I need to talk about crows

Jennifer Vanderau
Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter

(3/2019) I know, I know, you think I’ve finally lost it – and truly, I’m never too far from that ledge at any given moment – but hear me out. This one might get you like it got me and it does have a pretty interesting point.

Under normal circumstances you know I’m all about the cats and the dogs and the rabbits and the guinea pigs we have at the shelter, but sometimes I forget that all animals, in general, can teach us amazing things and give us incredible stories.

This one just happens to be from crows.

I came across a fascinating tale on Facebook the other day about a little girl who feeds crows. It began when she was a toddler and most of the feedings happened by accident. Little ones tend to drop a lot of the food they eat (or so I’ve heard) and will litter the ground around them with delicious morsels.

This little girl would get out of the car and a chicken nugget or two might just fall out behind her. The crows in her neighborhood realized this and started to look for her arrival.

When the little girl understood why the crows were coming around her, she and her mom (and sometimes her little brother) began deliberately feeding the crows.

And thus, a pattern began to emerge. The crows would begin to watch for the little girl and her mom and would squawk happily when they provided some peanuts for them.

Peanuts, incidentally, are apparently a good energy food for crows. (See the interesting things you can learn?)

Once this family developed a routine, something kind of magical happened. The crows would bring gifts to the little girl. Now, these aren’t the kind of sparkly gifts you would find under a Christmas tree in December, but in the world of a crow, I’m going to bet they were pretty valuable.

There were beads and buttons and paper clips and nails and screws and even some earrings. Bless her heart, the little girl actually has a collection of the gifts that she keeps in special containers to remind her how grateful her crows are for her care and consideration.

The crows would likely use the items to build a nest, so the little girl feels incredibly honored to be given something of such value in the crow world.

And now we’ve arrived at the part of the story that completely blew my mind. Hang onto something.

The little girl’s mom began developing an interest in photography. She got a very nice camera and would take pictures of her family (obviously), but also enjoyed snapping shots in nature. One day she found a gorgeous bald eagle and followed him throughout his journey in the sky to get some amazing photographs of him.

Along the way, she accidentally dropped her lens cap over the side of a bridge and saw it lying on a shelf just a few feet below her. She attempted to reach it, but her efforts were to no avail. Figuring she could get another lens cap, she made certain to be incredibly careful with the camera until she could purchase one.

When she got home, she closed up her camera as safely as she could and went about her day – including feeding the crows with her daughter.

When the time arrived for the present collection, can you guess what the crows had waiting for them?

The lens cap she had dropped at the bridge.

Is your jaw hanging open? Mine sure was. This means that not only are the crows capable of recognizing what the family does for them every day, but they may actually follow them and watch out for them and help them.

Can you even believe it? Animals – even our feathered friends – continue to amaze me.

My mom and dad have been feeding the birds outside their home for a while now and let me tell you, they’ve amassed quite a gang outside the window. Whenever I visit it seems like there are always birds hanging around, almost watching them inside the house.

Both mom and dad tell me when they take food out to them, the birds will squawk and squawk until the feeders are full. They said it really seems like the birds are talking to them and indeed, they probably are.

It reminds me of a song from a Disney movie years ago – Pocahontas. She sings of man’s greed when it comes to nature and the planet by expressing, "You think you own whatever land you land on. The Earth is just a dead thing you can claim. But I know every rock and tree and creature has a life, has a spirit, has a name."

How much of the world around us really does have incredible spirit and energy? What do we miss by not noticing the purity of the snow or the scent of the wind or the thoughtfulness of a crow?

Nature can have huge benefits for humans if we take the time to really listen. We are a part of this earth just as all the plants and flowers and animals are. If we search out that innate connection that every one of us has – put down the cell phones, turn off the television and really notice what’s around you – I think you’d be surprised how beneficial it can be to your health and spirit.

So keep your eyes open and I think you will be stunned at what lessons await our learning.

Even ones from a crow.

*****

Jennifer Vanderau is the Director of Communications for the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter in Chambersburg, Pa., and can be reached at cvasoc@innernet.net. The shelter accepts both monetary and pet supply donations. For more information, call the shelter at (717) 263-5791 or visit the website www.cvas-pets.org.