Hungry fledglings!

I feel sorry for that mother...although it was kind of funny to watch the one fledgling following her. She fly away and it would fly after her and beg some more. Poor mom. She had just finished feeding these two something ( I was watching but not fast enough to catch it on camera).

I hear these or other young fledglings begging frequently off and on all day. I have 2 feeders up for the crows with dog food in them and sometimes add cat food. I do not know if they are all able to access them or not. i have seen some fledglings and adults at both feeders and each feeder is emptied daily.

I have lost track of mangled Foot again. I do not think she is with the group that is hanging out around here. I hope she is finding enough food wherever she is


I see yellow white silver and blue white white silver pretty often in the Back Yard
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The difference between a Raven and a Crow is ....

a matter of o'pinion...

That joke is for the birds... (groaning yet?)
Above photo of "Twins" reminds me of the DoubleMintGum commercials


Above Photo: Crows in the foreground; Ravens in the background






Photos above are of Ravens - Juveniles I think. Most of the summer there were 4 juvenile ravens that hung around Tsunami Row.

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Mangled Foot was here today

Mangled Foot showed up at my home today searching for food - first time all summer. Must not be finding enough food anymore. She along with 10-20 others were on the dirt road and adjacent construction site - a few were out front and a couple were in the tree out back.. I just happened to see them at 7 pm when I went into the kitchen.

I feel horrible about ending the feedings so abruptly . It is hard enough to cut down gradually when they continue to seem hungry but suddenly closing the kitchen seems cruel.- I am causing suffering and turning my back on animals that are counting on me. *Cough* That is , of course, one of the arguments against feeding them - dependency. The population learns to rely on an unnatural food source Withdraw the human provided food source and the population can't sustain itself. In addition, the population may become artificially inflated which can impact on other species in the area. I get it. Honest.

Still, I wish I could continue feeding them through the next two winters cutting back gradually so that they do not rely on my feeding them so heavily and can gradually find other sources again. Except for the ones that can not compete. And the ones that were juveniles when I started feeding them and may not have learned the winter food sources - this way they would have time to learn without having all support disappear (I am thinking of Yellow White Silver - a regular at my feeder).

I wish more people liked crows and would feed them with the same enthusiasm with which they feed smaller songbirds. Ive heard people so many times about various animals and seasons assert that there is plenty of food, yet starvation must be one of the methods nature uses to limit populations and a rehabber here told me sometimes an eagle will be sitting by the shore too weak to get off the ground and fly or hunt because it is starving (or has eaten too much lol - I guess during salmon runs) .

I am so attached to a few of the crows, especially Mangled Foot. Tonight it took me half a dozen tries to get a cheese ball close enough to her that she could snatch it and fly away before a seagull or other crow stole it from her. I worry for her. Her disability really hinders her. I wonder how she survived or if I met her during her first adult year . She is bullied by other birds and can not turn quickly or forage as easily since she can only use one foot. I never have easily accepted some of mother natures realities. Plus I think many animals are a lot smarter than we give them credit for and crows have feelings (just listen to them when they are mad at another crow that is trying to steel food!) and families and culture . I do not like the way humans behave as if they have the right to use animals and resources in whatever way we wish and without regard to the individual animals.

I am putting food in a bird feeder and balancing a little on some tree limbs so the crows can at least access something but the seagulls can not get to it. Yes, I feel sorry for them too - begging loudly to be fed - but I need to prevent them from associating me with food because they cause a noise disturbance and deposit droppings all over the sidewalk and people's cars out front. I am trying to discourage them before neighbors start to complain. Much... I'll be washing the sidewalk tomorrow Read more!

Christian the lion

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Bully Boy eating out of my hand?

I think this is Bully Boy but I am not certain. It will take food from my hand



These pics would make a fitting animated gif - him shaking his head 'NO'. Would fit his personality - thinks he is in charge and can be bossy & demanding (but is smart enough to be friendly to the hand that feeds him....)


My animated gif lost its animation when posted!


I bribe them for photo ops :)

Crow eating out of my hand..
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BYWS, RWWS & family in Back yard

I have no idea where some of this group has been hanging out all summer, but Tsunami row and surrounding area is part of their daily circuit now.



Finally I got a pic of RedWhiteWhiteSilver so am positive I've been seeing RWWS . The crow still has a bit of a limp but the foot seems to have partially healed somehow. I'm happy about that.


They had a fledgling with them. I kept hearing it but did not know which one it was until I looked at uploaded photos. I never saw the pink mouth and I was looking! Seems I need glasses for midrange viewing now.

From what I have read the crows forage in family groups until they come together in a large flock in winter. This group had BWWS BYWS YWS BentFoot , RWWS and of course other unbanded crows. BentFoot has a mangled foot - toes are almost tucked under the foot, and this crow is not MangledFoot. I think Bent Foot is also female and Ive observed her feeding fledglings during the past few days in my back yard.




YWS is in the tree - I think that is a fledgling on the ground
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YellowBlueWhiteSilver, RedWhiteWhiteSilver in Back Yard

I have no idea where this group has been hanging out all summer, but Tsunami row and surrounding area is part of their daily circuit now.

