play date

Rodeo Mayıs 24, 2022

These pictures of the crows on the bird bath were taken through a dirty window and screen.

The crows have basically taken over the big bird bath in front, chasing off the smaller birds. It's so hot and dry, the ground more and more dusty. They come flying in, landing on the edge or on an over-hanging branch, beaks open. They cluster in groups or come in singly, drink, maybe splash around and then fly away. Soon they are back.

They're acting a little crazy. The other day I was gazing out the window and a crow flew to a flimsy branch in the yew tree near the bird bath. It sat there doing bird things for a while and then it sort of keeled over and was hanging upside down from the branch. It hung there for a moment or two and then let go, falling to the ground. It righted itself before it landed but I didn't see that part as the wall blocked my vision.

I was telling Marc about it but I'm not sure he believed me and so I was watching the crows earlier today when one of them did it again. I called Marc's attention to it and while we were watching, another (the same?) crow flew to that same branch and after a bit of pecking at the branch, rolled over and hung upside down eyeing the ground until it let go and dropped head first.

Marc thought it had been eating a berry and dropped it and that's why it did that but they have continued to do it and always from the same branch. It's starting to look like they are doing it for fun. Which is sort of what I thought when I saw them do it the second time.

I can see it now...

'Hey Pete,' yells the crow, 'let's go play Hanging Crow.'

The object of which is to see who can hang upside down the longest.

Or maybe it's their version of Chicken.

Another crow flys/hops to the very tip of the branch. It bows immediately under it's weight and the crow rolls over, hanging upside down by one foot, wings spread, beak open.

“Hey guys! Look at me! One foot!”

And then it drops to the ground.

Crows play.

Who knew?