Message

The crow's voice sounds clear

in the cold. A pigeon lies

 dead on the snow.

Words and photos copyright 2015 Carol Steel

Sharp Sight

Sharp Sight

The shiver of winter still strums the air.

Amid the grains of rotting snow,

a solitary crow

clutches a storm-torn branch

and breaks off a twig in his beak.

The crow lifts and flaps his blue black wings

rising with this perfect piece

to the top of the tallest fir.

The air vibrates with welcome

caws of raucous joy,

as one is greeted by the other.

They are so high.  I wonder.

Can they see

spring from there?

 

Words and photo are copyright Carol Steel.

Wordless Wednesday

 

 

 

Wordless Wednesday

Peregrine Falcon

Peregrine Falcon

Where are the birds?

We feed ducks and pheasants each day.  Our yard provides shelter to robins, blue jays, grackles, chickadees and goldfinches when they choose to visit.  Crows nest in the woods behind our street, and in a cedar taller than the house, in the neighbour’s yard.

Where did the birds go?

Today the ducks have flown away and returned many times.  They did not land and stay to eat, kept bursting skyward.  The crows and blue jays were noisier than usual.  Raucous circling in the clear sky.  So clear, it was endless blue. The chubby robins were hesitant and brief in their trips to the seed cones of the Staghorn Sumac. The cats, who spend hours on indoor chairs watching birdie TV outside, meowed and moved from one viewing point to another.  They were up and down stairs racing from window to window, and up and down from their chairs all afternoon.

Agitation and noise.  Birds flew through and paused for a moment but did not settle and feed.

Mid-afternoon I discovered why.  As I sat writing at the kitchen table, I caught the movement of a shadow across the snow.  I looked up and saw a Peregrine Falcon drop through the branches of maple, turn and wheel between the sumac and the spruce, chase up through the hill that is our yard closing in on a starling.

I stared, my mouth agape.  I’ve never seen a Peregrine Falcon before.  It was blue-grey, heavy-breasted, with a 3.5 foot wing span, swinging through the yard with feet clenched, ready to strike.  The two birds flew up and over the garage and out of visual range.  It happened in a moment.

Though I know the starling likely ended becoming supper, it was a moment I won’t forget.  Raw and powerful.  The wheel of life and death, the cycle we all share. 

And the Peregrine Falcon, it was magnificent!

Our regular birds didn't share my opinion and showed wisdom by avoiding the yard today.

If you click on words in colour,

you will go to another website with additional information.

Crow in the Birdbath

Crow in the Birdbath

A crow family has made our tall trees their new home.  These are my photos from yesterday.

If you enjoy crows, go to Gwen Buchanan's blog (click here) to read more and see her gorgeous art, some of it centered around her love of crows.

See also my blog of June 26, 2011 for crow information.

Are you intrigued by crows?

After this crow finished bathing, it gracefully flew up to the canopy on our swing seat and wiped its face and beak on the fabric. 

So tidy and fascinating!

Photos are mine.

Crows

Crows

Are crows the smartest of all birds?

Crows intrigue us and aggravate us.  They have a great mysticism and mythology attached to them.

The first noticeable characteristic about this bird is its striking black colour; sometimes it will have hints of deep blue and purple on the feathers, as well.  Black is the colour of creation.  It is the womb, out of which the new is born.  It is also the colour of night.  Black is the maternal color and thus black night gives birth to a new day. 

Although the crow is a diurnal or daytime bird, it reminds us that magic and creation are potentials, very much alive during the day.

Crows have a connection to watchfulness.  Crows always have a sentinel posted.  They build their nests high in tree tops so that they can see the entire area in which they are nesting and feeding.

The ability “to warn” is connected to the crow’s second, most-noticeable characteristic—its voice.  Crows have a complex language.  Though they have remarkable voice range, they actually do not sing.  They can caw in many different ways, each with its own meaning.  

The crow has great intelligence.  It is adaptable to its environment. It will eat almost anything.  Part of their ability to survive is this being omnivorous and their unique ability to communicate with each other and to work together.

Their ability for attentive watching and their intelligence have given them a reputation for thievery.  They will steal food from other birds or whatever source is around—including human food supplies.

Wherever crows are, there is magic.  They are symbols of creation and spiritual strength.  They remind us to look for opportunities to create and manifest the magic of life.  They are messengers calling to us about creation and magic, that is alive within our world everyday and available to us.

This information is taken from Animal Speak, written by Ted Andrews and published in 2001 by Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA.

All photographs are mine.