AGAIN I did not get a pic of RedWhiteWhiteSilver (I thought I did!), but I was paying attention this time and am [positive it was RWWS . The crow still has a bit of a limp but the foot seems to have partially healed somehow. I'm happy about that.

They had a fledgling along with them. I kept hearing it but did not know which one it was until I looked at uploaded photos. Seems I need glasses for midrange viewing now. Read more!

Are they congregating or dispersing?

Photos taken 07/26/2008
Saw Mangled Foot and what is probably her immediate family between North "Crow Banding" lot and the Dead End.Road/Utility Shed.

I could hear and see fledglings in tree near the shed - they flew in and around it and kept begging to be fed (I assume), but I think they are capable of eating on their own now. Obviously the parents are no longer tied to the nesting sites and are branching out in search of food.



Mangled Foot is the furthermost right crow in the above pic. I think Bully boy was with Mangled foot but I am not certain. Some of the crows had darker looking feathers and others had a brownish tint to them.




One or two of the crows looked rather wet - had been fishing I guess?


This one looks like it just came in from a swim. With all the preening going on I suppose they all had been wet at some point


When I drove down Ballaine a small group of crows flew out of the campground and alongside my car. I stopped near the post office and tried to get a photo of the 2 crows with bands but only saw YellowWhiteSilver after I stopped. There were 5 crows maybe 6 following me. I felt very sad that I could not feed them .



When I stopped the car YellowWhiteSilver stood in the road! He finally came over to me and I took the photo

I tried to photograph a fledgling but they would always stop cawing when I was close enough for a photo. None of the crows I photographed had the pink rim to their beaks, but maybe at this age they only have pink inside?

In my Back Yard a group of around 12 (?) crows gathered to get food from the feeder and I again thought I saw RedWhiteWhiteSilver, however WhiteRedWhiteSilver was also there and again I did not get camera in time so I am unsure. If it was RWWS it may not have had a broken foot as it seemed partially healed - not just hanging limply. The one with a mangled foot (not "Mangled Foot") was also there and I am certain had a fledgling (or 2 or 3) with it.

The group brought several very vocal fledglings with them and several times I saw a crow feed one, but just as often they seemed to ignore them which is why I think they are able to feed on their own now. They can fly and looked like the adults- although the insides of their mouths are pink and their voices are distinctly different.
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TONSILS

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The crows are back

Crows are beginning to congregate again. They've been gone for nearly 3 months. My theory is that the parents and or family members are branching out in search of food because fledglings are eating more and are also more independent so do not need the adults to stay so close to the nesting areas.



Today I heard a group of crows on my street and could see 4 of them so I leaned out the window and called "MangledFoot". Much to my surprise around 20 crows descended on my yard, some from the Wooded Campground group and a few I haven't seen all summer. Based on their voices I think they may have brought along a couple of fledglings. There is one with a mangled foot that looks different from mangled foot's




YellowWhiteSilver, BlueWhiteWhiteSilver, MaxiGap, WhiteRedWhiteSilver, Silver and I could have sworn RedWhiteWhiteSilver were among the group. Unfortunately I didn't think to grab the camera until they had already begun to disperse. A bunch of seagulls came along with them - I guess they have learned stick with the crows then steal their food.



I do not know if these crows were all serving sentry duty or were waiting for the sea gulls to leave






There has been a marked increase in fledgling magpies suddenly hanging around my feeder and the fledgling starling jays are still here.

The rabbit nudged me several times today and let me pet it briefly - I barely touched it I was so afraid of scaring it. I like it when it nudges my hand. Feel like I have earned her trust.. I do not think she likes celery stalks - only the leafy part. She loves parsley. Broccoli it depends on her mood. Humorously, a magpie stole a piece of broccoli. I wonder if it will eat it. Read more!

List of band combination that I have seen this year And here is the rest of it. Read more!

WhiteYellow WhiteSilver

I just saw banded crows OrangeRed-WhiteSilver and WhiteYellow (or very faded orange)- WS (I didnt actually note the colors on that leg and am assuming - i did look but I did not make a mental note and if I had noticed anything unusual i think I would have made a mental not.)

I have not seen orange/red in a very long time and I do not recall ever seeing white yellow! . They along with quite a few others were foraging where the last picnic area is before ballaine intersects 4th Ave. I was shocked by how many crows were in the area and do not think they were mostly fledglings. There were several that recognized my car and immediately flew over to me. I wanted to feed them . I did not even have my camera with me and could not photograph the banded crow I have not seen before. Read more!

