The average person would probably identify the blue jay as the most curious of birds, but I would cast my vote for the crow. Most people who live in rural areas would agree with me because they, like me, have had opportunities to view the crow up close. Let me relate why I favor the big, black bird.

Growing up in Kansas, I used to have to shoo crows away from the corn and strawberry fields. Not only are crows curious, they are also very obstinate. We tried all sorts of devices to keep them away from the crops. Aluminum pie plates, an occasional blast from a shotgun, and of course running around waving our arms in the air and shouting.

It worked for about five minutes. You could tell the crows had a sense of humor by listening to their seemingly defiant cawing. They’d go off in a tree and face us as a group of a dozen or so, drop their voices about half an octave and draw it out longer than normal.

More recently and here in New Hampshire, I've once again been required to match wits with this wily bird. Every evening while my house was being built, I’d come to the property to see what progress had been made during that day.

On the perimeter of the lot there were some large pines. As I parked my car, I’d be greeted by a chorus of caws. The crows didn't fly away in fright, but instead asserted their territorial rights. If I stayed too long, they would elect a scout to come down and stroll, at a safe distance, recording whatever I was doing to report back to those in the trees. I could hear the crows in the trees in heated discussion, or so it seemed, about how safe it was for one of their number to be strolling around just out of reach of the human intruder.

As I returned to my car, the crow conversation seemed to lose some of its intensity as the elected scout rejoined the group. As I got ready to drive away, they joined a larger flock to fly to their nighttime location.

Those of us who observe crows know that not only are they extremely curious, cooperative and intelligent, they’re thieves and scavengers. The builder had a backhoe parked on the property while construction was in progress. One morning he came to the property and saw a large crow on the hood of his machine. As he approached he noticed the crow had something in its mouth. Upon further inspection, the builder discovered the crow had what remained of the wiper blade for the machine. When the crow felt his act of defiance was sufficient, it flew away with the wiper blade still in its beak.

My father related an experience he'd had when he was a youth. He and his brother were trying to keep crows off a field of corn by removing and destroying their nest in a tall cedar near the field. They found the nest contained two rings, a dime, three bright-colored shoe strings and a piece of broken mirror.

There are some benefits to having crows around. (I draw the line at calling them friends, however.) They keep small rodents on constant high alert. Chipmunks, voles, ground squirrels and mice are articles of diet for crows as well as other birds of prey.

I have observed crows’ group hunting techniques a couple of times in my back yard. They fly in quietly in a group of six or eight. They disperse themselves around the perimeter of an open area, staying in the treetops. When the prey animal appears, they allow it to get well away from its bolt-hole and then dive on it, playing out the attack with precision. Each crow knows what section of the circle is his and is prepared to kill or maim. I have never figured out how they divide their spoils.

I've never seen them attack songbirds, but I have witnessed crows diving on an eagle, some red-tailed hawks, and blue jays. They also dislike cats. In these cases, I don't think they are attacking to kill; they just don't want raptors, jays, or cats near what they consider their territory.

If you are observant, you may discover other things about the crow. For instance, they gather in large numbers in the evening and spend the night roosting, with guard crows on the perimeter, alert for danger.

They have a strong self-preservation instinct and will be one of the last birds to be in danger of extinction. So we humans might as well get used to living with this curious and fascinating bird.

By: Bill Dawson, Community Tree Steward