ok, so the author of this book was interviewed on npr as i was driving home from taking cayle to youth group at church...the amazon description follows...Based on more than a decade of research, Crows offers an accurate, humorous, and wide-ranging introduction to these fascinating birds. Who would have guessed that there are more than 40 species of ravens and crows, all variations on a theme, cawing and croaking their way through the woodlands of North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and various South Sea islands? (Of the temperate continents, only South America doesn?t know the charms of these amusing, intelligent birds.) Topics explored include evolution, distribution, diet and food-getting practices (including their ingenious use of tools), social behavior (including the many crow "languages"), and impact on the human imagination, as reflected in mythology, literature, and popular aphorisms. Appealing to both the avid birder or the more casual nature lover, Crows is rich in insight, humor, and stories.........i enjoyed the revelation that crows use tools.......of course.....the discussion turned to the eerie relationship that crows have to the darker side.......like their presence is ominous of evil to come......this being halloween weekend and all.......but i prefer the image of the crow as clever and crafty, rather than a cruel, nasty bird..........
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One year my MM covered a row of some sprouting vegetable with a long chicken-wire tent, to protect it from crows and rabbits. She later witnessed two crows grabbing the wire in their beaks to toss it aside and get at the vegetables. I say, any animal that crafty deserves whatever it finds to eat.
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