Crows, Crows, More Crows

This spring of 1996 will forever be imprinted in my mind as the siege of the crows. I hope it is not repeated. The first call came on May 3, and the crow calls were nonstop until June 28. I took in 40 nestling or fledgling crows. Of these birds, six went to a writer with a federal permit to raise crows for a behavior study, fifteen were released in two groups from my big flight cage, the rest (19 birds) either died or were euthanized. Those that were euthanized had severe calcium deficiencies or other deformities. Some of the deaths could be attributed to stress or unidentified internal problems.

Crows are members of the Corvid family, which includes jays, magpies, ravens, many varieties of crows, and even the Clark's nutcracker. Crows are omnivores and have adapted well to urban and suburban living. There are two very good books on crows for anyone interested in learning a lot more. They are: 1) The American Crow and The Common Raven by Lawrence Killian; and 2) Bird Brains by Candace Savage.

Crows have a big fan club as well as a large number of critics. They are often described as being too intelligent for their station in life. They have a reputation for stealing eggs and nestlings from songbirds' nests. They help clean up roadsides and shopping center parking lots. They harass hawks unmercifully. They use tools to accomplish various tasks. It is legal to shoot them in many states. They roost by the thousands in various locations.

Because I have large indoor cages and a big outdoor flight cage, I have the housing capacity to take in crows. They are interesting, fun and frustrating to work with, and I have met a lot of great people as a result.

Most people think that raising a baby crow is a wonderful experience, and it can be just that. If you get a nestling or very young fledgling who will accept you, the experience can be delightful. If you get a stubborn big fledgling who won't feed itself and won't accept your help, it can be horrible. They can even die of stress in that situation.

Because the word was out that I would take crows, and because there was a bumper cop of crows this year, I was deluged. When the deformities started showing up, I called the Wildlife Center of Virginia and found that they were getting many similar cases. I arranged with Great Falls Animal Hospital to have blood drawn from a dozen birds, and have the blood Federal Expressed to the Wildlife Center for analysis. The preliminary results showed many cases of severe calcium deficiency. The cause of this is yet unknown. Hopefully, there will be some data later this year to determine what the possible causes might be. It was depressing, to say the least, to lose so many birds.

Of the crows I released here, several are still around my feeding station daily and have integrated well into the resident population. I assume some will join the large flocks that gather along the Potomac River near here in the fall.

I do not pretend to be an expert on any aspect of crows, but I have learned a lot this year. I have had smaller numbers of crows for the past five years but never anything close to this year's numbers. Their personalities range from friendly and laid-back to nervous and uncooperative. Their intelligence levels are definitely varied, their health problems numerous, and just when you think you've got a handle on something, there's a new twist.

For anyone interested in crow lore, there is a loosely knit organization call the American Society of Crows and Ravens, which publishes a journal called Convi Chronicle. Membership is free but contributions are accepted. The address is:

Kaw River Valley Roost, Box 1423, Lawrence, KS 66044-8423