It's All Performance Art 20

I read an online article a friend sent to me about crows and socialization.  It was suggested that the writer of the article was trying, or might be attempting to make crows seem like humans, but I didn't think so.  Here is part of my response to my friend:  "Interesting article.  Don't see any evidence of anthropomorphism.  i think a lot of studies have been done that suggest this to be true of humans, as for crows, but I think for  us that would also depend on the types of bonds and connections.  For example, living in a large, but anonymous and not friendly city like Vancouver, would definitely lead to some negative public health incomes (mental health, especially) , but when there also exist strong and positive social and family bonds then it is highly beneficial.  That could also depend on other variables, such as sanitation, hygiene, availability of quiet and private space, etc.  Of course, we are not crows and crows are not people,though there seem to be almost some alarmingly close similarities between our species, such that, I have come to believe that if we were birds, then we would most likely be crows.   Of course,this is all speculation.   I don't really think much about things being evidence-based (although, even as a person of faith, I also accept the validity of science), though it is always good to have that as grounding, but to also allow the imagination free rein" 

 I like crows.  I feel kind of connected to them,but especially since I began feeding them a couple of years ago. My strategy?  to keep them from dive-bombing me during nesting season.  They are notoriously aggressive birds and super-protective parents.  Think of mother bears with feathers, but not big, though still kind of scary, and you'll get the idea..  I actually began to connect to crows even earlier, about five years ago, when I noticed that three crows would often be following me from tree to tree.  This happened in the same area, the heritage preservation block on Tenth Avenue between Cambie and Main Street and kept going on for more than a year.

https://www.google.com/maps/@49.2621269,-123.1084401,3a,75y,190.81h,95.81t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sBFlbaqHnP7qXsRZPh0MNow!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!12b1?rapsrc=apiv3

And here is a crow



I at first felt a bit menaced, then concluded that they either were looking for food, or were simply curious and friendly.  I think they were curious and friendly, since I had never fed them before.  But I also recalled how the best way to assuage aggressive mother and father crows when their young ones have just left the nest and are still vulnerable and fairly helpless, is to feed their young for them.  This happened a couple of times on a forest trail  The young crow was hunched on the ground by the trail and its parents were totally freaking out.  So, I picked a salmonberry from a bush nearby and dropped it into the young bird's gaping mouth.  Then I gave him another berry, then another.  The parents promptly calmed down.  The next day, the young crow was still there, I fed it more berries, and the parents were totally chill and calm. 

I still feed local crows.  Not all the time.  They have become quite friendly, but still a bit wary and they will only let me come so close before they fly up to a tree branch or a road sign.  Of course they expect to be fed, but there seems to be a kind of nervous interspecies friendship going on too, and I expect to go on feeding them again in the near future.  And they no longer attack me during nesting season.    Win-win!