Gifts from the Crows

I am taking a short break from the Carole and Eric story to share a bit of my life here in Laramie and one of my favorite things about it—the crows. I love them, and in some small way, I think they love me too.

They started showing me their love last winter. I have been putting peanuts out for the squirrels for years, along with birdseed for sparrows and fresh water that is heated in the winter. I had never considered feeding the big black crows that live in the junipers in the nearby canyon. They come into town scavenging for whatever they can find. When they found my squirrels’ peanut bowl, they started to become regulars. 

Crows talk a lot when feeding. They come in groups—murders they are called—which is a strange name for such smart and social creatures. They have a system for notifying each other when the meal has been served. I have seen a single crow surveying the area while perched atop a nearby roof or tall tree. When I come outside with the peanuts, it will start cawing. I can hear others respond in the distance. Then, the murder arrives, cawing loudly and taking turns to fill their mouths with nuts. They often take more than one before flying off to a hard surface to crack them open and indulge. 

One bitter cold day last winter I walked carefully across the icy patio to fill the birdbath. I noticed a shiny glint of sunlight reflecting from the ground. I came closer and saw it was a blue glass gem—the kind used to stabilize flowers in glass vases. I had heard that crows will sometimes bring gifts to people, and it occurred to me that this could be such a gift. But I dismissed the idea as improbable and left the glass where it lay. 

The next day I filled the heated birdbath, and I saw it there, twinkling under the water. It had been moved from the patio into the water. I laughed and picked it up, looking up to the sky all around me. “Ok, so you thought I was too dense to recognize this was from you? I get it now! Thank you!”

I brought the little gem inside and set it on my windowsill with my plants. I was delighted by the confirmation of a relationship that I had been unsure of—like a teenage girl with a crush that finds out, yes, he likes me too! 

As the winter progressed into spring, I continued to find more blue and green glass gems—on the fence, in the grass, in the rock garden and on the patio. A total of eight emerged. The capstone was a single red teardrop earring. I have them displayed by my orchid as a lovely reminder of the friendships that can be built between humans and animals.