The Crow Road

I say the story started three years ago, but really it was much further back in time, in childhood. I was one of those kids who was fascinated with all the creatures I encountered around me, usually the more monstrous and reviled, the better.

When I was fourteen, my dad took me and my brother to a wildlife park, the kind where you can buy a bag of feed to give to the various farm animals. A small group of wild crows had learned it was an abundant food source for them, and had associated humans as walking takeaways, hopping quite happily on your arm to take a few morsels. One young crow, not content with a snack, decided to try and help itself to my friendship bracelet, even trying (and failing) to undo the knot when it couldn’t slip it over my hand. Honestly I couldn’t tell you any other animal I saw that day, all I could talk about was the crow on my arm.

Then about three years ago, I was waiting for a bus on my way to work. I hadn’t left enough time for breakfast, so sat eating a bit of snack cheese. Now anyone who knows me is aware that I wouldn’t share a babybel with anyone, but a large and curious crow I came to know as Hades was hopping around nearby and managed to manipulate my love of his kind into throwing him a couple of pieces to him and his mate.

If you know crows, you will know and love what we call The Crow Skip. Because in contradiction to their dark reputation, to see The Crow Skip is to be in the presence of pure joy, as they bumble towards you like strange little toddlers. And as he expressed his delight and faux surprise that his efforts had worked, just like that, I was hooked. My interactions with crows since then have been almost daily, and my relationships with them both strengthened and weakened by the pandemic, the tales of which I will chronicle in this blog.

But much is misunderstood about these birds. I always thought that if crows could do karaoke (and lets be frank, we are all quite thankful they can’t. Yet.) they would sing Bad Reputation by Joan Jett, as they have had to survive and adapt to centuries old propaganda about them that lingers to this day, and whether we want to recognise it or not, they play an important part of our landscape and ecology.

In future blog pieces I will introduce you to the clan, share stories about them and other creatures I have met along the way and upload some of my truly terrible photography with you and explanations as to why photographing crows is often an absolute catastrophe.

I hope you will join us then.