In my way to work as I crossed the park I saw a pair of crows with a fledgling. The young one hopped to one adult and was fed. I took my camera out and started taking photos, but all feeding and begging stopped. The young one started looking around for tidbits on the grass. One of the adults, after eyeing me (the one in the background above), flew to the top of the tree under which I was standing, and cawed loudly and repeatedly. The other adult followed. I didn't think much about this until I carried on with my walk and the crows flew from tree to tree above me, calling all the way, sounding pretty angry. It took that for me to realise that I was being mobbed! I thought about the episode by Konrad Lorenz when his tame jackdaws apparently mistook his wet swimming trucks, which he was holding, by a dead jackdaw and actually attacked his hand, drawing blood. I saw my black camera with dangling cap and immediately put it away. I do hope the crows don't remember me tomorrow!
Curiously, but not surprisingly, this call is completely different to the mobbing call uttered when chasing sparrowhawks or gulls away (the call that gave name to this blog), which is a dry rattling. Instead is a long, harsh caw. I found a
video of a crow attacking a fox and using the same call.
The adult, on the right, eyeing me.
The young crow stops feeding, as the adults caw above me.
The young crow is taking everything in, looking at the parents reaction.
The crows will remember you all their lives. But if you try to make amends by giving them food, they will remember you all the more and pester you incessantly. I have found that they can recognise individual people from at least 200 yards away. By the way, there are two crows in Hyde Park who fly over my head and bash me with their feet if I'm slow to give them a peanut.
ReplyDeleteThat is fascinating Ralph, not sure about feeding them (not keen on the bashing on head bit!), but I will keep an eye of them and make sure I keep my camera out of sight next time.
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