Lisa

1)Your neighbor is complaining about the American Crows killing all the songbird nestlings.  What would you say to him/her? I learned from my course on Crows that snakes are the greatest predators to songbird nestlings, followed by squirrels their cousins, for example, chipmunks. Although crows would love to eat songbird nestlings if given the chance, in reality they account for a tiny fraction of predations, next to the last in ranking (last being deer!). 2)Where have you seen American Crows?  Based on what you learned in this lesson, see if you can locate a crow’s nest (keeping a respectful distance) and share what you found. I live in Dallas, Texas and have seen crows in my own backyard where I have four birdfeeders. They look for food on the ground, and don't visit the birdfeeders. However, other birds seem to fly off when crows arrive. I'm glad you mentioned grackles - those birds are in HUGE flocks around here. They can be seen roosting on electrical lines at dusk, in some places sothick they're on every line and perch in an intersection. I also have land southwest of Ft. Worth. We have many crows that fly by our cabin in morning and dusk, cawing like mad! I have never tried to find their nests, but that would be interesting. I did not like crows until I read the book, Covid, and now I am a fan! 3)You’ve seen the range map for the American Crow.  Here is the range map for Common Ravens. Do you live where there are both species?  If so, can you now distinguish between them? What differences have you noticed in their behavior? We do not have ravens where I live in Texas, but I now I see the differences. 4)What birds and other animals might benefit from having crows around? Why? How? Since crows will alert to predators like hawks, all birds can benefit from their presence. In the city, perhaps small outside animals would also be alerted, such as squirrels.  I have red tailed hawks that try to pick off birds that are feeding in my backyard. Although I haven't seen a crow at the same time as a hawk, I have seen blue jays go crazy when the hawk arrives. They make a real racket!