I will continue to add to this list of behaviors I have observed first hand.
All observations are Jungle Crow unless noted otherwise.
There are no dates prior to Nov 29, 2013, and many missing dates and times;
I will try to be a better Ornithologist.
92. Dec 2014
Watched a pair for ten minutes from above, when I was on an 8th floor balcony. The female devoured part of a persimmon, which they seem to love, then stashed the remainder in a rain gutter from which she then drank. She swooped down to visit her mate who she somehow knew was in the rain drainage "river" searching for ? He flew up and over the building onto a light post over the main road from which he croaked and postured. Spring warm up?
91. Nov 2014
Huge wind storm blew leaves off a tree, high up into the sky. Several Crows enjoyed chasing the leaves, and swooping and diving amongst them. Initially I thought the leaves were Sparrows being hunted. One Crow grabbed a leaf with one foot, then collected another in its other foot, then snapped at another, but decided to let go of the two it had. Only time I ever seen this before.
90. Nov 2014
Crow hung upside down from a telephone wire with a plastic guard in order to cache food into the plastic cover.
89. June 2014
June is the season to squabble. It appears that the new youngsters are grown, and perhaps they are old enough to assist with some territorial battles. Seems like Crows all over town are squabbling, dive bombing, tangling, growling, and otherwise testing eachother. Not sure if it is intra-family, or inter-clan commotions. Wish I had more time to watch.
88. Swallow this!
(May 2014) Missed a great opportunity to film Swallows defending their nest by dive bombing the daylights out of a large male Jungle Crow repeatedly. I could not tell who won in the end, but it did appear that the swallows succeeded in defending their nest of youngsters. The large male Crow was pinned down, unable to go one way or the other for quite some time before he managed to make his escape.
87. Boys and Girls?
Am I imagining it, or do male Crows generally lead the females around?
86. Helping The Injured
There is a paired, injured Crow in my park. It appears her mate is sticking with her. Her injury is almost identical in nature and severity to Fig's. Wish I could watch more. Wonderimg if she will survive with her mate's help.
85. Wild Crows Using Cardboard?
I am still watching, but it appears as though Crows are using cardboard spread out over leafy ground to attract, and catch insects.
84. Late-January
A Crow was walking in the morning commuter traffic cawing. It was just walking along in the pedestrian traffic with the people on foot, and the cyclists, squawking away. Many people were taking notice but they just walked around it. I stopped to observe for a while, and even my focused attention did not bother the Crow. I thought it might be injured, sick, or attracted to some food, or perhaps that its mate had been run over by a car (unlikely for a Crow). Turns out there was a bit of food which it eventually flew away with, a noodle, I think. Still, I have never seen such a bold Crow mingling as it was with traffic. I think it was probably an older Crow, and it had gotten separated from its mate, so it was upset, calling again and again, trying to reconnect. In its state of distress it simply ceased to worry about the human inhabitants which it would usually be more wary of. I will check the location again later to see if the Crow remained there, calling, or moved on. It was a very unusual behavior indeed.
83. Mid-January (Mingling With Human Foot Traffic)
Crows are very wary and aware of being observed. Even if I am in a building, looking out a window, pretending not to be watching them, they pick up on the fact that they are being observed immediately. I ought to do a study to see how long they spook for on average. How long will they go away for before they come back. Had this happen three or four times this month, and I thought I was being very clandestine. Damn clever birds must have incredible eyesight. Much more observant that people. One has to wonder why, when there are no natural enemies about. I see a lot of what appear to be mated pairs around these days. I even see nest material collection. Perhaps these newly mated pairs are especially spooky as they gear up for spring mating and nesting which is obviously a private, and risky undertaking.
82. January 13, Temp 8-10 degrees C
Crows are eating pyracanthus berries. Must be hungry. Have not seen that before.
Crows are back in the local park forest. Seems some may have found new mates as big new males are about. Made me think perhaps the purpose of roosts is to pick up a spouse.
They are foraging in leaves on the ground and spend a lot of time pecking rotted fallen branches' wood. Wish I had binocs. I have no idea what they are eating. Ants, termites? I will have to investigate. Winter has pushed their diet in last resort directions. I wish I could weigh a Crow to see if it puts on weight over summer, then loses it in winter. I will try giving Fig some pyrocanthus berries to see if she likes them.
