Common Birds at the Feeder: American Crow

Crow01, originally uploaded by Rodger Coleman.

We see a lot of American Crows at the suet feeder, but they are extremely skittish birds and therefore hard to photograph. Big, heavy and slow, a crow will usually take off at the first glint of the camera! I got lucky today although the light was poor. The truth is, this crow tolerated my camera out of necessity: it's spring and the birds are not only feeding themselves, but bringing home the bacon to their little ones back at the nest (note this one's beak is jam-packed full of yummy suet). The crows are magnificent birds, with their imposing size, iridescent black feathers, wise eyes and soulful caw. Amazingly, crows will engage Red-tailed hawks in death-defying dogfights to protect their broods. Beautiful, noble birds.