Student Birder
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Viewing 7 posts - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)
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There is a lot of lawn right where I live. That's where I see crows foraging the most. I am concerned as I know there is a great deal of pesticide / herbicide on the lawn to keep it green and even. I had a line of bluebird nests that I checked regularly. On several occasions I found all chicks and parent were dead inside. I tended to blame that on the lawn pesticides. I don't know any crow nests so don't know if they have the same problem with dead young. The crows drink in the creek that runs along side my home (also bathe). They also drink from my bird bath. They don't seem very afraid of people. Most people here like them, but there are some that hate them. And some that don't even seem to notice them.
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1. Yes, our crows seem healthy, but a few days ago I did notice a one-footed crow perched on my bird bath. In fact I was going to remark about it in an earlier lesson but forgot. Not sure if it is foot disease; if it was it is not a clean injury. Yes, WNV did have an impact on the population of crows here and people still monitor for dead crows. 2. I haven't seen anything that I would call aggression, but I did see an argument that I thought was a parent child issue, but that's what I read into it and since none of the crows are marked, I am just projecting. But they do seem to cooperate, walking around & foraging and watching out for each other.
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1. Inbreeding has been shown to result in reduced viability in wild populations -- our mountain lions in So Cal are showing the results of inbreeding by increased number of abnormalities, liked kinked tails and cleft palates. I've also heard that decreased immune resistance to disease has occurred in other wild inbred populations (maybe one of the reasons that facial tumors are common in Tasmanian devils). 2. Yes beneficial because the female is not relying solely on the genetic contribution of one male -- what if there are some abnormalities that show up later in life in their offspring? Having multiple mates increases her chance of mating with a strong male and producing successful offspring.
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I think easier, because of longevity due to living with family. They may have to wait awhile, but they have time as they are long-lived. I've heard that the mortality of many songbird species in the first year is very high (strike 1); then they still have to find a territory and a mate (survivors are tougher and more experienced) and then they have to raise their chicks without help. So the crow strategy is a good one.
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Where I live is a sort of pre-roost. There are large gatherings of crows in late afternoon. They talk and fly about and drink or bathe in the stream, then they take off. I know where there is a large roost not far from me (about 3,000 birds). I really don't see much variation in the gatherings near me over the year. I like having them come through.
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I've seen moderate sized groups foraging on lawns and around houses, but never large flocks of 200 or so. I do see enormous congregations in the evenings as they head for roosts or just gather and talk. We do have enormous flocks of gulls who head to the landfills every morning.
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What it takes to be an ornithologist. I just can't imagine myself climbing such tall trees and bringing down chicks and then climbing back up to put them back. I like watching crows and wish the ones around me were banded so I could tell if I see the same one repeatedly. I've seen crows do so many interesting things.
Viewing 7 posts - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)