81. December 2013 Hard Winter
It is more difficult to see Crows these days, inparticular Fig's family, because they are off doing winter congregation time in large roosts, but it is also difficult to actually watch them when they can be seen because winter exacts a toll. The birds are clearly more desperate for food, checking garbage collection areas regularly in more rapid cycles as they tend to do in Spring nesting season too, though they are usually looking for nest construction materials in the Spring. In December they have an urgency in their faces which, having Fig, I can clearly comprehend. It is hard to watch. While I have never fed any of Fig's family even a crumb, nor fed Fig in front of them, they sometimes come near to me because I am familiar as the guy helping Fig, and they tilt their head at me as if to say, Hey buddy, got any food for me? We humans forget that for the birds, it's life and death, hour to hour, day in day out. We also do not see the larger historical picture which has brought about the current realities for modern Crows because we tend to live in our little window of time. I hope to write about the history of persecution, ecological system, and biodiversity degradation at some point which I think is responsible for the relationship we have with these animals today where they find themselves out of balance with the whole eco-system as a result of human activity.
80. I started an observational study called Movement of Crows in trees. You can read about it under the Studies post if you like. Of course, it is just my luck that all the Crows are off wintering somewhere today, so there are literally zero observations to be made today. I hope it doesn't stay that way for months.
79. Dec 11, 2013 8:20am Two Crows eating vomit. Not an exciting morning of bird watching. Rainy. All the Crows will be out and about, and the forest will be mostly deserted. Too bad.
78. Dec 10, 2013 7:55am Walking the kids to school. For the first time ever, I spotted a Sea Hawk in my neighborhood, not the ball player, the bird. Fig's mom was very dutifully chasing it off from beneath while a half dozen cowardly Pigeons were fleeing at 70mph, dashing in among apartment buildings looking for hiding places. Big big big beautiful bird.
77. Dec 6, 2013 4:15pm When the Crows fly away for the day, to congregate near the zoo, in the fall, it seems to me that the resident mating pair stays back an hour or two. This is the only time I witness Crows sitting close to one another within a meter, for short times face to face almost, opposing shoulders overlapping, “cuddling” and chatting to one another. The very close affection sessions only last no more than 30 minutes, but the birds stay close for an hour or more preening, and relaxing together. There may be one, or two other birds in proximity. Perhaps the elder children? I have not seen this activity at any other time throughout the day. I see pairs together flying during the day, but there is always distance, and I suspect they are young siblings. Also, I see pairs in the forest, but again there is distance between them, always, so I think they are siblings. Only after the juvenile Crows have left do I see behavior that looks like affectionate lovie dovie time. I think I can see them vocalizing quietly to one another, and very occasionally, preening or touching with beaks, but not a lot. It is rare to catch this. After all, it is early December. I suspect the younger Crows head off to congregate in order to play, practice flying, and learn from other Crows, and start forming relationships which lead to courtship, and mating. The Crows staying behind in their resident territories are established pairs who have no reason to head off to the night clubs.
76. It seems to me that the Crows near the schools where I work have synched their schedules with the school day to a degree. Maybe I am just imagining it, but it seems like the Crows come to the forest area at the same time the kids come to school. Likewise, the juvenile Crows have a playtime at recess. And at the end of the day, the Crows also go home, or elsewhere. Am I imagining this?
75. If it starts raining mid-day, Crows go with the flow and bath high in the branches. If the rain starts in the morning, most avoid the forest for the day. I think they go off hunting worms or something. In any case on a day that starts rainy they tend to stick to the city and fields more.
74. Saw two Crows chasing a tail-less Crow. These were siblings known to me, and I suspect it was more teasing than attacking. But I cannot help but wonder how the one lost it’s entire tail. Looked like a stealth bomber, and as far as I could tell, I think he desired a bit more stealth.
73. Saw a Crow in fast flight just after take off, going straight through the trees, stick its right leg up and over its right wing (which was extended and flapping) to scratch its head. This seemed a very unusual maneuver which I have never seen before, and seemed very tricky indeed. I was not even aware that this position was physically possible.. At first it looked as though it were carrying a forked stick.
72. Nov 29, 2013 Discovered a Crow feasting on a 6 month old cat carcass this morning. Not a pretty sight, but I am certain the cat was roadkill as it was next to the busy road. The Crow may have dragged it onto the sidewalk. I only saw one Crow. Crows could not have killed a cat so near to cover; the cat would just have run under one of the many available hiding spots. I do not think the local Crows are in the habit of killing ferel cats, but the plentiful supply of road kill no doubt is one reason the Crows flourish. I took one photo of this poor cat as evidence.
71. Nov 30, 2013 A loud helicopter hovered over the park wood for half an hour. Many of the resident Crows lined up along the edge of a long, four story building. I suspect these were the young birds in the group. They paid careful intent attention to the noisy flying gizmo for several minutes, obviously disturbed by the noise, and worried enough to leave the trees, and line up on the building where they probably felt they could beat a hasty escape if they needed too. They were clearly observing the craft, and taking no chances. The older Crows remained in the trees unconcerned. Helicopters hovering are not a common sight in these parts, but you see one from time to time, usually traveling over. I think they were taking photos.
