Janet

I live in a suburban neighborhood in the greater Los Angeles area.  There is a tall verge of trees that borders this subdivision, and it has always been home for lots of crows for many years.  They are active, noisy, and raucous, and I always wonder what they are talking about.  And I wonder if they know me from putting out birdseed.   They do alert everyone if there is a hawk or other predator in the area.  I actively feed the birds in my backyard and have tried putting out peanuts for the crows, but they never come in my yard.  The squirrels get the peanuts.  I see in the comments that many people are successful in feeding crows in their yards.   The only exception was many years ago in the spring for a few years only the crows would come in my yard, tear out the newly planted flowers from their pots and get a beak full of dirt for their nest.   I was mystified as to who was doing this until I watched one doing it.  They are very clever. They often perch on the telephone pole and the lines across the backyard, I guess as sentries, usually one at a time but sometimes a whole group.  Several years ago I was able to call my city to rescue a crow who had a foot caught up in a guy wire on the telephone pole.  I always wonder if that crow would recognize me.  I am surprised that most of my neighbors simply tune out the crows cawing.  When they are making a big fuss, I look around to see what's up and often it is something quite interesting.  At twilight they really fuss a lot and fly around as they roost and settle in for the night.  I wonder if they are telling each other about their day?