Crows, crows, crows.

[ddurbin]

Fellow Forum Members,
I'm looking for some advice and hope some of you can help.  I have a problem with crows.  Here where I live there are several and they are really starting to get on my nerves.  Their continual raucous cawing is very annoying, and nothing seems to work in silencing them.  Although it's hard to distinguish one from the other, there is one that I've identified as being the noisiest and most obnoxious.  Every time it starts cawing, all the others quickly join in.  I try to ignore them, but they just keep on making noise.  I wouldn't mind it so much, but they are keeping all the other songbirds that I do enjoy from coming around anymore, even though there is ample food and water for them.  There was an owl nearby that I enjoyed hearing, but a couple of times the crows all ganged up on it, harassing and bullying it so much that it left.  Shooting them is not permitted here.  Do any of you have any suggestions on how I can get these offensive creatures to be quiet?  Any help will be greatly appreciated.  Dan D.

[Wilma]

The only thing that I have seen scare the crows away was a large hawk or eagle that seemed to be following or chasing them.  Can you determine what is keeping them in your area?

[ddurbin]

Not certain, but I believe they have a roost in a grove of trees on the adjoining property, and it's off-limits.

[ddurbin]

That's part of the problem as well.  The owner doesn't seem to find them objectionable and won't do anything about them.

[Patriot]

Dan

Perhaps these folks can help:  http://kdwpt.state.ks.us/news/Services/Wildlife-Damage-Control/Nuisance-Wildlife-Damage-Control

In other disturbing nuisance news:

Dan, your crows sound an awful lot like the Forum negative bunch, especially the one that babbles the most. Amazing

Red,
You never cease to amaze me.  How you can take a topic like pesky crows and try and turn it into an anti-government, socialistic matter is beyond my comprehension.  Just how tightly tunneled is your vision?

Actually, it looks like the ever positive ELK@KC threw the first stone.... again.

[ddurbin]

Thanks, Patriot.  I'll check out that site.

[Patriot]

Thanks, Patriot.  I'll check out that site.

Good luck.  On the humorous side, you might have a new business opportunity:  Scarecrow production & marketing.   

[readyaimduck]

How about constucting a "scare-crow" 
   ready...... to stuff one 

[Warph]

On a balmy Sunday morning, I lay sprawled over in bed.
No tensions, no worries, just some lazy Sunday rest instead.
The week's aches and pains leaving my tired body...
Then suddenly filling the room, a burst of freshly ground coffee.
I love my Sundays. I love what they brought along.
I loved that I could lie there till noon and nothing could go wrong...
...And as it always happens, I'd spoken too soon.
For, a moment later a cawing crow was right outside my room.
It cawed and cawed till its throat must've dried and it just wouldn't quieten down.
And I knew not what was wrong with it or how to get it to calm down.
If I only knew how to get rid of crows,
I think I would've rid myself of all my woes. 

Checkout these tips:
http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Crows

...and if all else fails:



Use it on the loudmouth crow 

[Warph]

Ravens Do More Than Play Football
February 01, 2013 by eNature

How To Tell A Raven From A 49er— Or A Crow


"Common Raven, note large bill and
stocky build"

Ravens are pretty remarkable birds.  They're among the longest lived birds and are found through much of the world.  

And while it's the Baltimore Ravens playing the Super Bowl, the Common Raven has a story worth knowing too.

While the Baltimore Ravens are getting all the attention these days, the wild ravens who are their namesake are the truly remarkable story.  

And while not dismissing their cousin crows as the boring wallflowers of the party, ravens have a story of their own that's worth knowing.

And it's one that goes on long after the Super Bowl is over!


Avian Royalty
Inside the Tower of London, a man called the Yeoman Raven Master watches over a flock of all-black birds. The same was true back in the 1600s when the tradition started. It arose after a soothsayer predicted that the British monarchy would fall if the ravens disappeared.

But even without their caretaker, these birds probably would have survived.

World Travelers
For one thing, ravens are surprisingly adaptable to differing types of habitat. When winter descends upon northern Alaska and other animals depart, ravens remain to feed, frolic, and breed in the subzero chill. At the opposite extreme, ravens will hunt snakes even in the dizzying summertime heat of a place like Death Valley. Indeed, they're one of the most widely distributed birds in the entire world.

