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The Crows of Mango Cove

How to Make Friends with Crows

It’s natural when a person has an interest in crows, to want to befriend them. We see short videos of crows/ravens as pets, or the rare wild one that chills on a person’s shoulder. My first crow experience was with a pet crow named Jesum in 1988 in Franklin, VT near the Canadian border. What a guy he was! Loved them ever since. But before you get there, you have to take the time - and a lot of it - to earn their trust. There is no easy way to get to that destination without having an extraordinary amount of patience. Many months worth. And not to take it personally when things aren’t going as quick as you’d like. If you have patience, and can resist the urge to handfeed them (it won’t work) - you can absolutely have success in making friends with them. Trust me, if you can see them, they can see you. They have a roughly 300 degree circle of vision – and if you’re a food source, they are watching you. They are incredibly intelligent – and are sizing you up as friend or foe. It just takes time. It’s worth the empty feeling you may have for weeks because they seemingly ignore you. They are just making sure you’re safe.

Being originally from Vermont, I was always used to American Crows. But these days, in my area of the world of southwest Florida, I have fish crows. The particular groups/families/murders that I observe daily, are suburbanized. They are used to people. Within their small range of territory, there are supermarkets, gas stations, and fast food restaurants. So in a sense, I could either be lucky that they are used to humans – where food magically appears, or unlucky, because many humans tend to rank the crow right up there with the seagulls in terms of being a menace, so they shoo them away constantly. They become frightened - or at the very least, leary - of people.

So while I happen to enjoy seagulls - they are not crows by any stretch of the imagination. If you watch crows long enough, you will see the structure that they have within their groups. I can’t make a lick of sense of what they talk about so often, but it is clear that it makes sense to them. I’ve ‘befriended’ crows for many years. American crows in the northeast. But now that I reside in Florida, I have taken the opportunity to not only befriend them, but become a complete and expected part of their days. I spend hours every day observing and interacting with them.

I started with zero. I was a bit miffed when I moved into this neighborhood that I never saw any crows. I saw them in the parking lots for sure, but how would I be able to entice one of these guys to follow me through the streets to my house for a nibble? There were a lot of birds at my house for sure - Herons, Egrets, Grackles, Hawks, an Eagle, Owls, Ibis’, Sandhill Cranes, Gallinules etc., but no crows. Then, one day, I stepped out of my HOA pool area in the parking lot, when I heard “Uh Uh”. And there it was, parked right on the peak of the building. I was thrilled.

I started planning in my head immediately. I was going to start a regimen of feeding them in the parking lot of the pool, but one day, a few flew overhead of my house. I happened to have a bag of chips and just scattered them so they could see - and they did. They whipped their tail feathers all the way around. But they didn’t come for the chips. They just sat on the trees looking. For days, they would stop by. I would chuck food out so they could see it, place some on a white paper plate, then go right back in the house before whistling the first six notes of “Charge!’ - like at a baseball game. One by one, they would fly directly over the food, then head back to the trees. About two weeks passed when one morning, I saw the few as usual off in the distance. I whistled, waved, threw the food (and the white paper plate so more visual) and went back inside as normal. The moment I went into the house, they finally came - and they ate. They were super cautious. Any noise would alarm them. This routine continued for a week or two, when all of a sudden, more would arrive. After a couple of weeks of feeding, I noticed on one day, several smaller crows - fledglings. Almost looking full grown, they would stand on my fence or the ground while adults would feed them and their garbled cries. I then put out an old shiny dog bowl for fresh water - something the juveniles really enjoyed, splashing and dunking their bodies in it and then preening their new feathers on the fence. In addition, an adult one day seemed to be showing them how to dunk food. A small dead sparrow of some sort was brought to the water bowl and would continually dunk the bird, remove meat from it, and feed each one.