70. Nov 30, 2013 In the afternoon, sitting atop a satellite dish, a big Crow was rallying the flock to head out of the park, and off to the local Zoo where they congregate on the forested hilltop for the late afternoon, and evening. In the middle of calling, the bird seemed to notice that the satellite dish was interesting, and it dipped it's head forward to call into the dish a couple of times. Finding this interesting, it jumped onto the central protrusion and called directly into the dish a couple of times, though less loudly than when on task, because it was distracted by whatever effect the dish was having. Very soon the bird gave up interest and got back on task. I have no idea what effect yelling into a satellite dish has, but I will try to find one similar which I can experiment with myself and update this observation.
69. Sliding down metal posts and spires on building tops like firemen in order to get down to the roof.
68. Nov 29, 2013 Fig's Mother and Father recognized me this morning as I was walking my son to school. We were 6-7 blocks from home when they spotted me from half a block away, and flew over. Fig's mother was especially interested in squawking at me. Not sure at this point exactly what it all meant. They followed us for about three blocks. Fig's mother landed on a telephone post and gave me an earfull at the red light, then moved on. I think she was just saying, Hey, I know you! Where is Fig? Oh not here now. See you later then.
67. A crow appeared to have a "Teddy Bear" or at least it was carrying around an article of fabric which was not food. He seemed to be keeping it for purely entertainment/possession as this was in the fall, not nesting season. It seemed to be a toy, because I saw him carrying it around in his beak and perching on it repeatedly over several hours, ocassionally pecking at it for no particular reason.
66. Pulling string for fun.
65. Drinking water from the raingutter of a house during the heat of summer.
64. Itching by rubbing the head on a post, telephone wire, board.
63. Fleeing in fear from a horsefly (I am still determining the exact variety of fly).
62. Tearing up paper for fun.
61. Taking only the yoke from an egg, leaving the white.
60. Eating small flies, and mosquitos which approach them. Snapping them from mid air.
59. Being pursued by an owl in the forest at great speed during mid-day.
58. Transporting long sticks, food, held in beak.
57. Transporting long sticks, food, in clutches of their feet.
56. Compacting the feathers and body to sleep minimizing heat.
55. Bouncing/bounding/jumping.
54. Walking/ambulating human style.
53. Pulling fibers out of a towel.
52. Holding food in place to peck it apart into smaller pieces by standing on it with one, or two feet.
51. Carrying food by overstuffing the Pelican-like sack under the beak.
50. Carrying food by stashing it under the wing, or tucking it into feathers.
49. Jungle Crow cough up pellets of indigestible food, seed hulls, meat vein, or gristle, etc... If a Crow drinks whole milk it will cough up a pellet of soft yogurt. They probably should not consume milk.
48. (F) I saw a family of Crows feasting on a box of watermelon which fell off the back of a truck. Several Crows watched traffic, while the others feast in cooperative feeding.
47. (1) I have seen Jungle Crows feasting on human vomit, of noodles on several occasions, of which there is quite a lot in Japan for some reason.
46. (F) I have seen Jungle Crows bathing in small rivers. Usually mid-day, or early afternoon. They get very wet standing directly in the stream, paying particular attention to washing their heads and necks, then dry on a fence, wings draped. I have seen them bathing in the evening after sundown too.
45. (F) I have seen that on rainy days the Jungle Crows abandon the wet forest to go off somewhere else. I know not where, but I suspect to fields to look for worms.
44. (F) Jungle Crow spend hours just sitting in trees in the middle of the day. They will preen, and adjust their feathers, and relax without eating for hours.
43. (C) I have observed hundreds of Crows circling in congregation over a hilltop in the evening hours many times. They come from all directions in the afternoon before sunset. c, and a-b
42. (1) I have witnessed a very angry Sparrow chasing a Jungle Crow at super high speed in and out of busy rush hour traffic. The Crow appeared to be genuinely afraid, though I suspect it was enjoying a high speed game of chase.
41. (F, then 1) I have witnessed mother Crow chasing a large Hawk relentlessly from her territory on several different occasions. The family usually helps at first, but the mother usually keeps at it until the Hawk is escorted miles away.
40. I have seen Forest Crows and Jungle Crows eating something from the side of trees, either insects, sap, or moss, as yet I cannot tell. They love pecking old wood, and are almost woodpeckers. Their beaks continually grow, and shed 2-4cm long fingernail looking pieces every month or few weeks.
39. (F) I have observed Jungle Crows and Forest Crows sitting in trees. Jungle Crows sit high, always very well spaced by at least 2-3 meters. They communicate constantly. I think the main mother counts her children and knows them by voice. She uses a high pitched call to summon everyone together. Forest Crows sit lower in the trees, are very quiet, and spend a lot of time on the ground hiding food, looking for hidden food, and foraging for insects. Sometimes Jungle Crows chase Forest Crows to lower perches in the trees.
