BlO—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 26,1984
Common crows get little respect
WASHINGTON - Long before
they want to wake up, thousands of
American suburbanites are
aroused each day by the raucous
caw of a living alarm clock, the
common crow.
He’s not exactly a newcomer to
their neighborhoods. His family, in
fact, lived there for something like
25 million years before the first
split-level rambler was built.
The family’s name is Corvidae,
and the crow’s official title is
Corvus brachyrhynchos. The most
prevalent member of the
clan, the bumptious, coal-black
bird is well-known in every part of
the United States. His cousins
include ravens, jays, magpies, and
nutcrackers.
Thriving in
Adversity
Intelligence and adaptability
have been the crow’s trademarks
over the millennia. No other
species of bird has been more
reviled and persecuted. Yet none
has thrived more effectively in
adversity.
As a result, the U.S. crow
population continues to grow,
despite poisons, pesticides,
dynamite, and guns. While less
hardy creatures are succumbing to
man’s depredations, the number of
crows flourishes. One recent
estimate; 3 billion in North
America.
In times past, when farms
dominated the American land
scape, farmers cursed the ever
hungry avian marauders for
eating grain, fruit, eggs, and
smaller birds. The farmers tended
to overlook the services the crows
performed by also eating mice,
grubs, cutworms, and grasshop
pers.
As housing developments and
shopping centers have replaced
barnyards and cornfields, crows
have learned new tricks. With their
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long, powerful beaks and strong
claws, they can effortlessly slash
open plastic garbage bags and
strew the contents over manicured
suburban lawns.
But the irate homeowner who
shakes his fist at the squawking
bandit that taunts him from a
nearby branch can also thank him
for a few favors. That same crow
reduces the insect population in the
suburbanite’s yard. And he helps
remove animal carcasses from
streets and highways.
Scorned Despite
Favors
All his good deeds, however,
won’t win him any popularity
contests among his human
neighbors. The best he can hope for
is a standoff.
Since 1973, the crow has been
protected as a migratory bird.
Hunting him requires a license.
Still, he sometimes must be dealt
with firmly, if not lethaUy. When
thousands of crows roosted in trees
next to a restaurant in the
Washington suburb of Rockville,
Md., the harried owner spent
considerable money for
aggravated customers’ dry
cleaning bills and car washes. He
finally removed some of the trees
and set off fireworks to scare away
the remaining birds.
Whatever deterrents people may
try, they’re likely to be effective
only until the crow gets used to
them and adapts, experts agree.
His intelligence and flexibility are
unmatched m the bird world.
Scarecrows scare him only briefly.
He quickly learns what a gun is,
and stays out of its range.
Stories of his wit and mimicry
abound. “They’re smart, they’re
very smart,” says Eleanor D.
Brown, a Smithsonian Institution
research associate who specializes
in crow language. Capable of
imitating human voices as well as
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Conceding that many people
don’t like crows, Brown says with
some irritation, “I think a lot of
this stems from the fact that they
watched Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘The
Birds’ when they were at an im
pressionable age.”
Earlier this century, another
naturalist, Edward Howe Forbush,
also acknowledged the crow’s
unpopularity among humans. But,
Forbush concluded, “He is well
worth knowing. Each crow is a
character.”
TRENTON, N.J. - In
Springtime, young people’s fancies
often turn to thoughts of camp. And
young Mercer Countians, ages 9-
14, have an opportunity to attend
the 4-H camp at Beemerville, in
Sussex County.
The 4-H camp is unusual for
many reasons, not the least of
which is the modest cost of $67 for
the week of July 16-21. Another
reason, even more significant, is
the close supervision provided -
one adult counselor for every 10
campers.
Activities include the usual -
swimming, canoeing, arts and
crafts but 4-H provides, in ad
dition, activities that demonstrate
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the sounds of other birds and
animals, crows have a complex
and distinctive system of songs
and calls, she says.
Crows mate for life, and in
dividual families develop their own
identifiable quirks of com
munication.
Legend and tradition perpetuate
the crow’s ominous reputation as a
harbinger of evil, a portent of
death.
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Fill in the squares above
with the colors of the birds in
the list on the right. Then
rearrange the letters in the
column with heavy lines to find
another bird.
4-H
camp open to youth
an appreciation of the natural
environment, including working
with some of the animals found on
New Jersey farms. There is
freedom to explore and learn, but
the close guidance provides a
degree of safety that is one of the
hallmarks of the 4-H camp, earned
over a 35-year experience in camp
administration.
If you want to go to camp, it’s
easy to sign up. Call the 4-H office
between 8:30 and 4:30 Monday
through Friday (989-6833) and ask
for an application, or stop by and
pick one up at 930 Spruce Street,
Trenton. Orientation sessions for
both parents and children are
required, and have been scheduled
a
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1. Robin breast
2. Color of a canary.
3. A catbird’s coat
is dark
4. Color of a raven
and crow.
5. Color of a wren
and thrasher.
6. Color of a martin
7. A mockingbird’s
:oat is a lighter
than a catbird’s.
8. A junco’s breast
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Answers:
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for Tuesday, June 12 or We
nesday, June 27, at 7:30 p.m. at tl
4-H office.
Here’s a change for a happ;
educational and safe week -
economical, too sure to be a
enriching experience for an
youngster, especially yours.
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SLOW —-P
Call Now To Place Your
CLASSIFIED AD
Fh-717 3*4 3047 or 717-47* 11*4
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