Crows make it look as if they have the world by the tail. When the dark river of them flies over to the nightly roost, they look powerful and untouchable. In her poem, Crows, Mary Oliver describes this view of them: glossy and rowdy and indistinguishable. The deep muscle of the world. But that anonymous …
Continue reading Marvin and Mavis: A Love Story
Crowflix February 03 2019, 0 Comments
Sometimes the best way to tear yourself away from binge-watching the TV is to drag yourself outside and tune in to the always entertaining Crow Channel. I’d planned an archival Ken Burns-style documentary for this blog post, going over everything that’s happened with the local crows since I last did an update last fall. After …
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1. Crows Are a Gateway Bird Crows are often the only obvious representative of the natural world that a busy urbanite might see in a day. Many more wild things live among us, of course — but crows are so “in your face” that they’re hard to overlook, no matter how distracted you are. Once …
Continue reading 6 Reasons Why Crows Make Great Therapists
Crow Therapy November 25 2018, 0 Comments
It’s been a busy week, starting on Monday when I was interviewed by Gloria Macarenko on the CBC Radio One’s show — On The Coast. You can listen to the interview here. The subject of our chat was my City Crow calendar in particular, and “crow therapy” in general. I must admit that when I first …
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I’ve been meaning to write this post for months … possibly years. I’m often asked about my photography — what kind of equipment I use, lighting and so on — so I naturally I thought I’d blog about it. Starting a new post is a bit like deciding the angle from which you will dive …
Continue reading Crow Photo Tips
Crow roost visiting as therapy — I’m not sure it will catch on as a mainstream practice, but it works for me. The first time I went to the Still Creek crow roost was about ten years ago. I’d recently received some bad news and, having moped about for a few days, felt the need …
Continue reading Last Call at Still Creek
Crow Gossip November 10 2017, 0 Comments
Just in case you tire of human news, here’s a “celebrity profile” of a different sort. I’m not sure “who” this up-and-coming power couple are wearing this fall. Their lives seem to be pretty scandal-free, although you’d have to listen to the roost rumours to be sure of that. Politically, I’d say they’re pretty apathetic …
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It’s taken me a ridiculous length of time to get to this simple little blog . I’m just trying to update you on the WHO, WHAT and WHERE of the local crow families. But it’s complicated! I tried writing it all in words and it was confusing even me, so I decided we needed a …
Continue reading A Puzzlement of Crows
My mother had a storehouse of wonderful sayings — one for every occasion, really. If I was looking particularly unkempt (a look I actively cultivated in my hippy days, but that’s an entirely different story) she’d say I looked as if I’d been “dragged through a hedge backwards.” Sometimes, at the end of a particularly hard …
Continue reading Dishevelled Crows
Watch for the last few seconds of this baby crow self-grooming video. I think he’s auditioning for his own show on Comedy Network. It has been a bit quiet in the neighbourhood of late. That’s all changed with the advent of the corvid triplets. They do not keep their feeling to themselves. When hungry …
Continue reading Noisy New Neighbours
This blog post is really just a huge thank-you for all the lovely, thoughtful, funny, comforting, poetic messages I’ve received after my last post about the passing of George. They’ve come via blog comments, email, text, Messenger, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. I expect a carrier pigeon at any moment … There have been stories of …
Continue reading Thank-You So Much
I knew I’d be upset when, inevitably, something happened to one of my crow acquaintances. Even so, I’m surprised at how many tears I’ve shed since burying my pal, George Brokenbeak. He’s laid to rest on the “garden of tears” side of the yard, along with countless beloved goldfish and hamsters, and the late …
Continue reading In Memory of George
The neighbourhood is alive with all kinds of baby bird noises. Loudest of all, naturally, are the baby crows. Here is a sample of some of the hilarious baby crow moments I’ve had the joy to observe in the last few days of dog walking. I’m very lucky that Geordie is a patient sort of …
Continue reading Real Baby Crows of East Van
The neighbourhood is alive with all kinds of baby bird noises. Loudest of all, naturally, are the baby crows. Here is a sample of some of the hilarious baby crow moments I’ve had the joy to observe in the last few days of dog walking. I’m very lucky that Geordie is a patient sort of …
Continue reading Real Baby Crows of East Van
It was just like a door-crasher sale for crows, with home furnishings 50% off. Like a gang of bargain bin foragers, they created an explosion of tugging, flapping, snapping, inspecting and discarding. Reject twigs littered the sidewalk. In spite of the massive effort involved in finally getting a stick free, the crows would often cast a critical look at …
Continue reading Nesting Instinct
It was just like a door-crasher sale for crows, with home furnishings 50% off. Like a gang of bargain bin foragers, they created an explosion of tugging, flapping, snapping, inspecting and discarding. Reject twigs littered the sidewalk. In spite of the massive effort involved in finally getting a stick free, the crows would often cast a critical look at …
Continue reading Nesting Instinct
Not literally, of course. Crow hugging is fraught with peril at the best of times, but especially in spring when nesting season has them a bit tense. But I do suggest that you give the crow (or pick your favourite bird, plant, patch of moss or mollusk) a special thought today. It’s Earth Day so, ideally, …
Continue reading Hug a Crow This Earth Day
Crows and ravens are generally (and understandably) described as birds with black plumage. It is their darkness that allows them to grace the sky with such striking calligraphy. Formal sentences composed on wires; more fluid, improvisational characters when taking to the air. But it’s so much more complicated, and beautiful, than that. Crow and raven feathers are …
Continue reading The Colour of Crows
Hop-Along Hank February 18 2016, 0 Comments
Sometimes I wonder if there’s a crow memo circulating, directing slightly invalided birds to my place. There’s George Brokenbeak and also Hop-Along Hank. Hank walks with a limp because of a problem with his right foot that he’s had for as long as I’ve known him. Flying is no problem for him, but I can spot …
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I love colour. I really do love colour. But there is something very beautiful in a landscape stripped down to shades of black and white. Stark and simple. Here’s a little photo essay on a lovely world almost devoid of colour.
I would describe George’s 2015 as “catastrophic”. Still, there are lessons to be learned from his persistence. His year has been so awful, it’s taken me a while to prepare myself to tell the story, and look again at some of the images. George appeared in my garden about midway through the long, hot, dry summer last year. …
Continue reading George’s Tough Year
Read this blog and the others in the scavenger hunt, find the answers to the questions, and race to win fabulous prizes (including one of my raven pendants)! I have to admit, I have been a bit envious of the little girl in Seattle* who has received so many fabulous gifts from the crows she feeds every day in her garden. …
Continue reading Crow Gifts of All Kinds