38. (F and Forest Crow mixed) I once fed the Jungle Crows in the Park with a Forest Crow present, tossing them bread from a safe distance. Everyone came to watch, but no one took the bread. Then a big older male showed up, collected all the bread and flew off with most of it in his beak. After that, the Forest Crow swooped in to mop up. None of the other Jungle Crows objected or tried to take any bread. Either the big daddy was in charge, and they knew it and feared his reprisals, or they were the unhungriest Crows ever.
37. (F, 5-6) I once watched several of Fig's siblings collectively hunting Cicada in the trees under our balcony. One Crow would dive into the tree, wings wide open, and the others would swoop in after the fleeing insects. It seemed to me that this was a chasing game amongst the younger members of the family, as I never saw any Cicada caught, harmed, or eaten, though they did get chased. This was practice for hunting other things more delicious, or just juvenile play. Perhaps an older Crow was giving instruction.
36. In exactly mid-November, all of Fig's family left for Winter Congregation. I see one, or two of them around every other day or so, but never more than one or two at a go. Fig still calls for them during the day, but his calls go largely unanswered these days.
35. (F C) Once at our local park, Fig's family and others were congregating in preparation for their annual "migration" and upwards of 200 Crows swirled around for almost 30 minutes making a tremendous uproar, rallying in the sky in support of poor Fig who they all seem to like very much, and understand was unable to fly.
34. (F) Sometimes Fig' parents or siblings will follow us if I take Fig on a tethered walk. Sometimes for long periods of time, sometimes just for a couple of looks, ocassionally they come lower and nearer in flight, or perch to observe but perches will almost always be selected a distance on a high vantage point. It is always in the spirit of support for Fig, without any aggression toward me. If I take Fig into another family's territory the uproar is quite spectacular, and the tone can be quite aggressive, but more from a We feel threatened point of view, than a We are threatening you point of view.
33. (F) Sometimes Fig' family roosts around Fig to express their support for her from high up on building tops while Fig is on the ground, with me, on a wall, or in a tree.
32. (F) Fig's parents, and siblings rally over her, circling in the sky in the mornings and the evenings before and after daily migrations to feed sites, and forest territory. This is Fig's chance to practice his communication which is limited compared with his siblings.
31. (2) Fig's mother flew down next to him and stood face to face very close to encourage him to fly several times since he was rehabilitated.
30. (2) Fig's father flew down next to her and chatted quietly for about a minute on one occasion. I thought he was going to kill Fig, but he was so soft, and gentle.
29. (1) recollecting me by face from a distance as an unwanted observer
28. (I) chasing smaller, quieter Forest Crows down from higher perching places
27. (I) chasing Doves in the forest, but not catching or eating them
26. (F) tagging tall spire atop building in playful flight. c and a-b
25. (F) standing on the ground in Family unit in shaded place mid-day in summer.
24. (F) standing in falling snow
23. (F) standing in pouring rain
22. (F) collecting fresh pine needles in a small group from pine trees.
21. (F) collecting, steeling wire hangers from people's balconies
20. (2) nest building with sticks trees, and on utility poles.
19. (2) cooperative minding, babysitting young on the ground, taking turns
18. (2) guarding young on the ground after a wind storm by throwing down plucked off branches, pecking loudly, cawing, and defecation divebomb
17. (2) cooperatively watching for danger, standing guard while partner investigates garbage areas outside apartment buildings, even entering hard to enter fenced areas
16. (1) (Forest Crow) collecting food stashed in forest to eat.
15. (1) (Forest Crow) hiding food in various places in a small area of the forest
14. (2) waiting atop a traffic light, waiting for traffic to stop, and cooperatively watching both directions for any traffic before crossing the road to a food stash on a low roof.
13. Crows dropped a cat spine in the playground. Not related to 11. I suspect it was roadkill, or a dead cat.
12. (F) Mother Crow coming down to the forest floor to stand next to a large intruding feral cat to pressure it to leave. Standing right by it for 20 minutes or more until it left.
11. (F) Mother Crow calling family together. Identifying everyone by voice. Counting the kids?
10. (F) Sprinting, Racing through dense trees.
9. (F and C) Inverted grapple attack. Inverting under another individual. a-b, and c
8. (F and C) Divebombing a flying individual. c
7. (F and C) Divebombing a perched individual. c
6. (1 in F) Flipping over, inverting on take off from a ledge perch in response to being divebombed.
5. (1C) Soaring very high, flapping, usually a-b sometimes c
4. (1) Soaring very high, in long glides, usually a-b.
3. (1 in F and C) Flipping upside down in flight in response to being divebombed. a-b, but usually c
2. (2, 3 in C) Grappling feet in midair, like Ravens. a-b, and c
1. (1, 2) Swooping up and down "rollercoastering"in flight, like Ravens. a-b
All observations are Jungle Crow unless noted otherwise.
