Problems with a Crow

I used to think you were a pretty cool person. No more. Good bye.

I am. Sorry. Had to be done. No recourse.

Son-of-a-wrek used to have all kinds crap in the back of his truck. You know, fast food wrappers, cans, odd bag of trash.
He came over one evening and when he went to leave, crows were in his truck having at his crap.

The crows around my house have a number of individuals with a few white feathers on the left wing

He was whacking at the crows to get them outta of the truck bed. He may have actually hit one or two with the branch he was using. No one died.
It’s many years later and the crows torment him everytime he comes here. They poop all over his truck and him if they catch him walking any distance.
The relentless cawing doesn’t stop til he leaves.
I figure we’re in the 3rd generation now.
We don’t hear the noise of the cawing, anymore. It’s always guests who notice it. When we explain it they don’t believe it. Til they see how the crows keep watch over Son. Then see the poo on his truck.

They’re just biding their time and watching for you to let your guard down.

I recommend that you sleep with your windows closed and locked from the inside.

I recall reading about an experiment where the researcher did something harassing (I misremember exactly what) to a crow while wearing a grotesque rubber mask. As expected, every time he went into that area wearing the mask he was mobbed, while he was left alone when not wearing it.

He put the mask away for several years, then wore it again in a nearby area. And once again he was mobbed, including by juveniles who were not yet born when the initial experiment took place. I don’t believe there was a firm conclusion as to how it took place, but there definitely seemed to be a generational information transfer going on.

About 40 years ago on Fort Sill OK the walk between the Marine Corps BEQs and “mainside” (PX, commissary, bowling alley, movie theater, etc) took you across an open field about 300 yards long. A bird, not a crow but something else and not as big, would sweep at your head as you crossed that field. That was in the early 1980s. Ten years later when I returned for more artillery training, sure as shootin’ the same thing would happen.

It has to be a different bird, right? That’s what I think.

Anyway one good solution is to get a cheap tennis racket and work on your net game: overhead smashes, and quick return vollies. Don’t actually hit the bird, but scare the ever-livin’ swoop out of them. I doubt you could react fast enough to hit the bird. The air is their “home court advantage”, not ours.

Anyway don’t hit them, but scare them. If you come close enough they’ll think twice about dive bombing you.

Have you thought about carrying a Crow-BAR to fend off the crow?

I saw that study on a PBS special episode of Nature.
They actually have film of the scientist doing his research in a mask and w/o.
Very interesting.

I’ve seen a murder of crows in my own backyard. So I know they have intelligence and hold grudges.

This is why I want one to live with me😟

Just what is that supposed to be? You mean

Can you imagine living in a world where ALL wild animals act like this? Humans probably would have died out long ago.

Some parts of the year we have crows circling overhead at our house and making a loud racket. I haven’t tracked this activity to see if they repeat it in certain months.

They are very loud and they are a nuisance.

They are “caucusing.” At least, that’s what I call it.

I’ve lived with ravens in my forest for years. Most of the time you only see them in mated pairs, doing raven things. But every now and then, they come together to have a discussion about something or someone. Hundreds will gather together in a noisy flock and carry on for quite awhile.

Twice when they did this, I went out to investigate. Each time, they had drilled a member out of their group. The one who was kicked out was left to walk around alone on the ground, either unwilling or unable to fly. I didn’t interfere. I figured it was their business and I had no place in it.

Once I found a deceased one and placed it very visibly in my garden. They stopped eating my corn when it was planted ever after.

One year, a mated pair tore apart a brand new spa cover to use for nesting material. I “trained” them to stop hanging out at the back of the house where the spa is located by leaving treats for them in the front and scaring them when they came to the back. At least they’ve learned to leave the spa cover alone and I no longer see them in the trees behind the house.

They are incredibly smart and I’m glad I made friends with them long ago. I never want members of the corvidae pissed off at me.

The raven whisperer speaks! :slight_smile:

LOL, if only – I couldn’t manage to get them to leave that spa cover alone!!

It was costly.

Yep, bribery works.

Rather than a standard tennis racquet, get one of those bug-zapper jobbies from Harbor Freight. An electrified swat with that thing might get the message across a whole lot faster!

~VOW