After living here in Naperville, Illinois for five years, one evening near dusk a huge flock of swallows flew over and around our house and trees. It was a beautiful sight to behold!
My neighbor has no inclination to kill crows, but if she did I would tell her that crows that frequent her property recognize her face and think she's nice.
I live in the western suburbs of Chicago and had never seen a crow in our yard even though we put out lots of seed, suet and peanuts. One day, a crow finally appeared on the ground and it had a dragging wing. It later flew away and now has come to visit once in a while. A friend of mine spotted a crow with a dragging wing a few blocks away and I'm convinced it is our visitor. I've occasionally seen crows on top of parking lot light posts and building roofs. I always smile broadly and tell it "Hello crow; you're beautiful!"
Upon hearing quite a ruckus coming from the forest behind our property, I spotted a hawk flying out over our lawn, with a murder of noisy crows in pursuit. By chasing the hawk out of the forest, the crows nests were protected as were any other birds in the forest.