For a few weeks, there seemed to be a schedule. I noticed that each morning - around 6:15 or so - the largest of the group would always stand atop a short antenna while others waited around. He’s noticeable larger than the others, most certainly male and dominant. I would feed them promptly - they would come, eat and generally take off maybe an hour later. In the evening - they would come back and I would feed again at around 6:30 pm. Approximately 30 minutes before sundown - they would do a low and slow fly over my linai where I would sit and watch them, do a circle or two - then disappear. It was so timely, that I just assumed this would be the daily schedule. As a human, I hoped the low and slow glide was them saying goodnight, but I know it was just part of their usual recon work.

Unfortunately - word of free food travels fast in the bird community, and my backyard had become an interesting place for birds to frequent. Boat-tailed grackles and their fledglings would arrive, as would White Ibis’. The Ibis’s became the biggest problem. They are bold and persistent. I had to think outside the box and ended up building a food tray next to a mango tree and the fence. Ever the problem solver, this one particular Ibis absolutely would not give up. I don’t really name the birds, it’s too difficult because I have so many now, but we named this guy Trybus….because he never stops trying. He has a gray neck and head for the time being. I did everything I could find on how to keep an Ibis from being interested - to no avail. Eventually, I put a flat table higher in the tree where he can’t get to (well, he has, but he has learned it isn’t worth the struggle) the food so the crows always get their righteous share.

While disputes and disagreements occur daily, the birds get along well. I feed them all. Even have a fondness for Trybus and you can practically hand feed him. But again - they all seem to tolerate one another and rub shoulders throughout the day. Including wild bunny rabbits, who enjoy fallen mangos. In fact, during this entire observational period, a mother Common Gallinule lived in the tall grass on the water and would feed her babies with smaller things they could handle. Mom RUNS to us when it’s time to eat. One of the chicks had an injured leg and could only hop on one as his left one just dragged behind. It was heartbreaking to watch, but he didn’t seem bothered. He would cry for mom and couldn’t always keep up with his siblings, but mom never abandoned him/her. I called the Audubon Society and local rescue, but no one seemed interested. I was told I could catch it and bring it in, but they would likely euthanize it. I thought it best to let him/her live it’s best life and to monitor. Mother continued to feed it, and we kept praying for it. Of course, we did name it Hoppy. But here is the thing - when I would put fresh water out, the crows would not bother with it if the chicks were near it. Juvenile crows would stand away while adults whined, while the chicks would take their turn in the water. Not a single crow would approach. When the chicks were done, the Crows would than hop in and drink and bathe. Saw this on numerous occasions. They never bothered the chicks. They would and do with other birds, but they did not with these youngsters, almost like they had a smidgen of empathy. I don’t know how else to explain it. Hoppy did not make it. One day I noticed he wasn’t out with mom and I wondered and worried. By day two, he was MIA and I knew he was gone and it broke my heart.

In Mid-June, a most curious thing occurred. A small wildfire raged nearby maybe not quite a mile away. The air was filled with smoke. At sundown, the Crows were roosting in a tree on the water that they were now using. All was quiet, only Trybus the white Ibis was still scraping the area for, when all of a sudden I heard a Crow grumbling in the distance. I watched as one took off heading north into the direction of the wildfire. After a number of minutes, it came back making noise, and they ALL took off in the direction of the fire. Approximately 13 in number in that tree - about 6 being juveniles. Just as it was starting to get darker, a large number of crows were flying back in our direction. It seemed chaotic in the sky, turning left, right, confusion, disruption – and all kinds of alarm noises…but were clearly being directed back to this area. They flew overhead, circling the yard. I thought quickly and threw out peanuts in the shell and some meat. Water was already refreshed as I often do when all is quiet. Before I knew it - 30 + crows were doing a quick chow/bath - and then disappeared into the tree for the night. While I cannot know for sure, it seemed that these extra Crows were affected by the fires. It seemed fairly clear to me this homage here was directed. It was so out of the ordinary to leave the roost at that hour, and with the obvious fire; it seemed communal. The next morning - it was quite a scene as I laid out food.