There are no dates prior to Nov 29, 2013, and many missing dates and times;
I will try to be a better Ornithologist.
92. Dec 2014
Watched a pair for ten minutes from above, when I was on an 8th floor balcony. The female devoured part of a persimmon, which they seem to love, then stashed the remainder in a rain gutter from which she then drank. She swooped down to visit her mate who she somehow knew was in the rain drainage "river" searching for ? He flew up and over the building onto a light post over the main road from which he croaked and postured. Spring warm up?
91. Nov 2014
Huge wind storm blew leaves off a tree, high up into the sky. Several Crows enjoyed chasing the leaves, and swooping and diving amongst them. Initially I thought the leaves were Sparrows being hunted. One Crow grabbed a leaf with one foot, then collected another in its other foot, then snapped at another, but decided to let go of the two it had. Only time I ever seen this before.
90. Nov 2014
Crow hung upside down from a telephone wire with a plastic guard in order to cache food into the plastic cover.
89. June 2014
June is the season to squabble. It appears that the new youngsters are grown, and perhaps they are old enough to assist with some territorial battles. Seems like Crows all over town are squabbling, dive bombing, tangling, growling, and otherwise testing eachother. Not sure if it is intra-family, or inter-clan commotions. Wish I had more time to watch.
88. Swallow this!
(May 2014) Missed a great opportunity to film Swallows defending their nest by dive bombing the daylights out of a large male Jungle Crow repeatedly. I could not tell who won in the end, but it did appear that the swallows succeeded in defending their nest of youngsters. The large male Crow was pinned down, unable to go one way or the other for quite some time before he managed to make his escape.
87. Boys and Girls?
Am I imagining it, or do male Crows generally lead the females around?
86. Helping The Injured
There is a paired, injured Crow in my park. It appears her mate is sticking with her. Her injury is almost identical in nature and severity to Fig's. Wish I could watch more. Wonderimg if she will survive with her mate's help.
85. Wild Crows Using Cardboard?
I am still watching, but it appears as though Crows are using cardboard spread out over leafy ground to attract, and catch insects.
84. Late-January
A Crow was walking in the morning commuter traffic cawing. It was just walking along in the pedestrian traffic with the people on foot, and the cyclists, squawking away. Many people were taking notice but they just walked around it. I stopped to observe for a while, and even my focused attention did not bother the Crow. I thought it might be injured, sick, or attracted to some food, or perhaps that its mate had been run over by a car (unlikely for a Crow). Turns out there was a bit of food which it eventually flew away with, a noodle, I think. Still, I have never seen such a bold Crow mingling as it was with traffic. I think it was probably an older Crow, and it had gotten separated from its mate, so it was upset, calling again and again, trying to reconnect. In its state of distress it simply ceased to worry about the human inhabitants which it would usually be more wary of. I will check the location again later to see if the Crow remained there, calling, or moved on. It was a very unusual behavior indeed.
83. Mid-January (Mingling With Human Foot Traffic)
Crows are very wary and aware of being observed. Even if I am in a building, looking out a window, pretending not to be watching them, they pick up on the fact that they are being observed immediately. I ought to do a study to see how long they spook for on average. How long will they go away for before they come back. Had this happen three or four times this month, and I thought I was being very clandestine. Damn clever birds must have incredible eyesight. Much more observant that people. One has to wonder why, when there are no natural enemies about. I see a lot of what appear to be mated pairs around these days. I even see nest material collection. Perhaps these newly mated pairs are especially spooky as they gear up for spring mating and nesting which is obviously a private, and risky undertaking.
82. January 13, Temp 8-10 degrees C
Crows are eating pyracanthus berries. Must be hungry. Have not seen that before.
Crows are back in the local park forest. Seems some may have found new mates as big new males are about. Made me think perhaps the purpose of roosts is to pick up a spouse.
They are foraging in leaves on the ground and spend a lot of time pecking rotted fallen branches' wood. Wish I had binocs. I have no idea what they are eating. Ants, termites? I will have to investigate. Winter has pushed their diet in last resort directions. I wish I could weigh a Crow to see if it puts on weight over summer, then loses it in winter. I will try giving Fig some pyrocanthus berries to see if she likes them.