Fine Diners
They're also one of the most opportunistic. In fact, some people call them wolf-birds because of their close association with wolves, bears, coyotes, and killer whales, the hunters ravens depend upon for kills to scavenge. But ravens do more than pick at the remains of dead animals. Scientists believe that ravens work actively to direct predators to potential prey. With appetites as adaptable as their lifestyles, ravens will eat anything from fur seals to french fries and thrive.

Not Just Pretty Faces
And ravens are smart. Researchers such as Bernd Heinrich have tested raven intelligence with astounding results. For example, a raven, given a dozen crackers, will use one as a tray, with other crackers stacked and carried carefully upon it.

And when confronted with multiple donuts, a raven will pass its beak through the hole of one and then grab the edge of another—a perfect solution to the two-donut, one-beak problem.

Talented Performers
And did we mention that ravens can mimic human speech as well as parrots?  Ravens are quite vocal with as many as 30 categories of vocalization recorded, many used for social interaction including alarm calls, chase calls, and flight calls.  

Ravens also engage in play. Juvenile Common Ravens have been observed sliding down snowbanks, apparently just for fun.

Ravens vs. Crows


"American Crow, note smaller
bill than Common Raven's"

Yet despite their intelligence, ravens have not been able to outwit man. Confused with agriculture pests like crows and wrongly suspected in livestock depredation, ravens have suffered much at the hands of varmint shooters. Once prevalent in New England, ravens were locally exterminated and only recently have begun a return to the upper Northeast.

A discriminating birder should have no trouble distinguishing a raven from a crow. Look for the raven's larger size and heavier bill. The feather tufts at the neck and wedge-shaped tail feathers in flight also differentiate it from a crow. So will its distinctive vocalizations, which include an assortment of low quorks, knocks, and mumbles.

Have you had an encounter with a raven in the wild—or perhaps at the Tower of London?

The Chihuahuan Raven (Corvus cryptoleucus)



Description Adult: Has glossy black plumage. JUVENILE Similar, but with brown wash to plumage.

Dimensions: Length: 19-21" (48-53 cm)

Habitat: Fairly common in deserts and dry grasslands of southwestern U.S. Mostly resident, but range expands north in summer and contracts south in winter.

Observation Tips: Tail shape, neck featherbases and call separate Chihuahuan and Common Ravens.

Range: Texas, Plains, Rocky Mountains, Southwest

Voice: Utters a coarse, croaking who-aak; distinctly crowlike and lacking deep resonance of Common Raven.

Discussion: Arid-country corvid. Very similar to Common Raven. Smaller size is of little use in field identification. Overall, looks sleeker and with less shaggy throat than Common; bill is also subtly shorter, and its tail is more rounded and less wedge-shaped. Diagnostic white bases to neck feathers are sometimes revealed if feathers are wind-ruffled. Sexes are similar.


American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)



Family: Corvidae, Crows, Magpies, Jays 

Description: Adult Has glossy, all-black plumage with a relatively long, dark bill and dark legs. In flight, note the rather long, fan-shaped tail. JUVENILE Similar, but has a pale iris and an brownish tinge overall to plumage.

Dimensions: Length: 17-21" (43-53 cm)

Habitat: Populations have declined markedly due to West Nile Virus in some areas, but still widespread and common, favoring a wide range of habitats, including urban areas. Resident across much of its range, but northern birds migrate south in fall.

Observation Tips: Easy to find.

Range: Plains, Southeast, Rocky Mountains, Great Lakes, California, Texas, New England, Western Canada, Southwest, Northwest, Florida, Alaska, Eastern Canada, Mid-Atlantic

Voice: Utters a familiar, raucous caaw, caaw.

Discussion: Archetypal crow and the yardstick by which to judge other dark-plumaged corvids. Sometimes bold, but becomes more wary where persecuted. An opportunistic feeder with an omnivorous diet that includes carrion, scraps scavenged at garbage dumps, and grain spills, and live prey. Variably gregarious outside breeding season. Sexes are similar.