Fast forward - the new routine. Each family it seems, is roughly 12-15 Crows. Each family has about 6 or so juveniles. Juvenile crows have a pinkish hue to their beaks where it connects with the head. Here is the new daily routine since the arrival of the new families. Morning time - the large male stands his ground atop the antenna. A few juveniles wait on rooftops or trees. I can hear their garbled cries. On occasion one or two come over to check on the food situation and nibble here and there. The adult male seemingly comes over, makes noise, steals a nibble and then heads back to the antenna, and the others follow - and wait. What are they waiting for? Apparently everyone in the local families. By 8:30 to 9:00 they are all here and a free for all. And they stay until about 2:00 pm. The juveniles are left to their devices to practice honing beak skills on dropped mangos, opening peanuts, using the fence as a tool to aid in that process, practice social skills amongst other birds, and learn how to get to the second level platform in the tree. Adults come by for sure, but generally just wait all around as sentinels. Once the shade is gone - it’s just too hot and they take off in different directions. Except one. The big guy who is here every morning watching. He hangs around. Keep in mind, I still just give food and back away. I talk to them softly through the screen and they are used to us. We chat normally, the dog looks out at them, as do the cats. I can go out of the linai onto the yard very slowly and it seems that they don’t want to fly away, but once you crack the 10 foot safety barrier, instincts kick in and they flap for some distance. Except the big one. The other day I was waiting for them to go away so I could mow the lawn. I don’t want to scare them, so I just wait for them to split. As I was mowing, and it’s a loud riding mower, I kept hearing a crow. Thinking I may need a break from crow watching because I think I’m imagining crow noises in my head, I look over and there is the big sentinel, standing on the fence squawking at me. I kept thinking he’d fly off, but he didn’t. I had to get the grass along side the fence, so as I approached, he still did not fly away. When I put the mower away, he was still there so I threw him some rolled up ham to which he carried off.

As Sentinel - he is always alone. Every now and then, he’ll take a break and get a drink or bit of food. And when he does….he’s like - ‘Clear the area’ - and he pushes the juveniles out of his way like he’s irritated with them. I will post video’s on the photo section of this site showing that.

It’s not every day, but gifts are left. Feathers from birds that don’t frequent here are left, as well as various colorful bits of parking lot garbage. A pecked to death packet of Diablo sauce from Taco Bell, a sticker from some item that otherwise would have no business finding it’s way to our feeding station. Either way, I cherish them. I still do not try to engage with them. My face to them means safety and food/water.

Nighttime routine is same as morning - with an interesting twist. The local family comes at about 6 or so. They eat, and all the other normal things a Crow does. Roughly 13 crows, including the big one who is head of the murder. Off in the far distance to the south (where parking lots and such are), you can see an entirely different family heading in our direction. As they get closer, making noise and scattered flight patterns, the local family gets called back to the trees and rooftop. They just sit there as Trybus and crew still rummage around the yard. And just before the incoming group arrive, in a matter of minutes, a very deliberate low and slow glide over the mango tree and my linai occurs, and they head home, while the other family coming in from their day’s journey stops for the juveniles to drink and eat. This occurs every night now since the wildfire. It’s very noisy and excitable and they eat and drink what they can, but darkness looms - so leftovers are common as they round each other up, and head to where there roost is.

I take notes in a journal daily. The above is just a short synopsis of my observations and interactions. The reason I don’t attempt to get too close to these Crows, is simply as a matter of their survival. We have an alligator that is often parked 50 feet away. He eats birds or whatever else is on shore. Coy dogs, panthers, hawks, owls and an American Eagle all live right here in this neighborhood. I want these juvenile crows to grow up trusting their instincts, and not mine. If you live in an area that isn’t quite as ‘wild’ as it is here, I see no issue with trying to connect more with your Crows. But here, it’s just too dangerous for them. If, on the other hand, our mutual benefits are aligned enough that they wish to approach, I will not stop it that’s for sure.

This is a work in progress, and will fill in more from time to time.

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