81. December 2013 Hard Winter
It is more difficult to see Crows these days, inparticular Fig's family, because they are off doing winter congregation time in large roosts, but it is also difficult to actually watch them when they can be seen because winter exacts a toll. The birds are clearly more desperate for food, checking garbage collection areas regularly in more rapid cycles as they tend to do in Spring nesting season too, though they are usually looking for nest construction materials in the Spring. In December they have an urgency in their faces which, having Fig, I can clearly comprehend. It is hard to watch. While I have never fed any of Fig's family even a crumb, nor fed Fig in front of them, they sometimes come near to me because I am familiar as the guy helping Fig, and they tilt their head at me as if to say, Hey buddy, got any food for me? We humans forget that for the birds, it's life and death, hour to hour, day in day out. We also do not see the larger historical picture which has brought about the current realities for modern Crows because we tend to live in our little window of time. I hope to write about the history of persecution, ecological system, and biodiversity degradation at some point which I think is responsible for the relationship we have with these animals today where they find themselves out of balance with the whole eco-system as a result of human activity.
80. I started an observational study called Movement of Crows in trees. You can read about it under the Studies post if you like. Of course, it is just my luck that all the Crows are off wintering somewhere today, so there are literally zero observations to be made today. I hope it doesn't stay that way for months.
79. Dec 11, 2013 8:20am Two Crows eating vomit. Not an exciting morning of bird watching. Rainy. All the Crows will be out and about, and the forest will be mostly deserted. Too bad.
78. Dec 10, 2013 7:55am Walking the kids to school. For the first time ever, I spotted a Sea Hawk in my neighborhood, not the ball player, the bird. Fig's mom was very dutifully chasing it off from beneath while a half dozen cowardly Pigeons were fleeing at 70mph, dashing in among apartment buildings looking for hiding places. Big big big beautiful bird.
77. Dec 6, 2013 4:15pm When the Crows fly away for the day, to congregate near the zoo, in the fall, it seems to me that the resident mating pair stays back an hour or two. This is the only time I witness Crows sitting close to one another within a meter, for short times face to face almost, opposing shoulders overlapping, “cuddling” and chatting to one another. The very close affection sessions only last no more than 30 minutes, but the birds stay close for an hour or more preening, and relaxing together. There may be one, or two other birds in proximity. Perhaps the elder children? I have not seen this activity at any other time throughout the day. I see pairs together flying during the day, but there is always distance, and I suspect they are young siblings. Also, I see pairs in the forest, but again there is distance between them, always, so I think they are siblings. Only after the juvenile Crows have left do I see behavior that looks like affectionate lovie dovie time. I think I can see them vocalizing quietly to one another, and very occasionally, preening or touching with beaks, but not a lot. It is rare to catch this. After all, it is early December. I suspect the younger Crows head off to congregate in order to play, practice flying, and learn from other Crows, and start forming relationships which lead to courtship, and mating. The Crows staying behind in their resident territories are established pairs who have no reason to head off to the night clubs.
76. It seems to me that the Crows near the schools where I work have synched their schedules with the school day to a degree. Maybe I am just imagining it, but it seems like the Crows come to the forest area at the same time the kids come to school. Likewise, the juvenile Crows have a playtime at recess. And at the end of the day, the Crows also go home, or elsewhere. Am I imagining this?
75. If it starts raining mid-day, Crows go with the flow and bath high in the branches. If the rain starts in the morning, most avoid the forest for the day. I think they go off hunting worms or something. In any case on a day that starts rainy they tend to stick to the city and fields more.
74. Saw two Crows chasing a tail-less Crow. These were siblings known to me, and I suspect it was more teasing than attacking. But I cannot help but wonder how the one lost it’s entire tail. Looked like a stealth bomber, and as far as I could tell, I think he desired a bit more stealth.
73. Saw a Crow in fast flight just after take off, going straight through the trees, stick its right leg up and over its right wing (which was extended and flapping) to scratch its head. This seemed a very unusual maneuver which I have never seen before, and seemed very tricky indeed. I was not even aware that this position was physically possible.. At first it looked as though it were carrying a forked stick.
72. Nov 29, 2013 Discovered a Crow feasting on a 6 month old cat carcass this morning. Not a pretty sight, but I am certain the cat was roadkill as it was next to the busy road. The Crow may have dragged it onto the sidewalk. I only saw one Crow. Crows could not have killed a cat so near to cover; the cat would just have run under one of the many available hiding spots. I do not think the local Crows are in the habit of killing ferel cats, but the plentiful supply of road kill no doubt is one reason the Crows flourish. I took one photo of this poor cat as evidence.
71. Nov 30, 2013 A loud helicopter hovered over the park wood for half an hour. Many of the resident Crows lined up along the edge of a long, four story building. I suspect these were the young birds in the group. They paid careful intent attention to the noisy flying gizmo for several minutes, obviously disturbed by the noise, and worried enough to leave the trees, and line up on the building where they probably felt they could beat a hasty escape if they needed too. They were clearly observing the craft, and taking no chances. The older Crows remained in the trees unconcerned. Helicopters hovering are not a common sight in these parts, but you see one from time to time, usually traveling over. I think they were taking photos.
