranger, when he was born I remember having my doubts that a Raven with one leg could survive the winter.

Now he is two years old and has claimed my yard as his territory, which he protects from other Ravens, cats, and squirrels.

I enjoy irritating him by making crow cackles and clicks, it usually sets him off pretty good. Today, I was doing a few immitations but instead of returning the crow talk, he said "Hello!" I thought it was odd that he said the word so clearly, but I continued with the crow talk. Then he said "Hello, Hello!"

People say that Ravens are very intelligent, Northwest Natives have many stories telling of their intelligence and wit, but this one is none too bright, I tried to communicate by speaking crow with him and all he would say was "Hello!"

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Did he say "can you hear me now?"

[Eddy Smiles]

Never can tell, he might have been an old carver in his past life. He's just trying to strike up a conversation with you.

[wade clark]

Rick,
Maybe he was trying to strike up an intelligent conversation, but the only reply he could get was, "Caw! Caw!"
One Winter, in West Virginia, we lived in a cabin on a high ridge. It was maybe zero out and a 20 mile an hour wind. I heard a knock at the door...no one would have climbed that ridge on a day like that! You couldn't drive it in the Summer without a 4x4. I opened the door and there stood the biggest crow I ever saw. He walked past me like he owned the place, through the door, across the room and stood by the wood stove. He stood there for 3 days. I talked to him some, but he never said a word. I just gave him space. The weather got a little better and as I walked out the door he came hopping over, hopped past me and walked out. He sat outside a minute and then flew away. Never saw him again! Never said "Hello", never said, "Goodbye"! He was a welcome guest and pretty good company anyway!
Wade

[mdallensr]

Wade, I guess it's OK if he doesn't hog the remote. Mike

[wade clark]

Mike,
We didn't have power or running water then. The outhouse was in the middle of a great blackberry patch...you didn't forget a lantern at night!
Wade

[Thomp]

yep rick them crows can be fun, i think there natures comics, the ravins in alaska were pretty much the kings of the roost, they announced themselves loudly, tinkered with everything new, and clamed anything they could lift and fly off with specialy if it was shiney.

I aint got a crow here, i got a french mocking bird semi pet.
Called by other names in other parts of the country, it starts its melodic song about 4am and sings for at least 30 minuets, think its courting talk.. a grey and white bird a-kin to the blue jay

4 years ago i saved this bird from my car, being a well fed spayed playfull cat she didnt know what to do with this fledgeling so she brought it to me all wet with cat spit and it was so weak i didnt think it would survive, so i did my best to use a shop towell dried it off, cus it was still kinda brisk spring day, then i set the bird inside one of my goud bird houses i made the previous year. and it syayed all day,
the gord was high in the shop so the bird wasnt bothered when i tinkered or passed it.
when i ate a sandwich i brought it some crust, and provided it some water in a jar lid on a cabinet top close to the gord.
apperently it was a better situation than the bird had on its own, and i had a pet.

it nests in the wisteria and pulls the cats tail still when the nest has eggs, she-he dont get as fussy when i look in the nest, it just gets up and moves over to let me see..

but that dang bird dont miss an oppertunity to beg me out of a bite of what im eating and makes a pest out of its self when we cook out back, dancing round my feet

but keeps its distance from anybody but me, and i only handled the bird once. its been here comming on 5 years
i guess a little kindness never goes unpunished

[Tom H]

Great stories Thomp and Rick! Don't think I can top em. But my wife feeds the local deer. She puts out a dish pan of corn every morning. We enjoy watching the deer come up and feed. Well several crows have discovered this corn dish and have taken to feed also. One day we ran out of corn and my wife did not want to disappoint the deer so she put some apples in the dish pan. Before the deer made their appearance the crows swooped in. The deer might not have been disappointed, but the crows sure were. One crow picked up an apple and flew up to the house and dropped it on the back steps. Some message.. Thanks for the stories...Tom H

[susieq]

I have always loved Crows..... I know they are pretty smart birds. Whe I was 6 my dad (Air Force) was transfered to England for 3 and a half years. So we lived there. Base housing wasn't ready for us when we arrived so we had to rent a place in town. Every tree along the street was filled with crows and crow nests and that is the sound I woke up to every morning.

When we visited the Tower of London, huge ravens walked the grounds. We were told that some of them had great age to them though the exact number escapes me all these years later. But they were a huge part of my childhood and I just love them.
susieq

[Bob_in_TN]

Rick, you weren't by chance drinking a little "Old Crow" were you?