crows in trees
Of all the birds, I like the American crow (Corvus brachyrynchos) the best.
For one thing, they seem to me to be full of personality. I also know that crows are intelligent – research shows they can distinguish humans from one another by facial features. Crows also stay in family groups (parents and fledged offspring) for a few seasons. I feel sorry for crows; they seem to have a bad reputation and are treated poorly as a result.
If you want to learn more about crows and their habits, have a look at Michael Westerfield’s new book “The Language of Crows: The crows.net Book of the American Crow,” available at www.crows.net/crowbook.html .
A group of crows is known as a ‘murder’ of crows. The term ‘murder’ refers to the ‘observation’ that a group of crows will kill a dying cow. Some people are advocating for an alternative, since the term ‘murder’ perpetuates the notion of crows being malicious. Alternative names for a group of crows are presented in http://www.crows.net/mjw.html Michael Westerfield’s Crow Log: The Crows.net Project. I think this is an opportunity for a Poll!
~
~
Morning Song
~
in the morning
dew soaks the grass
and Canada
belongs to the crows
~
the croaking of ravens
the cawing of crows
familiar, unheard
backdrop to Canadian dawn
~
(theme music
in Canadian film)
~
in a conversational rattle
discussing gold and letters
~
a two syllable scream
haunting the fields
~
solitary sorrow
throned at the top
of a tamarack
~
black wings bruise the air
he calls an alarm
screams to his mate
the love of his life
with only the fall of the dew
for an answer
~
silent is the shroud of black feathers
strung by the feet from a pole
beside a garden
where she braved the flapping man
and dared to pull new corn
~
in the morning
Canada belongs to the crows
~
Published as: ‘Morning Song’, Spring 1995, The Cormorant XI (2)
© Jane Tims 1995
nichepoetryandprose 
We get Fish Crows here, but I still like their sound, though different. Nice drawing and thanks for stopping by my site.
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Lee
December 21, 2011 at 9:32 am
I’d never heard of a “murder” of crows!So I just looked in Wikipedia & see there are all sorts of others I’ve never heard of either(like a “gulp” of cormorants for example).
The drawing is very evocative.
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Sonya Chasey
December 15, 2011 at 1:11 pm
Greetings, Jane. I had to vote for a caucus of crows. It was too good to pass up. I like the first two as well. I always thought crows got a bad rap, especially with that “murder of crows” designation. I like crows, and very much enjoy their company on my winter walks, even if they are warning the other birds and animals of my presence. When I was a child, my best friend’s older brother rescued an injured crow who could no longer fly. The bird followed him everywhere, and it was quite intelligent.
Your drawing and poem are beautiful.
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Robin
November 27, 2011 at 5:30 pm
Hi Robin. One of the most interesting sounds is to have a crow fly overhead. The sound of their wing beats is as mysterious as the crows themselves. Thanks for the comments. The drawing was fun to do since crows take on so many poses.
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jane tims
November 27, 2011 at 5:34 pm
Crows indeed have plenty of personality and intelligence. I’ve taken to tossing them some peanuts when they come by, and they’ve on occasion followed me to my car or on a walk so they definitely recognize me.
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Watching Seasons
November 26, 2011 at 3:29 pm
Hi. We have a family of crows in our back woods. I’ll try your peanut idea with them… Jane
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jane tims
November 26, 2011 at 9:17 pm
Great drawing and poem Jane. Your poem captures the essence of the crows perfectly. Crows and Ravens … my two favourite birds.
-Denis
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JD
November 26, 2011 at 8:00 am
Hi. Thanks for the comment. I have several poems about crows… they are very easy to write about… Jane
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jane tims
November 26, 2011 at 9:14 pm