70. Nov 30, 2013 In the afternoon, sitting atop a satellite dish, a big Crow was rallying the flock to head out of the park, and off to the local Zoo where they congregate on the forested hilltop for the late afternoon, and evening. In the middle of calling, the bird seemed to notice that the satellite dish was interesting, and it dipped it's head forward to call into the dish a couple of times. Finding this interesting, it jumped onto the central protrusion and called directly into the dish a couple of times, though less loudly than when on task, because it was distracted by whatever effect the dish was having. Very soon the bird gave up interest and got back on task. I have no idea what effect yelling into a satellite dish has, but I will try to find one similar which I can experiment with myself and update this observation.
69. Sliding down metal posts and spires on building tops like firemen in order to get down to the roof.
68. Nov 29, 2013 Fig's Mother and Father recognized me this morning as I was walking my son to school. We were 6-7 blocks from home when they spotted me from half a block away, and flew over. Fig's mother was especially interested in squawking at me. Not sure at this point exactly what it all meant. They followed us for about three blocks. Fig's mother landed on a telephone post and gave me an earfull at the red light, then moved on. I think she was just saying, Hey, I know you! Where is Fig? Oh not here now. See you later then.
67. A crow appeared to have a "Teddy Bear" or at least it was carrying around an article of fabric which was not food. He seemed to be keeping it for purely entertainment/possession as this was in the fall, not nesting season. It seemed to be a toy, because I saw him carrying it around in his beak and perching on it repeatedly over several hours, ocassionally pecking at it for no particular reason.
66. Pulling string for fun.
65. Drinking water from the raingutter of a house during the heat of summer.
64. Itching by rubbing the head on a post, telephone wire, board.
63. Fleeing in fear from a horsefly (I am still determining the exact variety of fly).
62. Tearing up paper for fun.
61. Taking only the yoke from an egg, leaving the white.
60. Eating small flies, and mosquitos which approach them. Snapping them from mid air.
59. Being pursued by an owl in the forest at great speed during mid-day.
58. Transporting long sticks, food, held in beak.
57. Transporting long sticks, food, in clutches of their feet.
56. Compacting the feathers and body to sleep minimizing heat.
55. Bouncing/bounding/jumping.
54. Walking/ambulating human style.
53. Pulling fibers out of a towel.
52. Holding food in place to peck it apart into smaller pieces by standing on it with one, or two feet.
51. Carrying food by overstuffing the Pelican-like sack under the beak.
50. Carrying food by stashing it under the wing, or tucking it into feathers.
49. Jungle Crow cough up pellets of indigestible food, seed hulls, meat vein, or gristle, etc... If a Crow drinks whole milk it will cough up a pellet of soft yogurt. They probably should not consume milk.
48. (F) I saw a family of Crows feasting on a box of watermelon which fell off the back of a truck. Several Crows watched traffic, while the others feast in cooperative feeding.
47. (1) I have seen Jungle Crows feasting on human vomit, of noodles on several occasions, of which there is quite a lot in Japan for some reason.
46. (F) I have seen Jungle Crows bathing in small rivers. Usually mid-day, or early afternoon. They get very wet standing directly in the stream, paying particular attention to washing their heads and necks, then dry on a fence, wings draped. I have seen them bathing in the evening after sundown too.
45. (F) I have seen that on rainy days the Jungle Crows abandon the wet forest to go off somewhere else. I know not where, but I suspect to fields to look for worms.
44. (F) Jungle Crow spend hours just sitting in trees in the middle of the day. They will preen, and adjust their feathers, and relax without eating for hours.
43. (C) I have observed hundreds of Crows circling in congregation over a hilltop in the evening hours many times. They come from all directions in the afternoon before sunset. c, and a-b
42. (1) I have witnessed a very angry Sparrow chasing a Jungle Crow at super high speed in and out of busy rush hour traffic. The Crow appeared to be genuinely afraid, though I suspect it was enjoying a high speed game of chase.
41. (F, then 1) I have witnessed mother Crow chasing a large Hawk relentlessly from her territory on several different occasions. The family usually helps at first, but the mother usually keeps at it until the Hawk is escorted miles away.
40. I have seen Forest Crows and Jungle Crows eating something from the side of trees, either insects, sap, or moss, as yet I cannot tell. They love pecking old wood, and are almost woodpeckers. Their beaks continually grow, and shed 2-4cm long fingernail looking pieces every month or few weeks.
39. (F) I have observed Jungle Crows and Forest Crows sitting in trees. Jungle Crows sit high, always very well spaced by at least 2-3 meters. They communicate constantly. I think the main mother counts her children and knows them by voice. She uses a high pitched call to summon everyone together. Forest Crows sit lower in the trees, are very quiet, and spend a lot of time on the ground hiding food, looking for hidden food, and foraging for insects. Sometimes Jungle Crows chase Forest Crows to lower perches in the trees.