Rabbits, Ravens , Magpies, Jays and Crows

The rabbit approached me yesterday! The black one. came right up to me. I wanted to lift my hand and pet it but did not want to scare it off. It had turned up its nose at apple slices Id brought it the day before - that was a first. This time I was putting out a bowl with pellets in it - in past the bunny has seemed ambivalent about pellets but it dug right in. It has been spending hours during the day under that tree which surprised me because it is neither well hidden or protected - that is where the other one was attacked by someone's dog

July 23 Rabbit nudged my hand when I was putting down a piece each of broccoli, carrot, celery and parsley . I still resist trying to pet it. With difficulty. lol

July 24, 2008 Yesterday from my living room window I saw several baby rabbits opn Tsunami Row so I walked down there and there were 5 that I saw: Two black, 2 tan and white, and one gray. The mom is black and the one male I see her with is brownish gray. The babies were so cute! They were running among the rocks throughout the entire area around the Iditarod Monument on Tsunami Row. When out eating what little grass there is there they seem awfully exposed. And the mom's daytime hideout seems pretty far away but I guess she can hear them from here and be there in about 30 seconds running. The babies were adorable..

WRWS and mate (above) returned and I obtained focused photo that proves the mate is not who i thought he was. I have no name for him (yet) and am not sure yet if I will be able to identify him when among others. It will take time watching and photographing him to find quirks of behavior or markings that will distinguish him - beside the poor grooming which could change without my knowing about it and he'd be lost to my awareness unless I picked up on his frequent proximity to WRWS

Excerpt from a previous post:
WRWS's mate is not MaxiGap or Maxilla , but he sure has a set of tattered looking feathers and seems like he needs a heavy dose of allo-preening. They were at the feeder yesterday afternoon several times - I put out more peanuts. I got a clearer photo this time (one out of about 12! I am a disgrace to photographers the world over LOL). WRWS comes closer to me than her mate. I realized yesterday that some birds really do make good eye contact. I am not sure why that seems odd to notice. They seem to be looking into my eyes - not at my hands or anywhere else 9at the moments when I think they've made eye contact ) and they do that when cawing at me to feed them - or staring at me intently when i am in car and they watch me through windshield waiting expectantly. I wonder what they are thinking. They seem sentient

Yesterday late afternoon WRWS and Mate were harassing two ravens that often in habit the tree by the dumpster. They kept at if for a solid 15 minutes while i was bringing things in from the car then walked down the street and back. no telling how long they persisted. poor ravens. They would try to fly from the tree and the crows would swoop down and the raven would spin over on its back mid air I suppose to try to defend against attack , then would retreat back to the tree again only to begin the dance again. I have to say the ravens probably had it coming. I've seen ravens harass eagles perched in trees , sidling up to them and tugging on feathers. Then again these ravens may have been the fledglings that have been hanging around back for a couple of weeks.




There is a family of starling jays that spend much of the day in the tree outside my bedroom window now - at least 3 fledglings and I thought I saw 5. They are not yet wary of me and come right up to me if I am sitting out front. There are also some magpie fledglings that dine at the feeder out back.








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The pink in the mouth is one way to tell this is a young bird Read more!

W/R-W/S & mate at feeder! (& again 7/20/08)

I am not certain yet but I think Maxi gap or Maxilla is WR/WS's mate. The pair are nesting in the vicinity of the new playground and came to my bird feeder for the first time yesterday.

Unfortunately WR/WS only grabbed a couple of peanuts and flew home so her mate returned alopne. Repeatedly. So I could not photograph her. And he kept leaving right about the time i got the camera for what passes as focused before I see the outcome grrrr.

What was most frustrating was that 3 men at the construction site let their dogs loose while the mate was on the ground eating alone without a sentry and one of those dogs was lightening fast. Ive never thought before thjat a dog might actually catch one of the crows but gosh the dog was fast and the crow seemed slow to realize the dog was a threat (considering it left the fenced area like a horse at a race. Or a grey hound which it definitely resembled!beautiful dog)

Id had my camera ready and was waiting for it to fly back up to the feeder to get another nut which would bring it closer and not require so much zoom which would mean my pic might actually come out focused (my hands shake too much for the 10x zoom) The men laughed and I was annoyed. The birds didnt return for a few hours and I did a get a few pics then because he announced his rival (and displeasure that there were not enough nuts probably lol) but it didnt stay long or return after that

As you can see from the pics they arent clear enough and I cant tell if it is Maxi Gap or not.

My son might be coming today and I am going to drag him to feed crows at the Wooded campground since I cant

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May 21, 2008

Peter did not come this weekend since I will be up there later this week and the church did not need him to make the Costco run after all. I was both disappointed and relieved! Even after days of playing catchup the house was more of a cluttered mess than I wanted either him or his friend to witness lol.

WRWS's mate is not MaxiGap or Maxilla , but he sure has a set of tattered looking feathers and seems like he needs a heavy dose of allo-preening. They were at the feeder yesterday afternoon several times - I put out more peanuts. I got a clearer photo this time (one out of about 12! I am a disgrace to photographers the world over LOL). WRWS comes closer to me than her mate. I realized yesterday that some birds really do make good eye contact. I am not sure why that seems odd to notice. They seem to be looking into my eyes - not at my hands or anywhere else 9at the moments when I think theyve made eye contact ) and they do that when cawing at me to feed them - or staring at me intently when i am in car and they watch me through windshield waiting expectantly. I wonder what they are thinking. They seem sentient







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