“The Crows and I” – part two (March 10th, 2023)

A quick update about the recent developments of my friendship-building attempts with the crows in my neighborhood.

First of all, as there are several species of crows and ravens in Japan, and I wasn’t too sure which ones they were, I inquired and now I can confirm that they are indeed carrion crows (corvus corone), which I already suspected. The two other species in the country are the large-billed crow (sometimes called jungle crow – corvus macrorhynchos) but as the name implies, their beaks are much bigger, or the common raven (corvus corax), which is the “default” corvid (along with the magpie) in my home area in France, I know that they’re a much more imposing bird.

As you know, last Sunday was a “big milestone.” This week was a bit quieter, but it followed its course nicely.

On Monday I spent a few minutes with the male crow who is less and less afraid of getting closer to me (and this time, I filmed horizontally):

 

On Tuesday, I only saw them in the morning, and yes, the male is now coming down to grab the peanuts on the sidewalk before we leave!!!

 

I did see them both again later that day, but they were up in the trees and didn’t come down. They have been busy building their nest. I’m not sure if they’re fixing their old nest that’s still standing, but doesn’t look different from a few weeks ago – a lot of twigs are missing – or if they’re building a new one, in that case, I haven’t found its location yet.

 

No sight of them (except in the sky and hearing their caws) on Wednesday and Thursday. This morning, I was afraid I’d missed them too, but just before we left my son told me that he was in the tree, instead of the telephone cables!

(Was he in the tree Wednesday and Thursday too, and I missed it? I hope not, the tree is much closer and lower)

 

This time he waited for us to leave before grabbing the peanuts (maybe he realized that he was too close? also there were a couple of people on bicycles coming).

 

So, yeah, I’m happy with the whole process.

I’m wondering whether I should name them or not. I know a lot of people love to name animals they feel close to, but while I do name pets – although usually only cats and dogs – it feels weird naming a wild animal in my opinion. I probably don’t need to at the moment, but if I get close to their progeny too in the future it may become necessary.

If I name them, I guess the male will be Matthew (what else?) I’m not sure what I should name the female. I also need to “tame” her more…

 

On a side note, this is my last crow update for a while. I may still see them this afternoon, but as you may know, tomorrow I’m leaving for France where I’ll stay for about three weeks. I’ll miss the rest of the nest-building process, and probably the female laying the eggs. Maybe they will have hatched when I’m back? I’m not too sure, I need to check how long it takes. I’m also hearing that it’s obviously a very delicate time of the year for them. So as they’re not completely tame yet, maybe it’s for the best that I won’t be around. On the other hand, I’m a bit worried that when I’m back, I need to reacclimate them to me just right when they’re very antsy and defensive. I’ll keep on feeding them, but I’ll keep my distance and not try to force anything.

Stay tuned for more…

 

 

Oh, and if you want to see what I post on social media, Youtube, and more while I’m in France, I just made this page so that you can keep track of me (click on the logo below):

Follow me here and there:

If you found this post interesting, why don’t you buy me a coffee?

or become a patron?