38. (F and Forest Crow mixed) I once fed the Jungle Crows in the Park with a Forest Crow present, tossing them bread from a safe distance. Everyone came to watch, but no one took the bread. Then a big older male showed up, collected all the bread and flew off with most of it in his beak. After that, the Forest Crow swooped in to mop up. None of the other Jungle Crows objected or tried to take any bread. Either the big daddy was in charge, and they knew it and feared his reprisals, or they were the unhungriest Crows ever.
37. (F, 5-6) I once watched several of Fig's siblings collectively hunting Cicada in the trees under our balcony. One Crow would dive into the tree, wings wide open, and the others would swoop in after the fleeing insects. It seemed to me that this was a chasing game amongst the younger members of the family, as I never saw any Cicada caught, harmed, or eaten, though they did get chased. This was practice for hunting other things more delicious, or just juvenile play. Perhaps an older Crow was giving instruction.
36. In exactly mid-November, all of Fig's family left for Winter Congregation. I see one, or two of them around every other day or so, but never more than one or two at a go. Fig still calls for them during the day, but his calls go largely unanswered these days.
35. (F C) Once at our local park, Fig's family and others were congregating in preparation for their annual "migration" and upwards of 200 Crows swirled around for almost 30 minutes making a tremendous uproar, rallying in the sky in support of poor Fig who they all seem to like very much, and understand was unable to fly.
34. (F) Sometimes Fig' parents or siblings will follow us if I take Fig on a tethered walk. Sometimes for long periods of time, sometimes just for a couple of looks, ocassionally they come lower and nearer in flight, or perch to observe but perches will almost always be selected a distance on a high vantage point. It is always in the spirit of support for Fig, without any aggression toward me. If I take Fig into another family's territory the uproar is quite spectacular, and the tone can be quite aggressive, but more from a We feel threatened point of view, than a We are threatening you point of view.
33. (F) Sometimes Fig' family roosts around Fig to express their support for her from high up on building tops while Fig is on the ground, with me, on a wall, or in a tree.
32. (F) Fig's parents, and siblings rally over her, circling in the sky in the mornings and the evenings before and after daily migrations to feed sites, and forest territory. This is Fig's chance to practice his communication which is limited compared with his siblings.
31. (2) Fig's mother flew down next to him and stood face to face very close to encourage him to fly several times since he was rehabilitated.
30. (2) Fig's father flew down next to her and chatted quietly for about a minute on one occasion. I thought he was going to kill Fig, but he was so soft, and gentle.
29. (1) recollecting me by face from a distance as an unwanted observer
28. (I) chasing smaller, quieter Forest Crows down from higher perching places
27. (I) chasing Doves in the forest, but not catching or eating them
26. (F) tagging tall spire atop building in playful flight. c and a-b
25. (F) standing on the ground in Family unit in shaded place mid-day in summer.
24. (F) standing in falling snow
23. (F) standing in pouring rain
22. (F) collecting fresh pine needles in a small group from pine trees.
21. (F) collecting, steeling wire hangers from people's balconies
20. (2) nest building with sticks trees, and on utility poles.
19. (2) cooperative minding, babysitting young on the ground, taking turns
18. (2) guarding young on the ground after a wind storm by throwing down plucked off branches, pecking loudly, cawing, and defecation divebomb
17. (2) cooperatively watching for danger, standing guard while partner investigates garbage areas outside apartment buildings, even entering hard to enter fenced areas
16. (1) (Forest Crow) collecting food stashed in forest to eat.
15. (1) (Forest Crow) hiding food in various places in a small area of the forest
14. (2) waiting atop a traffic light, waiting for traffic to stop, and cooperatively watching both directions for any traffic before crossing the road to a food stash on a low roof.
13. Crows dropped a cat spine in the playground. Not related to 11. I suspect it was roadkill, or a dead cat.
12. (F) Mother Crow coming down to the forest floor to stand next to a large intruding feral cat to pressure it to leave. Standing right by it for 20 minutes or more until it left.
11. (F) Mother Crow calling family together. Identifying everyone by voice. Counting the kids?
10. (F) Sprinting, Racing through dense trees.
9. (F and C) Inverted grapple attack. Inverting under another individual. a-b, and c
8. (F and C) Divebombing a flying individual. c
7. (F and C) Divebombing a perched individual. c
6. (1 in F) Flipping over, inverting on take off from a ledge perch in response to being divebombed.
5. (1C) Soaring very high, flapping, usually a-b sometimes c
4. (1) Soaring very high, in long glides, usually a-b.
3. (1 in F and C) Flipping upside down in flight in response to being divebombed. a-b, but usually c
2. (2, 3 in C) Grappling feet in midair, like Ravens. a-b, and c
1. (1, 2) Swooping up and down "rollercoastering"in flight, like Ravens. a-b
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